The actress, 51, returns to the show as host for the first time since 2021
The third time’s a charm for Maya Rudolph, who hosted Saturday Night Live on May 11 alongside musical guest Vampire Weekend.
The actress and comedian, 51, returned to the late-night comedy sketch show as a host this weekend for the first time since 2021.
In addition to her previous two times hosting, the Bridesmaids star also spent six years as a beloved regular cast member on the show beginning in 2001, before making her exit in 2007.
Her May 11 hosting gig began with Rudolph wearing a stunning black and white print dress with a tiered skirt as she shared her delight at being back on the Studio 8H stage.
“It is so good to be back, and for the Mother’s Day episode,” she told the audience. “And for me it’s extra special because I am a four-time mom. That’s right, I have four beautiful kids — that I know of.” she jokingly continued.
SNL cast members Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman then joined Rudolph on stage to wish her Happy Mother’s Day, before Yang explained: “Maya, look, you’re not just a mom, you’re mother.”
“Who me, mother?” Rudolph then asked, before laughing and giving a slightly menacing, “You’re right,” to the camera. After an intro from Keenan Thompson, the actress appeared on stage in a shimmering leotard, surrounded by dancers, before launching into an impressive rap and dance routine that even referenced a famous scene from Bridesmaids.
“I’m your mother/I’m your mother/I’m your… Oops, I’m made you dance/Remember that movie when I pooped my pants/When you were a baby you pooped your pants and I changed your diaper/I’m your mother,” Rudolph began the rap, which continued as she strutted through the SNL set, being stopped by various cast members.
The rap monologue culminated with Rudolph back on stage, surrounded by silver-clad dancers and cast members from the show as she declared, “I’m your mother” one final time and introduced the show.
As a cast member on the show, Rudolph played a wide range of roles in different sketches, including real-life figures like Oprah Winfrey and Donatella Versace and fictional ones like the fan-favorite Jodi Deitz from the “Bronx Beat” sketch. And, during her May 11 hosting gig, she returned to another character, and skit, from previous shows.
In a skit titled “Hot Ones with Beyoncé 2,” Rudolph reprised her role as Beyoncé. She previously appeared as the iconic singer in a 2021 skit “Hot Ones with Beyoncé.” This time, Rudolph’s Beyoncé was dressed in a Cowboy Carter-themed outfit and explained she’d returned because, “this was the only thing I have attempted that I did not slay.”
In a promo for the episode that aired earlier in the week, Rudolph appeared in a sketch that suggested that while she may have officially left the show as a cast member in 2007, her spirit has lingered in the studio ever since.
In the video, Andrew Dismukes and Chloe Troast, current ‘SNL’ castmembers, stumble upon Rudolph collecting dust in a studio closet after hearing her cackling from the hallway.
Inside, Rudolph, dressed as a colonial woman and eating porridge, is startled when Dismukes and Troast disturb her peaceful, albeit dusty, hiding spot.
“I’ve been in here since 2007,” Rudolph tells the two. “I never left. Why would I leave? I have everything I need here. My books, my porridge. And my dear friend Kenny,” she continues, gesturing to a mop with googly eyes.
Though she seems surprised when Troast informs her that she’s due to host this week, Rudolph dutifully shuts the door to “freshen up” and get ready for her big night.
As if like magic, Rudolph emerges seconds later, mysteriously free of her colonial garb and dressed in a smart black and white suit ensemble.
“See you Saturday!” she tells the duo, who seem startled that Rudolph had managed to emerge from her closet cave.
Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
