Kamala Harris finally met “Kamala Harris” on the last Saturday Night Live before Election Day. In a long-awaited meet-and-greet, the real Vice President appeared alongside the Studio 8H version, played by Maya Rudolph.
“It’s nice to see you Kamala,” Rudolph told the Democratic presidential candidate, after waiting nearly a full minute for the studio audience’s cheers and applause to die down.
Watch Kamala Harris’ SNL appearance below:
“It’s nice to see you, Kamala,” the real deal replied with a grin, before easing into a joke aimed at her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.
“I’m just here to remind you: You got this,” Harris said. “Because you can do something your opponent cannot do—you can open doors.” As Rudolph went on to helpfully explain, that was a reference to Trump’s apparent difficulty opening a garbage truck door during a campaign stop in Wisconsin on Wednesday.
But Harris was also game for joking about herself. “I don’t really laugh like that, do I?” she asked after Rudolph imitated one of the candidate’s famous rolling chuckles. “A little bit,” Rudolph responded.
At that point, the two joined hands. “The American people want to stop the chaos,” Rudolph began. “And end the dramala,” Harris added. The call and response continued until they delivered the punchline in unison: “Keep calmala and carry onala.”
As their shared moment drew to a close, Rudolph and Harris stood beside each other onstage, once again to deafening audience cheers. “I want to tell you something—I’m going to vote for us,” the actress told Harris, who scored the cold open’s last joke. “Great! Any chance you are registered in Pennsylvania?”
Should Harris prevail in the election on Tuesday, she and Rudolph may have the opportunity for a repeat performance at another point during SNL’s landmark 50th season. And maybe next time, she can bring Tim Walz and Doug Emhoff to meet their respective Studio 8H doppelgängers, Jim Gaffigan and Andy Samberg.
For the record, Harris wasn’t the only politician to swing by Studio 8H on Saturday. Virginia senator and former Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine also popped up in a sketch later in the live show.
