Why Maya Rudolph Canned Her Barack Obama SNL Sketch: The Three-Button Suit Mystery
Maya Rudolph shares the story of a canned 2007 SNL sketch where she played Barack Obama. Discover the 'three-button suit' mystery that led to the sketch being cut.
"I don't wear a three-button suit." That single cryptic comment from Barack Obama was enough to scrap an entire SNL sketch 18 years ago.
According to Entertainment Weekly, comedy legend Maya Rudolph recently revisited a hidden chapter of her career on Amy Poehler's 'Good Hang' podcast. The year was 2007, and then-Senator Obama was the new "smooth" candidate on the scene. Rudolph was set to debut her impression of the future 44th President during the cold open of Season 33, Episode 4.
The Maya Rudolph Barack Obama SNL Sketch That Never Aired
Rudolph revealed that she felt she "didn't have a take" on Obama at the time. Dressed in a Brooks Brothers suit and a Scott Joplin wig, she met Obama backstage during dress rehearsal. When she asked for his thoughts, he simply pointed out her sartorial error regarding the buttons. "I still don't know what that means," Rudolph laughed, admitting that his effortless cool was hard to satirize without a deeper hook.
The scrapped sketch eventually led to the debut of Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden, changing the trajectory of SNL's political coverage during the 2008 election cycle. While Rudolph didn't master Obama, her later portrayal of Kamala Harris proved she could dominate the political stage given the right character 'take'.
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