Following Sunday’s seismic shakeup of the 2024 presidential election, many are speculating whether the ticket on Saturday Night Live will change as well.
With Joe Biden officially dropping out of the race and fully endorsing Kamala Harris to take his spot as the Democratic nominee, the internet is asking whether Maya Rudolph—SNL’s resident Harris impressionist—will return to the show in a big way next season.
Since the announcement, Rudolph’s name has been popping up on everyone’s X/Twitter feeds, with tons of users riffing on how the SNL star must be celebrating right now.
“Maya Rudolph on that next phone call with Lorne Michaels,” wrote journalist Dave Itzkoff alongside a photo of Rudolph in a downpour of cash (a promotional photo from her Apple TV+ series Loot).
Maya Rudolph on that next phone call with Lorne Michaels pic.twitter.com/p6mvDon4EJ
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) July 21, 2024
“Maya Rudolph & Lorne Michaels negotiating for another four years of SNL,” wrote another user above a clip from Jerry Maguire.
Maya Rudolph & Lorne Micheals negotiating for another 4 years of SNL pic.twitter.com/TMovFHGgD7
— N Y N E (@NYNEproblems) July 21, 2024
“Lorne Michaels has a golden opportunity to do a skit with Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer,” wrote another.
Lorne Michaels has a golden opportunity to do a skit with Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer on the next episode of SNL pic.twitter.com/Kg6ws8wGHo
— D A V I D 🥥🌴 (@livefreeordavid) July 22, 2024
For her part, Harris has approved of Rudolph’s take on her. Following Rudolph’s first turn as Harris in 2019, Harris shared the performance on X/Twitter, writing “That girl being played by @MayaRudolph on @nbcsnl? That girl was me.”
That girl being played by @MayaRudolph on @nbcsnl?
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 29, 2019
That girl was me. pic.twitter.com/btmrzJnm6u
“An honor to attempt to be as cool as you,” Rudolph replied.
Harris also offered her thoughts on the impression the following month on Late Night with Seth Meyers. “I grew up watching Saturday Night Live,” Harris told Meyers. “So the thought that anyone would be in any way depicting me on Saturday Night Live was just… I was a bit overwhelmed.”
“But I will tell you that I fully intend to make sure she has a good eight years of work on SNL,” Harris added—a sentiment she shared multiple times in 2019.
Back in 2020, the news that Biden selected Harris as his running mate broke while Rudolph was in the middle of a Zoom interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“Oh s**t,” Rudolph responded in real time. “Ruh-roh.”
Her surprise aside, she seemed game for a return at the time. “I love going to the show. Any excuse I can get, I love,” she added. “I’m so thrilled to even be associated with the show and that I got to go back. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. Honestly, it’s my favorite place to play.”
Rudolph indeed returned following that news.
Rudolph has made 10 appearances as Harris, appearing regularly between 2019 and 2020—when Harris was running for president, and subsequently chosen as President-Elect Biden’s running mate in the last election cycle.
Rudolph reprised the impression in 2021 when she hosted Saturday Night Live. All her prior turns as Harris were unannounced cameos, but it’s not without precedent that a formal announcement would be made if she were to recur on the show regularly next season. From 2016 to 2020, SNL signed Alec Baldwin as a frequent guest star to play Donald Trump. Then in 2020, the show enlisted Jim Carrey to recur as Joe Biden for six episodes.
Of course, all of this opens the question of who will play Harris’ husband, First Gentlemen Doug Emhoff. Emhoff’s portrayer in that 2021 sketch? Another former SNL star: Martin Short.
SNL kicks off its celebratory 50th season on September 28.
The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Maya Rudolph has been the only person to portray Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live. Punkie Johnson portrayed her during the cold open on March 9, 2024. The story has been updated.
