All those jokes on X, formerly known as Twitter, turned out to be true. After Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race in July and Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, Saturday Night Live had to upend its entire plan for the fall. Fortunately, they have a familiar face to rely on. Maya Rudolph, who played Harris throughout the 2020 election cycle, will reportedly be returning to the show to play Harris through the 2024 election.
According to reporting in Variety, Rudolph was preparing to shoot the third season of her Apple TV+ series Loot, but production on that show has been delayed so that she can return to Studio 8H.
Rudolph’s first outing as Harris was in December of 2019, and she went on to earn a Guest Actress Emmy for her performance in the role. She returned at various points throughout the 2020 election series to play Harris alongside Jim Carrey as Joe Biden. She also took on the role when she hosted the show in 2021 and won another Emmy for her efforts.
Saturday Night Live has not put out any official statement confirming the news, but the decision makes sense, at least in the short term. It seems likely that Rudolph’s Harris will be taking on James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump in various skits throughout the fall. It’s unclear what the show’s plan will be if Harris wins the election. Rudolph, who was a cast member on the show from 2000 to 2007, has been game to return frequently, but may not want to rejoin the cast full-time. At least through the election, though, it seems like she’s down to come back.
