SNL Casts Michelle Obama: Maya Rudolph To Return, Says Report

UPDATE:
Watch Maya Rudolph as Michelle Obama

PREVIOUSLY:
Saturday Night Live is on a roll, and joining Fred Armisen's Barack Obama will reportedly be former cast member Maya Rudolph

Since they've had great success with Tina Fey and Will Ferrell, well placed sources tell us "SNL" is once again bringing back a former cast member ... Maya Rudolph will play Michelle Obama this weekend.

Besides playing Mrs. O, we're told Maya -- who left the show last November -- will once again co-star with Amy Poehler in their "Bronx Beat" skit. Oh my gawd!

Tragically, we're told Tina will not be back playing Sarah Palin on Saturday.

Maya isn't the only former cast member returning this political season. Chris Parnell has been back to play Jim Lehrer and Tom Brokaw in debate sketches and Will Ferrell returned as President Bush. When on the show Maya was known for her impressions of Donatella Versace and Whitney Houston.

Comments

[tomanjeri]

Maya Rudolph is like canker sore that keeps returning.

[YouDisgustMe]

huh?

[tonewheel]

It's SNL for G-ds sake. So what? So full of themselves­...

[dkan71]

Do they not have any brown-skinned black people on this show to play the upcoming president and first lady? They need to get to hiring quickly. It's not like there's some scarcity of funny black people in America.

[Cufflinks]

Yes, there are lots of funny brown-skinned black people, but Maya is a gifted impersonator -- the best in the business. She has, during her SNL tenure, played a variety of characters of various races, ages and sexes. I agree that SNL should be more racially diverse, but there is no reason to go out and cast a "dark" woman and put her SNL just to fulfill a quota.

[TinaGirlla]

umm, it's not to fill a quota, it is to cast someone who can pull it off and makes us laugh. A lot of the impersonation is visual. It's why we love Tina's Sarah Palin. She is just too different physcially from Michelle to pull it off. I see Vivica Fox or Regina Bell ( I think that is her name), or using a guest star like they did with Queen Latifah for Gwen Ifill - again, because Latifah was so well cast, we were ready to laugh from the moment we saw her. Maya is beyond talented, but miscast in the role of Michelle. Loved her Donatella Versace, though.

[Adrienne Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

So, why not just cast Palin with a black actor? The point would be lost. The reason Fey is so great, is that she is a great actor, AND she looks like her. I have to disagree on this one. There are major issues surrounding why they need to get a darker black actor to play Michelle. History my friends, history.

[Mort]

Maya's great. That'll be worth watching.

[Tanker10a]

..."Saturd­ay Night Live is on a role, and joining Fred "....
Whatever happened to spellchecking and proofreading???

[punkingale]

Role should be roll, as in Roll Tide.

[aOsO]

Maya is a very talented actress, however SNL needs to hire more black actors. The fact that they don't have a single full blooded African American female to play Michelle is a disgrace.

[MarkInIrvine]

gawd i love maya rudolph ... and i still miss gilda radner

[auramac]

Who doesn't miss the 70's SNL?

They're gonna need a new good woman with Rudolph gone and Amy leaving...

[Mort]

The original ladies were the best. Amy just sits at the desk, reads a line and looks around for applause. The whole world lost a jewel when Gilda died.

[ginsushark]

Obviously, SNL needs a more diverse staff. Maya is one of my faves so Im glad she will make a guest appearance.

[scorpioleidy]

I had no idea she was Minnie Ripperton's daughter ... wow - all this time ...

[AfroLatina21]

Yeah I found that out awhile ago. Maya defintely got her singing voice from her mother.

[robbor]

""Rudolph To Return""

oh, i didn't know she had left

[magen]

Wow.

Why ya gotta get like the whitest black lady in the world to play Michelle who's so dark?

[uclafan]

she sure can sing like her mama though...

[GiannaX]

She can.

[situationcritical]

Really?

You mean Maya has a 6 octave vocal range like her mom?

[marasgram18]

Thank you ...she looks nothing like Michelle perhaps they can keep her for other things and search for someone that at least kind of looks like Michelle.

[GiannaX]

We haven't even seen her performance yet...geez folks chill out!

[peacenlover]

she is biracial- African American and White

[KahneO]

Yes, she is the daughter of Minnie Riperton and a producer (I believe it was David Rudolph).

[BowlingForRevenge]

OMG! I had NOOOO idea she was Mini Ripertons daughter!!! She lost her mother when she was very young then.

When I was packing up to move last year I finally (3 moves over 35 years) threw out my 70's 8 tracks! Mini Riperton's "Perfect Angel" went to the dump...wit­h about 50 others!

"Lovin' You" is still one of my favorite songs of the 70's,

Maya is a very versatile actress comedian and will do Michelle Obama justice. I'm just now warming up to Fred's Obama...it seems too awkward.

[Faithtoo]

She was great as Donatella Versace but I'm not sure about Michelle O. They look NOTHING alike. I really have to see this.

[bmermaid]

I don't get it. You mean, they can't find any new black comedic actors to portray the Obama's?
Or does SNL just want to stay mostly white bread, like they always have been?

[phlashba]

Maya Rudolph is the daughter of the late singer Minnie Riperton (an African-American)! What ARE you talking about?

[lauriemann]

I missed Maya Rudolph (who left after having a baby). I hope she comes back for more than just one night.

I think Maya would make a terrific Michelle Obama. Attitude is 90% of a good impersonation, and she always nails the attitude. (by contrast, Amy Pohler usually gets the attitude but screwed up Katie Couric badly a few weeks back).

Odd trivia: One of Maya's best friends in childhood was Gwenyth Paltrow.

[franksters]

It's true. Maya Rudolph is the daughter of the late Minnie Ripperton.­..the dad is white or light skinned.

[GiannaX]

They are talking about the fact that she is the daughter of the late, great, singer Minnie Riperton who died of breast cancer in 1979.

[proveit2me]

They have mere days to put one of these shows together. I don't think they have time to do a drawn out casting session. They're bringing back people they have worked with before because they are tested and know they can do the job.

But come next season, it wouldn't kill them to hire a few African Americans.

[robXdion]

Why is SNL virtually putting latino and white-mixed actors in quasi "blackface" makeup? Do they have a "only one black hire at a time" rule? Insulting.

[jkminwa]

I think Tina Fey's successful return to the show led them to believe nostalgia for past cast members was in part responsible for the surge in viewership. Why would they mess with the formula now?

[sf girl]

Let's be real here. Tina Fey is the only cast member I can think of who actually looks like the person they're portraying. Remember when Chevy Chase used to play Gerald Ford--they looked absolutely nothing alike. Maya Rudolph does great imitations and I think she'll do a good job as Michelle. Give her a chance.

[indy87]

That's true. Darrell Hammond looks nothing like Jesse Jackson (not even with darker makeup), yet his impersonation always cracks me up.

[KahneO]

Maya is the daugher of an African-American woman, Minnie Riperton.

[Adrienne Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

But Michelle is not... wrong choice in my book!

[sayitloud]

I can think of only two other black women in the SNL cast throughout its 33-year history: Ellen Cleghorn and Damitra Vance. I'm surprised they're not using Kenan Thompson as they did when parodying Star Jones (before the weight loss). Though talented, Fred Armisen misses the mark entirely on his Obama impersonation.