Yes, Maya Rudolph will return to play Kamala Harris on SNL

Ask, and we shall receive. At least, when it comes to Saturday Night Live casting. Kamala Harris has confirmed that she will run for president in the upcoming election, and the pop culture debate since her decision was made has been whether Maya Rudolph will return to play her on SNL.

Rudolph's performance as Harris was so beloved during the previous election cycle that the actress won a Primetime Emmy Award. She nailed the politician's specific cadence and often cringe-inducing use of pop culture references during debates. And now, SNL fans will get more of it throughout the upcoming 50th season.

Maya Rudolph will play Harris throughout the election

Deadline confirmed Maya Rudolph's return on July 31. There was initially concern that the actress would not be able to juggle playing Harris with the production of her current sitcom, Loot, but the sitcom was put on pause by Apple TV.

We previously detailed Rudolph's run as Kamala Harris, which spanned ten appearances over the course of a few years. The actress talked about her beloved political impression during an interview on TODAY in 2021. In her estimation, the costuming does a lot of the work for her:

"“It's the wig. It's a great blazer, and then I think just a little ... you know, maybe just a little bit of, like, the way she talks in the back of her throat."

Rudolph considers it an honor to impersonate Harris

Maya Rudolph also noted that Harris has a tendency to revert to a smile while talking. "She's so smiley," she noted. The actress admitted that she was taken aback when she won an Emmy for her performance, and considers it an honor to be among SNL's most popular political impressions.

"I watched a lot of people at the show playing the president or the vice president," she told the outlet. "And all the political characters, and there really wasn't anybody that resembled me. I wasn't really part of that, but it's such a legacy and such a rite of passage, particularly at that show, as well."

We can't wait to see how Rudolph adds to this legacy!