Inside The Odd Relationship Between Kamala Harris & Her SNL Mirror Maya Rudolph

When someone enters the limelight, it is a rite of passage for them to be imitated on "Saturday Night Live." Therefore, it follows that the long-running sketch comedy series enlisted former cast member and Emmy winner Maya Rudolph to play the vice president. Rudolph has played the part of Harris on "SNL" since 2019 when Harris first ran in the Democratic primaries. She then continued to return for occasional appearances during Harris' term as vice president. Rudolph even won an Emmy Award for guest actress in a comedy series after her memorable 2021 sketch, where she played Harris in the White House alongside guest star Martin Short as first gentleman Doug Emhoff. Social media celebrated when Rudolph was confirmed to reprise the role following Harris' replacement of President Joe Biden in the 2024 election.

Overall, Vice President Harris responded well to Rudolph's impersonation of her. After the comedian's first "SNL" appearance as Harris, the then-senator tweeted a GIF of Rudolph in character with the caption, "That girl being played by @MayaRudolph on @nbcsnl? That girl was me." This was in reference to a comment Harris made on the debate stage that Rudolph had parodied on the show. Rudolph revealed how she really feels about Harris by retweeting with the phrase, "YES SHE WAS SENATOR HARRIS!!!" That same year, Harris joked to MSNBC that she planned to "keep Maya Rudolph in work for the next eight years" (via The Independent). The vice president also praised Rudolph's accuracy during an appearance on "The View," where Harris admitted, "She is so good. She had the whole thing, the suit, the jewelry ... the mannerisms."

Maya Rudolph reprised her role as Vice President Kamala Harris on "Saturday Night Live" up until the weekend before the 2024 presidential election. But during her final appearance on the show to date, Rudolph was joined by a special guest: Vice President Harris herself. During the November 2, 2024 episode, the duo appeared on stage in the first sketch of the night, sitting on opposite sides of a mirror and having a face-to-face conversation. The audience erupted in applause when the vice president appeared, and Harris responded by donning a big smile. The two looked identical wearing matching black pantsuits and American flag lapel pins. The sketch concluded with both women reciting the famous "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" to introduce the show.

Although Harris was only in New York for the taping of "SNL," her and Rudolph did have some fun backstage while dressed alike and poked fun at their resemblance. Both women even filmed a TikTok video together that has since gone viral. In the video, Rudolph and Harris lip-sync to the opening of the song "We Are Not the Same Person" by YouTubers Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden. Together, they lip-sync the line, "And we are not the same person." The video concludes with Vice President Harris laughing and playfully nudging Rudolph. The TikTok video currently has over 45 million views and 8 million likes.