It’s been 14 years since Maya Rudolph left SNL, but it’s not like she’s been gone. She’s been a frequent returnee, especially once they tapped her to play Vice President Kamala Harris. It almost feels like she’s always been there in some fashion, which was the idea of one pre-taped sketch on what was only her second-ever hosting gig.
It was called “The Maya-ing,” a spoof of Stanley Kubrick’s film of Stephen King’s The Shining, and it found the performer wandering the storied halls of Saturday Night Live, staring at old photos, from Derek Jeter to, well, Kevin Spacey. Memories were some replaced by ghosts, with Rudolph discovering a lavish bar suddenly occupying the main stage, tended by Alex Moffat doing a spin on Joe Turkel’s helpful bartender from the Kubrick.
Rudolph wasn’t alone. She was soon joined by other former colleagues. Tina Fey played “Gloria Zelwig,” billed as the first female on the writing staff (though a Google search only turns up other articles about this sketch). Kristen Wiig made a cameo as the two Shining twins, while Rachel Dratch popped up as the old, decaying woman in the bath tub, although she wasn’t dead — the water was just out in her apartment, so she swung by her old gig.
“The Maya-ing” wasn’t the first time that night that Rudolph addressed her lengthy stint at SNL. The opening monologue found her rallying together Season 46’s new cast, namely Punkie Johnson, Lauren Holt, and Andrew Dismukes. She tried to impart some wisdom but only wound up reciting the plot to The Breakfast Club, while Johnson struggled to contain her laughter. You can watch “The Maya-ing” above and Rudolph’s monologue below.