Maya Rudolph talks SNL future in wake of Kamala Harris VP announcement

When Joe Biden's presidential campaign officially announced last week that his vice presidential nominee would be California Sen. Kamala Harris, many TV fans had the same reaction: What does this mean for Maya Rudolph on Saturday Night Live? As Rudolph details in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she has the same question.

Rudolph happened to be participating in an EW panel when the news broke last week alongside other Emmy nominees like Angela Bassett and Wanda Sykes. Her initial reaction was "oh s---." In the THR interview, Rudolph reveals SNL boss Lorne Michaels' first reaction as well. Apparently he just sent her a GIF of herself playing Harris, sipping a drink and going "oh no."

Though Rudolph says that she doesn't really think of herself as an "impressionist," she did reveal the keys to her impression of Harris.

"She's kind of like a cool mom or like a fun aunt," Rudolph said. "She’s cool, but she's also responsible. So what does that look like? I didn’t really know exactly how to do her, but I kept going back to the idea of those parents that are like, 'You kids can smoke weed, but you have to do it at my house.' I’m not saying that’s Kamala! But that’s the feeling: cool but there are definitely rules at her house."

If this were a normal year, SNL viewers could probably expect to see Rudolph regularly this fall despite the fact she's no longer part of the show's main cast, similar to Alec Baldwin and his ongoing impression of President Donald Trump. But this isn't a normal year, so it's still unclear how SNL might unfold this fall and Rudolph says she doesn't know any more than we do.

"Over the years, I’ve had to watch people come back and forth, but I’ve never been in a position like Alec Baldwin — who doesn’t even work there but is there every week," Rudolph said. "I don’t know what this means. I don’t know what the hell is going to happen — nor does anybody else."

Read the full interview at THR.

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