Maya Rudolph is the ultimate ‘mother’ in showstopping ‘SNL’ opening monologue

By Dan Heching, CNN

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

The “SNL” alum, who hosted for the third time on Saturday, came out to greet the audience after a delightful cold open during which the cast welcomed their real-life mothers onto the stage to tell jokes in honor of Mother’s Day.

After Rudolph said how honored she was to be hosting the Mother’s Day episode, and mentioned her four children, cast members 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 concurred, calling Rudolph a 30 Rock “legend.”

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

When the camera cut back to the “Bridesmaids” star, she was decked out in a skintight black bodysuit adorned with metallic accents, surrounded by dancers in all sorts of finery as the group began voguing and Rudolph launched into a rap about being everyone’s “mother.”

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

Chloe Fineman then stepped up with a teeny dog in her arms and asked, “What about dog moms?”

Rudolph replied frostily, “What about them? And honey, that’s not a dog. That’s a bitch.”

Her hilarious rapping went all over the place, mentioning some iconic “SNL” skits and characters like Coneheads and Mary Katherine Gallagher – as well as some of her own legendary impersonations of people like Donatella Versace. She also threw in some classic mom quotes, like, “I will also turn this car around if you don’t stop hitting your sister.”

Rudolph was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” between 2000 to 2007. She’s frequently appeared in sketch cameos in the years since. Her most recent was in December, when she joined fellow alums Kate McKinnon and Kristen Wiig in a sidesplitting Abba spoof. 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 last episode of Season 49 of “Saturday Night Live,” with Jake Gyllenhaal hosting and Sabrina Carpenter performing. The show will mark its 50th anniversary in the fall.

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