Maya Rudolph Is the Ultimate ‘Mother’ in ‘SNL’s Stunning Opening Monologue

CNN
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Maya Rudolph truly “killed” her opening monologue this weekend when she returned to Studio 8H at 30 Rock to host “Saturday Night Live” in New York.

The “SNL” alum, who was hosting for the third time on Saturday, came out to greet the audience after a delightful cold open during which the cast welcomed their real mothers on stage to tell jokes in honor of the holiday mothers.

After Rudolph said how honored she was to host the Mother’s Day episode and mentioned her four children, actors Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman came out to celebrate her return to the “SNL” stage.

Yang then said, “But Maya, look, you’re not just a mom, you’re Mother.”

Sherman agreed, calling Rudolph a 30 Rock “legend.”

With the help of Kenan Thompson, the monologue then transformed into its own version of a ball, as in a ballroom of 1980s New York ballroom culture, with Thompson introducing Rudolph as the “Mother of the Rockefeller House.” “.

When the camera returned to the “Bridesmaids” star, she was dressed in a skin-tight black bodysuit adorned with metallic accents, surrounded by dancers dressed in all manner of finery as the group began to sail and Rudolph launched into a raps about being everyone’s “mother.” .”

“It’s Mother’s Day, y’all. Today we celebrate all kinds of mothers,” Rudolph said. “Stepmothers, godmothers, mothers of another brother, Dancing Moms, Octomoms…”

Chloe Fineman then walked over with a little dog in her arms and asked, “What about dog moms?”

Rudolph replied coldly: “What about them? And honey, it’s not a dog. She’s a slut.

His hilarious raps went all over the place, mentioning some iconic “SNL” sketches and characters like Coneheads and Mary Katherine Gallagher — as well as some of his own legendary impersonations of people like Donatella Versace. She also added some classic mom quotes, like: “I’ll turn this car around too if you don’t stop hitting your sister.” »

Rudolph was a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” between 2000 and 2007. She frequently appeared in sketch cameos in the years that followed. Her most recent was in December, when she joined colleagues Kate McKinnon and Kristen Wiig in a heartbreaking parody of Abba. She previously hosted the show in 2012 and 2021.

Vampire Weekend was the musical guest this weekend on Rudolph’s episode. Next weekend will be the final episode of season 49 of “Saturday Night Live,” with Jake Gyllenhaal hosting and Sabrina Carpenter on stage. The show will mark its 50th anniversary in the fall.