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Maya Rudolph as Harris and Dana Carvey as Biden Open the 50th Season of ‘Saturday Night Live’

Maya Rudolph. (AP)
Maya Rudolph. (AP)
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Maya Rudolph as Harris and Dana Carvey as Biden Open the 50th Season of ‘Saturday Night Live’

Maya Rudolph. (AP)
Maya Rudolph. (AP)

"Saturday Night Live" began its 50th season with a parade of former co-stars, including Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg as her husband Doug Emhoff and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden.

"We've got to stay focused," Rudolph-as-Harris said at a mock rally in the show's cold open. "If we win, together, we can end the drama-la and the trauma-la and go relax in our pajama-las."

After bringing out running mate Tim Walz, played by comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan, she invited Samberg-as Emhoff to the stage and then, almost as an afterthought, Biden, played by the oldest of the group, the 69-year-old Carvey.

"A lot of people forget I’m president, including me," said Carvey, best known on the show for playing President George H.W. Bush in the late 1980s.

Rudolph and Carvey jointly delivered the "Live from New York, it's Saturday night" that launched season 50 of the sketch comedy institution.

Rudolph's return to play Harris — she won an Emmy for playing her previously — had been reported, but it was not certain when she would appear. The guest spots from Carvey, Samberg and Gaffigan were all surprises.

"Designing Women" star Jean Smart, fresh off winning her sixth Emmy for her lead role in "Hacks," was host, a role the 73-year-old has somehow never played in a four-decade career.

"I remember watching the first episode of ‘SNL’ and thinking, ’someday I’m going to host that show," Smart said in her opening monologue. "And this is the first Saturday that fit my schedule."

That first episode came on Oct. 11, 1975, with Lorne Michaels at the helm, just as he is now.

George Carlin hosted and the nation got its first dose of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players: Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris.

There were two musical guests — Billy Preston and Janis Ian — playing two songs apiece, the norm in the early days.

The country singer and rapper Jelly Roll had the music role to himself Saturday, singing his songs "Liar" and "Sober." Like Smart, he was a first-timer.

Smart introduced Jelly Roll with her "Hacks" co-star Hannah Einbinder, the daughter of original cast member Newman.

That debut show is documented and reenacted in the newly released Jason Reitman film "Saturday Night," part of a wave of reflection and celebration the show is getting on the cusp of its 50th anniversary.

Despite the showy guest stars on this Saturday night, regular cast members took on the bulk of the show, which quickly settled into its regular routine.

James Austin Johnson was back playing Donald Trump at his own rally, saying he wanted Biden as an opponent instead of Harris.

"We miss Joe Biden, folks," Johnson's Trump said. "What we wouldn’t give to have him stand next to me and be old."

Colin Jost and Michael Che returned for another season of the mock-news "Weekend Update."

"There were so many insane political stories this summer and everyone kept asking, ‘Are you are you so bummed you aren’t on the air right now?" Jost said to open the segment. "And I was like, ’I have a feeling there’s going to be more that happens when we get back.'"

Rudolph, Carvey, Gaffigan and Samberg joined Smart, Jelly Roll and the cast on stage for the traditional sign-off.

Upcoming episodes are scheduled to feature host Nate Bargatze with musical guest Coldplay, Ariana Grande with Stevie Nicks, Michael Keaton with Billie Eilish and John Mulaney with Chappell Roan.

Those shows will lead up to a three-hour primetime special on Feb. 16 that will serve as the official 50th season celebration. It's sure to feature a wide range of the many stars the show has spawned, including Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Robert Downey Jr., Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell.

