‘I have never experienced anything like this before’: Maya Rudolph has already made it clear whether or not she’s interested in playing Kamala Harris on ‘SNL’ again

Ever since Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race last month, the one name on everyone’s lips — well, apart from Kamala Harris — is Maya Rudolph. 

The comedic actress has been top of mind during this presidential race because of her iconic portrayal of the Vice President on Saturday Night Live, a role that earned her an Emmy win in the midst of the 2020 election. Naturally, as Harris’ ascent continues to build momentum, fans have been wondering whether the SNL alum will sport the Harris-style pantsuit once more as the race to the White House heats up.

RuPaul is one such fan who wasted no time quizzing Rudolph about potentially reprising the role, while filling in as the host of a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. Reflecting on the legacy of her Harris impersonation, Rudolph said she’s “never experienced something like this in any of the work I’ve done,” adding that news of Harris launching her campaign kickstarted “a tremendous, exciting time for me.”

Rudolph said she was “watching The Bear or something” when she first got wind of Harris becoming the presumptive nominee, adding that the assumptions of her return to SNL started flying almost immediately. “It was announced that I’d confirmed doing SNL,” she recalled. “I was like, I did what? Everybody’s just ready for it!”

Rudolph kept mostly tight-lipped about officially confirming her reprising the Harris impersonation, instead reflecting on the significance of the role and its place within SNL’s broader lineage of presidential spoofs, like Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump, Jim Carrey as Biden and Kate McKinnon as Hilary Clinton.

“I would never have believed you if you’d said one day you’re going to be playing the presidential candidate,” Rudolph said. After spending “so many years on SNL watching other people play presidential candidates,” the actress said arriving at a time where someone finally “resembles me in the race” is “incredible.” She also remarked that having “anything to do with this by association is mind-blowing.”  

Rudolph kept fans guessing with a final tease about her potential return, saying “I mean, I don’t know. We’ll see!” Naturally, Harris’ ascent has also sent people into a tizzy around deciding who should impersonate her running mate, Tim Walz.

Rudolph is obviously the first choice for Harris (she also does a great Beyoncé), but a whole host of names have been floated for the potential new VP, with Steve Martin emerging as the frontrunner given his resemblance to the governor. 

John Goodman and Danny DeVito have also been suggested for the Walz role, but we think Walz would be chuffed to even be considered for a SNL impression in the first place.