Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist: Maya Rudolph
Release Date: August 24, 2025
Guest: Maya Rudolph
Host: Willie Geist
Episode Overview
Willie Geist sits down with Maya Rudolph inside SNL’s iconic Studio 8H for a warm, funny, and revealing conversation about her extraordinary journey—from growing up in a family of music legends, to her SNL years among a groundbreaking cast of comedic women, through the pain of losing her mother Minnie Riperton, to current adventures like her new Amazon series "Forever" with Fred Armisen. Maya opens up about family, identity, the power of dreaming, creative partnerships, and her gratitude for the backstage family that shaped her.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Returning to SNL and Growing Up with Comedy
- Nostalgia at Studio 8H: Maya describes the deep comfort and magic of being back at SNL’s home base.
"Even just getting out of the elevator and smelling the hallway is such a familiar and wonderful smell... this place is really comfortable to me. I love it." (Maya, 02:44)
- Early Dreams Sparked by SNL: Inspired by Gilda Radner and watching SNL as a child with her “young and hip” parents, Maya’s dream to perform there took root as early as kindergarten.
"There was never a dream that was too fantastical. There was never a dream that was too big." (Maya, 04:35)
Artistic Roots and Identity
- Musical Upbringing: Maya paints a vibrant picture of touring with her musician parents, seeing her mom shine as an artist and her family’s unique life on the road.
"Seeing your mother on stage... it was more like just the backstage of it, like, the process. But it's trippy to see your mom on a stage." (Maya, 08:13)
- Losing Her Mother: Maya talks candidly about life after her mother Minnie Riperton’s passing, the challenges of identity and loss, and eventually finding peace and connection through her music.
"For many years, it was really tough for me to hear her voice. It was way too personal. ... It really wasn't until I started having my own kids that I was really kind of comfortable with it all." (Maya, 11:10)
- Feeling Like an "Other": Maya shares how being mixed-race and the daughter of a famous musician shaped her adolescence, creating a sense of otherness.
"My experience for the majority of my adolescence was brutal. ... You're really figuring that stuff out... feeling like an other..." (Maya, 15:07)
"Even now... those bones are in there. But as an adult, you can work on them." (Maya, 17:23)
Comedy as Survival and Destiny
- Comedy as Coping: Humor became Maya’s tool to find belonging and joy—a language she learned at home, inspired by Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, and The Muppet Show.
"I didn't want to be sad. And I think I, at a certain point, maybe even feared being sad. It was too scary to go to. And so I just: waka, waka." (Maya, 19:15)
Groundlings to SNL
- SNL Breakthrough: After narrowly missing her first chance at an SNL audition (bad advice from a manager), fate intervened and a tape submission led to her meeting with Lorne Michaels.
"I remember Lorne asking, why do you think you should work here? And I said, because I love wearing wigs." (Maya, 23:47)
- Trial by Fire: Maya describes her SNL “trial period,” the pressure of not knowing if she’d truly made it.
"It's like going to school with three weeks left and you don't know where to sit in the cafeteria." (Maya, 25:36)
Groundbreaking Women of SNL
- Legendary Female Cast: Maya reflects on the serendipity of sharing SNL’s stage with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, and Kristen Wiig, forging what many saw as a breakthrough crew.
"We're all kind of like, separated at birth... but we were all just like really hard workers and we were lucky enough to be together." (Maya, 27:19)
- Sisterhood On and Off Screen: The women supported each other creatively and emotionally, maintaining close bonds well past their SNL tenure.
"Those girls are my sisters." (Maya, 29:33)
Iconic Characters and Sketches
- Favorites and Homages: Maya names Oprah, Beyoncé, Donatella Versace, and Bronx Beat as personal favorites, describing them as both liberating to play and heartfelt tribute.
"Oprah was just a liberating joy... When I play Beyoncé, I might as well be in drag. I don't feel like a woman compared to the woman that Beyoncé is. But for me, it's like my Cinderella moment." (Maya, 29:46/30:32)
- Behind Bronx Beat: Inspired by the real-life Jody from hair and makeup, Bronx Beat came from inside SNL’s backstage family.
"We wrote it based on our friends in the hair department,... and the three of us would sit in the room, and it was joyful to write." (Maya, 31:07)
Creative Family and Collaborations
- Paul Thomas Anderson Story: Maya first saw her now-husband in Studio 8H as a guest writer before they ever met.
"I watched my—the future father of all four of my children—walk past me. That was a whole other level. That was super weird." (Maya, 24:59)
- Chemistry with Fred Armisen: Maya speaks to the creative shorthand and deep friendship behind "Forever;" she calls Fred her “comedy husband.”
