The vice president gazed into the mirror, reached out her hand, and reassured her comedic reflection that the election was all but won.
Harris joins line of politicians appearing on ‘Saturday Night Live’: “I’m just here to remind you — you got this,” Kamala Harris said to Maya Rudolph, the comedian famous for her “Saturday Night Live” portrayals of Harris. She then slipped in a jab about former President Donald Trump’s awkward attempt to get into a garbage truck earlier in the week: “Because you can do something your opponent cannot do. You can open doors.”
The segment managed to dodge the “cringe” factor that’s often the main pitfall of high-stakes live television, especially in the final days of a frantic campaign. While not necessarily viral comedy gold, it was a memorable moment amid a lineup featuring veteran comedian Dana Carvey as a freewheeling President Biden and James Austin Johnson as Trump, highlighting his tactile relationship with a microphone and his ever-strained dynamic with Mike Pence.
Harris’s cameo came later in the cold open, delivered across a fictional dressing-room mirror from Rudolph. She shared a riff poking fun at Trump and offered up a series of puns to clarify the pronunciation of her first name: mamala, palmala, rom-comala, pajamala — the list went on and onala.
The vice president’s appearance had been a topic of discussion among her advisers for days, according to a source familiar with the plan. Harris didn’t confirm her attendance until midweek, as her team kept her schedule flexible. After a day spent campaigning in Georgia and North Carolina, two crucial swing states, Harris made a surprise trip to New York. Her arrival at 30 Rockefeller Plaza remained under wraps until her motorcade pulled up.
Harris makes surprise SNL appearance alongside Maya Rudolph: Live television is always a risk for candidates, especially so close to Election Day, yet Harris followed in the footsteps of past hopefuls, including Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2015 and Barack Obama in 2007. (Clinton also appeared in 2008.) Few candidates, though, have taken the plunge in the campaign’s final hours.
Harris received an enthusiastic welcome when she appeared on screen, introduced by Rudolph, who joked that she wished she could talk to someone who’d “been in my shoes — a Black, South Asian woman running for president, preferably from the Bay Area.”
Harris appears on ‘Saturday Night Live’ as mirror image of Maya Rudolph with election looming
“Saturday Night Live,” now in its 50th season, remains a cultural touchstone during elections, with viewers eagerly tuning in to see how the cast will lampoon the candidates. Trump and Clinton both appeared on the show during the 2015 primaries, and actors Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon soon became known for their portrayals of them.
Clinton made a single, playful appearance that year, playing a bartender opposite McKinnon’s version of herself. Trump, a former host of “The Apprentice,” even hosted an entire episode, though the sketches were fairly tame.
This time around, Harris’s surprise campaign, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, had fueled speculation. Comedian Jim Gaffigan was tapped to play Walz, while Rudolph returned as Harris, much to fans’ delight.
Even the vice president herself has praised Rudolph’s impression, telling “The View” last month that Rudolph “nailed it.”
On “Saturday Night Live,” Harris and Rudolph shared a lighthearted moment, mocking Trump and even laughing at the vice president’s signature laugh. “I don’t really laugh like that, do I?” Harris asked after Rudolph delivered one of her hearty laughs. “Little bit,” Rudolph replied.
The two then stepped out from behind the mirror, faced the crowd, and embraced. Rudolph, in character, told Harris that she had her vote: “I’m going to vote for us.” Harris joked in return, “Any chance you’re registered in Pennsylvania?” before they closed out the sketch.
Harris wasn’t the only politician to make an appearance that night. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, up for re-election, joined a sketch called “What’s That Name?” where the contestants — and even the host — struggled to remember who he was. “Not only does he look exactly like Tim Walz, his name is also Tim,” the host, played by Michael Longfellow, quipped. Kaine jumped in, “My name is still Tim. I exist. I’m a senator representing Virginia.”
