‘NEVER MADE IT TO AIR’

Maya Rudolph Reveals She Almost Played Barack Obama on ‘SNL’

The actress, who was a cast member from 2000 to 2007, is bringing her Kamala Harris impression back to the show.

Saturday Night Live alum Maya Rudolph is no stranger to impersonating famous faces on the sketch comedy show, and since she’s returning to portray Kamala Harris in upcoming episodes, the actress revealed she almost played another famous politician, Barack Obama. “There was a moment of asking me to step up and try,” Rudolph told Variety in an interview published Wednesday. “And we did try for dress rehearsal. Sadly, Obama was there and had to see me dressed as him. We both laughed heartily, and thank God that never made it to air.” Obama did appear on the show in 2007 when he took part in a Halloween skit and played himself alongside Amy Poehler impersonating Hillary Clinton, with Darrell Hammond as Bill. Actors Fred Armisen and Jay Pharoah also took the 44th president’s persona during their time on the show. “It’s a huge compliment,” Rudolph said of the public outcry for her to play Harris again. “But it was also very bizarre, because I woke up to an article saying that I was confirmed to play her—and I hadn’t spoken to anyone!”