For every former cast member of Saturday Night Live, there are tons of celebrities and other personalities that the public would love to see the performers return to impersonate. In the case of Maya Rudolph, it’s definitely Rachel Dolezal, the former president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP. It doesn’t take much imagination to picture how this impression would work, but here it is anyway.
Rudolph stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers to talk to her old Saturday Night Live co-star, and she mentioned how often people have been bringing up Dolezal’s name around her. Which is almost unfair, because I’m not sure anyone wants to constantly be told to act like Dolezal; probably not even Rachel herself. The fact that Rudolph hasn’t starred on Saturday Night Live since 2007 just doesn’t phase anyone, nor does the fact that the sketch series is in between seasons.
Not only does it take only the tiniest amount of prodding from Meyers, but Rudolph already has the wig ready to go as soon as the clip from Dolezal’s painful-to-watch news interview ousting is shown. In all honesty, it looks less like a wig than an explosion of fuzz, but then Dolezal’s faux ‘fro isn’t the most judgment-proof hairstyle out there. And it gives us this wonderful comparison.
Sadly, Rudolph’s take on Dolezal is tied only to that interview and the befuddled look of denial, rather than her interview on Today with Matt Lauer, which would have given her a lot more to go on. I’m sure the writers for SNL are equally peeved that the show wasn’t in session when Dolezal’s story broke, and I’d bet all kinds of money that the writers/producers are planning on doing something about Dolezal during the very first minute of Season 41. Don’t be surprised if we hear about Rudolph getting tapped to host that episode. Unless, of course, some other equally ridiculous shit happens that somehow tops Dolezal’s story.
For those who haven’t been paying attention, Dolezal had presented herself as a black female for a while now, even teaching classes at Eastern Washington University about African American history, among other things. She was elected president of the NAACP Spokane chapter in 2014, a position she held until her parents and other family members came forth earlier this month and shined a light on her actual heritage.
The very, very white Seth Meyers can be found every weeknight on Late Night on NBC.
