To celebrate the return of SNL, we have a recap of host Maya Rudolph’s best moments from the episode.
SNL came back with a bang Saturday night with Maya Rudolph taking the reins as host. Known for being a former cast member and playing her recurring role as Vice President Kamala Harris, Rudolph proved she’s always been a natural on the SNL stage. Here are her best moments from the episode.
Snatched! Vaxed! Or Waxed! Cold Open
This sketch pokes fun at spring breakers heading down to Miami amid COVID. Playing game show host Cece Vuvuzela, Rudolph tests three spring breaker contestants (Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, Chris Redd) on whether three hidden women are “snatched, vaxed or waxed.” In puka shell necklaces, crazy prints, and poofed hair, Vuvuzela and the guests seem to be aware of the dangerous spread of COVID, but they would instead enjoy the fun of Miami. The sketch may seem to be an extreme portrayal, but it shows spring breakers’ mindless behavior. If you’re going to Miami for spring break during COVID, expect a parody to be made about you.
Maya Rudolph’s Monologue
With her children in the audience, Rudolph took parenting to the next level during her monologue. The host invites newer cast members (Punkie Johnson, Andrew Dismukes, Lauren Holt) onto the stage where she shared her words of wisdom from her days at SNL. She began to mesh her experiences on the show with The Breakfast Club’s plot, even putting her fist in the air to the instrumental movie theme song, “Don’t You Forget About Me.” It’s so crazy to think she was a part of the cast almost 21 years ago!
Hot Ones with Beyoncé
As the most “laugh out loud” sketch of the episode, Rudolph plays Beyoncé, interviewed by Hot Ones’ host Sean Evans (Mikey Day). Rudolph has played Beyoncé before in various sketches, so she exhibits the singer’s calm and elegant energy every time she speaks. Unfortunately, the hot wings become too hot for Beyoncé to handle as she starts to break a sweat. Beyoncé starts to lose her cool, even calling out Evans, yelling, “I know that now, you bald bitch!” The line was so crazy and hilarious that even the real Sean Evans posted it to his Twitter.
A Kamala Harris Unity Seder
It wouldn’t be a Maya Rudolph episode without her reprisal as Vice President Kamala Harris! In this sketch, Vice President Harris (Rudolph) and her husband, Doug Emhoff (Martin Short), host a “Passover friendly dinner” to unite the leaders of the country. We are introduced to guests like Ted Cruz (Aidy Bryant), Ella Emhoff (Chloe Fineman), Raphael Warnock (Kenan Thompson), and President Joe Biden (Alex Moffat) with his dog Major. Spoofing the real story of Biden’s dog Major biting a member at the White House, a dog in the sketch attacks Emhoff. Then, Marjorie Taylor Greene (Cecily Strong) enters through the window. While all over the place, this sketch proved the wild but scarily accurate situation of the county’s current political climate.
The Barfly Awards
Getting the title of the whackiest skit of the night, Rudolph plays Sally O’Flappy, a winner of multiple Blyfar awards like “Wildest Claim” and “Most Bummer Detail.” Rudolph plays drunkenness with the funniest details as she slurs her speech, wears a length floor pink robe, and drops a jar full of the character’s husband’s ashes. It makes you wonder; who comes up with these sketch ideas in the writers’ room?
The Maya-Ing
The last sketch of the night is a classic Hollywood homage to Rudolph’s time on SNL. Rudolph reminisces about this show when suddenly she is transported into her memories with some nods to The Shining. With appearances by made-up former SNL writer Gloria Zelwig (Tina Fey), SNL cook (Kenan Thompson), and Rachel Dratch naked in a tub, Rudolph relives her experiences. It felt nostalgic to see Rudolph, Fey, and Dratch on-screen together again on SNL.
If we learned anything from Saturday night, it’s how much we miss Maya Rudolph on that SNL stage. We’ll take all the cameos from her we can get!