"When we first met here, it was like I'd known him forever... I'm so incredibly amazed by him as a comedian, and he's just truly gifted..." (Maya, 36:48/38:13)
- On "Forever": Maya describes the series as “a story about a relationship... and what it's like to be in a long relationship.” She emphasizes the collaborative joy with Fred and showrunner Alan Yang.
"We just knew we wanted to be together. We love working together." (Maya, 33:06)
Successes and Surprises
- Bridesmaids—Chemistry and Breakthroughs: Maya recalls the special experience of working with friends and improvising on “Bridesmaids,” surprised and moved by its massive cultural impact.
"I remember while we were making it, saying, this is so fun. ... We think it's funny, but we were enjoying ourselves. ... I've never had people react to anything I've done in that way before." (Maya, 38:47/42:21)
- Improvised Comedy: The now-famous bridal shop scene came from Judd Apatow’s suggestion, and was built through improvisation.
"I remember being like, Kristen, I don't know if I want to have, like, that severe of diarrhea in this movie... And then it was so fun to shoot that scene." (Maya, 40:06/40:56)
- Phantom Thread and Personal Life: Maya responds to stories that her husband’s film "Phantom Thread" was inspired by her caring for him; she finds it funny and sweet, if a little odd.
"He said that I looked at him in a loving way that he hadn't seen in a very long time... I've never made him a mushroom omelet, so..." (Maya, 44:07)
SNL Family and Rituals
- The “Club” Lives On: Maya and her SNL sisters keep in touch daily via group text, supporting each other's “mom moments” and latest projects.
"We text each other and now we have a text unit... now we all keep track of each other and probably talk every day." (Maya, 46:12)
- Nuts and Bolts of Live TV: They reminisce about the behind-the-scenes madness: fast set construction, rapid costume and wig changes, and the chaotic excitement of live rewrites.
"I feel like I can do anything now because it's really like comedy army training..." (Maya, 49:44)
Family Life and Next Generation
- Balancing Work and Motherhood: Maya recounts the chaos of combining life as a new mom with SNL’s relentless schedule.
"My first year after my maternity leave, doing the show with a baby was bananas..." (Maya, 52:03)
- Passing the Torch: Maya’s kids are now SNL fans, with her daughter even taking the show “very, very seriously”—the same way Maya did growing up.
"My daughter Lucy is into it, but she watches it very, very seriously. I'm like, oh, no, she's gonna be... She's gonna be walking through those doors any day now." (Maya, 52:53)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
Maya on dreaming big:
"There was never a dream that was too fantastical. ... It just never occurred to me that you can't dream." (04:35) -
On losing her mom:
"Having the connection to her music for so many years... it was really tough for me to hear her voice. It was way too personal." (11:10) -
On being an 'other':
"My experience for the majority of my adolescence was brutal... you're figuring out identity and who you are... and feeling like an other..." (15:07) -
Maya's first words to Lorne Michaels:
"He asked, 'Why do you think you should work here?' And I said, 'Because I love wearing wigs.'" (23:47) -
On the female powerhouse SNL cast:
"We're all kind of like, separated at birth and experiences, so we all made sense to each other... Those girls are my sisters." (27:19/29:33) -
On playing Oprah:
"Oprah was just a liberating joy. Like, who doesn't want to be Oprah? ... It was like having a superpower." (29:46) -
On Bridesmaids' success:
"I've never had people react to anything I've done in that way before. ... I don't always expect people to love what I love. So that was really shocking." (42:21) -
On the legacy of SNL:
"Once you're a part of his [Lorne Michaels'] life, it's forever. ... It's nice, you know, to know that you still have a home somewhere, even when you don't work there anymore." (51:12)
Notable Timestamps
- 02:44 – Maya on the sensory nostalgia of SNL's Studio 8H
- 04:35 – On childhood dreams and supportive parents
- 11:10 – Discussing her relationship to her mother’s music after loss
- 15:07 – On growing up multiracial and dealing with “otherness”
- 17:23 – The lasting impact of childhood challenges
- 19:15 – Comedy as coping and family language
- 23:47 – The infamous "I love wigs" Lorne Michaels meeting
- 27:19 – Reflections on the groundbreaking SNL women's cast
- 29:46 – Experiences inhabiting iconic characters
- 36:48 – On creative shorthand and partnership with Fred Armisen
- 38:47 – Making "Bridesmaids" and improvisational chemistry
- 44:07 – The "Phantom Thread" inspiration story
- 46:12 – SNL alumni group chats and lasting friendships
- 49:44 – Live TV as comedy bootcamp
- 52:53 – Her children picking up the family comedy torch
Tone and Style
The conversation is warm, candid, and rich with Maya’s signature humor and introspection. Maya oscillates between deep vulnerability—especially about her family and identity—and infectious comedy, always returning to her genuine gratitude for the creative family she’s found and the legacy she’s building for the next generation.