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Entertainment

Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson's 'Overnight Success' is More than a Decade in the Making

Meghann Fahy, left, and Eve Hewson pose for a portrait to promote "The Perfect Couple" on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Meghann Fahy, left, and Eve Hewson pose for a portrait to promote "The Perfect Couple" on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson's 'Overnight Success' is More than a Decade in the Making

Meghann Fahy, left, and Eve Hewson pose for a portrait to promote "The Perfect Couple" on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Meghann Fahy, left, and Eve Hewson pose for a portrait to promote "The Perfect Couple" on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson, two of the stars of Netflix's whodunit “The Perfect Couple,” have news for you if you want to call them breakouts: They've been working in this business for more than a decade.
Fahy made her TV debut in 2009 in an episode of “Gossip Girl.” Hewson's first big film role was in 2011's “This Must Be the Place.” They do concede, however, that it's recent TV roles — “The White Lotus” for Fahy and “Bad Sisters” for Hewson — that have led to new frontiers of opportunity, The Associated Press said.
Susanne Bier, who directed “The Perfect Couple,” says both Fahy and Hewson are “going to be big stars.”
“They certainly have proper, profound star quality, Both of them in very different ways,” Bier says. “Both are incredibly creative, incredibly smart, and also have a impressive insight as to who they are. You can be a great actor or actress and not necessarily really know who you are yourself. And they do.”
Hewson, 33, whose dad is U2 front man Bono, may have grown up in a famous family but she's now in demand in her own right. She will next be seen in a second season of “Bad Sisters, ” out in November. She's in Noah Baumbach's next film, alongside Adam Sandler, George Clooney and Riley Keough. She's also been cast in Steven Spielberg's next production and is set to star opposite Murray Bartlett in a racing series for Hulu.
Fahy, 34, is in production on a limited series with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock called “Sirens,” written by Molly Smith Metzler (“Maid”) for Netflix. She also has two films in the can with Josh O'Connor (“The Crown,” “Challengers”) and Brandon Sklenar (“It Ends With Us”).
The two actors spoke candidly with The Associated Press about this phase of their careers. This interview has been condensed for clarity and brevity.
AP: You've both had popular, zeitgeisty TV shows in recent years. TV fans are particularly passionate. Have you experienced any interesting interactions with fans? HEWSON: It’s actually really fun to experience because even when we were in Cape Cod shooting “The Perfect Couple,” I would go to the local shop to get my groceries and little old ladies would follow me down the aisle and be like, “Excuse me. Are you that girl from that ‘Sisters’ show?” Who knew that they were watching it? It doesn’t change my life, so it doesn’t bother me, but when someone comes up to me and says that they love the show, especially when it’s someone unexpected, I’m like, “Oh, cool.”
FAHY: It’s not happening so much to me that it feels like a huge imposition or anything. I feel like I’ve been really lucky. A lot of the people that I’ve met who have been a fan of “The White Lotus,” or whatever, they’re really sweet people. And, I think, part of why we do this is because we want to tell stories that people can connect to and play out scenarios for themselves. So I think it’s always really nice.
AP: What's it like to now be a part of conversations about whom to watch? FAHY: Part of it feels really nice because you work really, really, really hard for a really long time — maybe that’s not how it happens for a lot of people — but I feel like we’ve both been doing this for a minute. So, of course, it feels really good. but I try not to like dwell on any of it. I try to acknowledge it and be like, “Oh, that’s so nice.” And then just kind of keep going.
HEWSON: You hear so many stories of people who were like, “I walked into my first audition and I just became a star.” Or, there’s this element of being an actor where people don’t want to tell you how hard they work. They want it to look like it’s really easy. But we've been doing this for a long time. People just don’t really tell those stories. It's usually about the one that was found on the street.
FAHY: Yeah. You took 15 years to become an overnight success.
AP: Do you notice you're now treated differently by people in the industry? FAHY: Yeah, but I always think that nobody ever knows who I am. It’s always very embarrassing. I embarrass myself in those moments. I don’t always feel like I fit in those rooms.
HEWSON: What’s nice is, I’ve spent so long going into a room and people just being like, “OK,” and act like they’re just not getting it. I know at least like I have work that people understand, what I’m doing a little bit more so they get me as an actor.
FAHY: It’s like a different level of respect.