Maya Rudolph (Live)

Maya Rudolph is a real natural. Amy hangs with her fellow SNL alum for a live taping of 'Good Hang' and talks about being the coolest kid at Crossroads, her favorite wigs, and being married to Prince in another life. Host: Amy PoehlerGuests: Ron Funches and Maya RudolphExecutive Producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-BermanFor Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, and supervising producer Joel LovellFor The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson and Aleya Zenieris; audio producer Kaya McMullen; video editor Drew van Steenbergen; and booker Kat SpillaneOriginal Music: Amy MilesLive show production by: Elizabeth Fierman, Charlie Finan, Chris Wohlers, Ryan Todd, Donald LoBianco, Kevin Cureghian, Alexa Coubal, and Jeffrey Neubauer Additional mixing by: Devon Renaldo Gifts in as fast as 1 hour. Order thru 5pm on 12/24. This episode is brought to you by PayPal. Make the most of your money when you Pay in 4 all holiday long. No fees. No interest. Subject to approval. Learn more at paypal.com/payin4. PayPal, Inc. NMLS #910457 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by eBay Live. Here's how it goes. First, you're watching the eBay livestream telling yourself, I'm just looking. And then boom, you see a vintage Rolex go for an absolute steal. Suddenly, a rare Beanie Baby pops up. Adrenaline hits and you're bidding. You might lose that first one, but you bid again and win. And that winning rush? Incredible, because you beat everyone to it. Meanwhile, on eBay Live, you don't just watch the action, you're in it. Download the eBay app to stream and shop live. eBay Live: Things People Love.

• 0:44Amy Poehler?

  This episode of Good Hang is presented by Walmart Express Delivery. Getting gifts to your doorstep in as fast as an hour. Who needs elves when Walmart Express Delivery can make Nespresso machines magically appear on your doorstep? And if you do happen to forget something, no judgment. You can even order gifts up until 5:00 PM on December 24th. Santa, you might want to take notes. Download the Walmart app or head to walmart.com and get your gifts delivered fast. Subject to availability, terms and fees apply. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Good Hang.

• 1:23Amy Poehler?

  Hello, welcome to the Fonda Theater. I am Amy Poehler. We are so excited that you're here tonight. How's everybody feeling?

• 1:34Amy Poehler?

  All right. Just want to remind everybody to please turn off your cell phones and refrain from taking any photos or videos during the show. We want you to enjoy yourself and be in the moment, which I know is difficult to do in these trying times.

• 1:51Amy Poehler?

  We are very, very happy that you're here with us. Thank you so much for coming. And to kick off the show and get us started, give it up, ladies and gentlemen, for my dear friend, incredible musician, and the singer of the Good Hang theme song, an incredible artist, Amy Miles, everybody!

• 2:14Speaker 01

  Thanks so much. Let's get this going. My name is Amy Miles. I'm so happy to be here. I am so honored to be here. And I'm here with my beautiful friends, Mr. Quaid Wadwin

• 2:30Speaker 01

  and Mr. David Wayne on the drums.

• 2:35Speaker 01

  Okay, you guys, without further ado, we're gonna play the theme "Good Hair." And I like it, and I like it. And I will not mess this up. One, two, three, clap!

• 3:05Speaker 01

  Low consequences and low adventures when my own break a bone. Coming back to city in late summer. Everybody, everybody, everybody's gone. Everybody, everybody, everybody's gone. Everybody, everybody, everybody's gone. Everybody, everybody, everybody's gone. Everybody's gone. Woo-hoo-hoo! Going for the hug. Go out with a bang. What's up? What do you say? All I ever wanted was a really good hair. Hold my...

• 3:50Speaker 01

  See if I'm breathing. Chill to the writing, start believing. Money's got a dress that the party started. Money's got a party that starts tonight. Money's got a dress that the party started. What do you say?

• 4:10Speaker 01

  Money's got a dress that the party started. Starts tonight.

• 4:18Speaker 01

  Party, you broke my heart.

• 4:24Speaker 01

  When I see you, I turn and go home.

• 4:31Speaker 01

  Going for the hunt, go out with a bang. What's up, what do you say? All I ever wanted was a really good hang. What do you say? All I ever wanted was a really good hang.

• 5:00Speaker 01

  Ladies and gentlemen, the host, my friend, dear friend, Ms. Amy Poehler.

• 5:12Speaker 01

  Amy Miles, everybody, Amy Miles.

• 5:34Amy Poehler?

  Hello, hello, hello. Thank you, Amy, thank you, David, thank you, Craig. Hello, everyone, please have a seat. This is a podcast, we're sitting down.

• 5:48Amy Poehler?

  Hello, welcome, welcome to Good Hang Live. Thank you so much for coming. It is a thrill to be here. I just want to start by saying I apologize for the late start. I did not know this show was going to be an 8:00 PM show. I truly didn't, and I'm so sorry. I'm telling you right now, you're not getting home before 11:00, and it's upsetting. And I won't do that to you again. Welcome, we are very, very excited to do our show tonight. We have a few people to thank before we get started, and the first is Spotify. Thank you for everything, everyone here who works on Good Hang.

