The Story Behind How Maya Rudolph’s SNL Cold Open With Kamala Harris Happened, And How Beyoncé Was Connected To It

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With Bowen Yang’s departure marking the end of its 2025 season, and Season 51 not arriving until 2026, it’s a good time to revisit a memorable sketch from last season. Maya Rudolph and Kamala Harris teamed up in a surprising skit that even has a link to Beyoncé. Rudolph recently shared the story behind that cold open from late 2024, detailing how it was created with the then-presidential candidate.

The sketch first appeared on NBC on November 3, 2024, just days before the presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Saturday Night Live went all out for the opening segment, featuring Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff, Dana Carvey as Joe Biden, and Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz. The biggest surprise came when Kamala Harris herself appeared to playfully interact with Maya Rudolph, who was already known for her impression of the Vice President.

Maya Rudolph later told Entertainment Weekly that the sketch happened fast. She explained how it all came together quickly.

I was really impressed by Beyoncé’s involvement with Kamala Harris‘s campaign in Houston. I playfully asked Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator, how I could possibly portray both of them on the show. Luckily, the show was on break that week. Lorne made a call, and soon after, he told me Beyoncé wasn’t available, but Kamala was happy to appear instead.

Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live, has a unique ability to pull off incredible feats – like finding out if Beyoncé was available to appear and convincing the Vice President of the United States to make a cameo just days before a potentially historic election. Kamala Harris later shared her positive reaction to Maya Rudolph’s impression of her, and she was clearly delighted during that pre-election episode, which you can now stream with a Peacock subscription. Rudolph then continued with her story:

During my time with the show, it was common for presidential candidates to visit the studio while campaigning. I was hoping she would appear, but we didn’t have any confirmation she would. She didn’t even attend the dress rehearsal, so we did a practice run with Ego Nwodim instead. When Kamala Harris arrived, we quickly went over the script with her, and she performed it live for the very first time then and there.

The sketch involved a lot of coordination, and Lorne Michaels brought in a few of Rudolph’s old SNL colleagues for quick appearances. Luckily, Harris arrived in time for her role, which wouldn’t have been as impactful with Ego Nwodim playing the Vice President. Although Nwodim was great before leaving after Season 50, the sketch with the actual candidate performed much better – earning over 10 million views.

For Maya Rudolph, it was a standout experience out of all her time on the comedy series:

This was a completely unique experience for me on the show. It’s in those moments you realize how fortunate you are to be there and see something incredible. You could practically feel the energy in the room and the audience’s reaction to it.

If you didn’t catch Maya Rudolph’s recent portrayal of Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live, or haven’t seen the clip since, you missed a hilarious moment. The audience reacted so strongly to her appearance that they nearly drowned out Harris’s opening lines. Here’s a look at what happened:

As of today, Maya Rudolph’s last appearance portraying Kamala Harris was in a November 2024 episode of Saturday Night Live, though she did participate in SNL50: The Anniversary Special. You can watch her years on the show – she was a cast member from 2000 to 2007 – on Peacock. She’s also hosted SNL three times.

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2025-12-28 22:08