• 6:30Amy Poehler?

  They're just amazing, an amazing group of people, and we've had a pretty awesome year. We started this podcast this year.

• 6:41Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, and it's going great.

• 6:47Amy Poehler?

  So, thank you to everybody working on the show, and I will thank you all personally, and Jenna, most of all.

• 6:54Amy Poehler?

  And also, thank you to PayPal! For sponsoring this evening, and I know there's some PayPal peeps in the crowd. You're my pal PayPal. Have you guys thought of that as a slogan? PayPal is my pal. But thank you so much for making tonight happen. So, we're gonna get started, and um... I think, you know, without further ado, I think it's important for you guys to know who you're getting to see tonight, because we like to keep these guests secret up until a point, but you are eventually gonna hear us talk to each other. So, I have to say, ladies and gentlemen, you have a really good, good hang guest this evening, because it is the one, the only, Maya Rudolph.

• 8:00Amy Poehler?

  You wanted her, you wanted her, you got her. How exciting is that, Maya?

• 8:09Amy Poehler?

  That was exciting.

• 8:12Amy Poehler?

  But, um, yes, yes, and we have, I have my lip balm and my laptop, and my glasses. So excited.

• 8:24Amy Poehler?

  Um, but, we always, we always like to start our podcast by talking well behind our guests' back, right? So, I'm gonna introduce the guest who's gonna do that as I move this microphone over. This is what we practice in blocking. And then Amy is gonna play me over to the desk.

• 8:56Amy Poehler?

  This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. Okay, let's talk holiday shopping. Make the most of your money with PayPal. They give you the flexibility to pay in four. No fees, no interest. So whether it's the must-have toy or a tiered cheese board, PayPal helps you make the most of your money this holiday. Subject to approval? Learn more at paypal.com/payinfor. PayPal, Inc., NMLS 910457. All right. Now I'm comfortable sitting down. Okay, we are very excited to introduce our guest, who's going to be talking to us about Maya and giving me a question to ask Maya. We always like to do that on Good Hang,

• 9:41Amy Poehler?

  to talk to somebody who knows our guest really well. We're thrilled to have this person joining us tonight. He is an incredible actor, stand-up, and sweet, tender-hearted person. And he plays Maya's cousin, Howard, on the show Loot. Give it up for Ron Funches, everybody! Ron Funches!

• 10:17Amy Poehler?

  Hi, Ron!

• 10:20Speaker 02

  Hi!

• 10:21Amy Poehler?

  Hi! Now, people should know, we were trying to keep you a secret. But then you and Maya just saw each other backstage.

• 10:29Speaker 02

  You didn't do a good job at all.

• 10:32Amy Poehler?

  Nope.

• 10:33Speaker 02

  It felt like no one even tried to keep us apart.

• 10:36Amy Poehler?

  No, all we literally needed to do was close your door.

• 10:39Speaker 02

  Yeah!

• 10:40Amy Poehler?

  And we forgot to do that.

• 10:46Amy Poehler?

  And I think Maya said that she just went, "Hey, Ron, what are you doing here?"

• 10:52Amy Poehler?

  Like, you live here.

• 10:53Speaker 02

  Yeah, sometimes I just pop up places.

• 10:57Amy Poehler?

  Thank you so much for coming, man. Let's take a water break.

• 11:00Speaker 02

  It's so nice to be here.

• 11:01Amy Poehler?

  And I have some lip balm if you need it.

• 11:02Speaker 02

  I can't believe you got so many people here.

• 11:05Amy Poehler?

  Really nice.

• 11:08Amy Poehler?

  Very exciting, very nice.

• 11:09Speaker 02

  Don't they no podcast for free?

• 11:13Speaker 02

  They are severely overpaying.

• 11:19Amy Poehler?

  That's a good point.

• 11:21Speaker 02

  I think it's an excellent point.

• 11:22Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, you can go home and listen to this for free.

• 11:24Speaker 02

  But they don't seem like they make good financial decisions.

• 11:29Speaker 02

  They wooed for PayPal.

• 11:32Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. Ron, are you a Calif-- you're not a California kid, are you?

• 11:36Speaker 02

  I was actually born in Los Angeles, in Gardena.

• 11:41Amy Poehler?

  What's it like being a California kid?

• 11:43Speaker 02

  Uh, I mean, I'm just proud to be from here, especially this year with the wildfires and everything. I feel like you get just this sense of community and loyalty to the place. But I've moved around a bunch. I lived in Chicago, I lived in Oregon. So I kind of just learned to just carry my home and my space with me, mostly.

• 12:01Amy Poehler?

  I like to ask people when they've moved around a lot, what's the coldest you've ever been?

• 12:08Speaker 02

  Definitely this outside of Chicago, shoveling snow in the winter. It's terrible.

• 12:13Amy Poehler?

  And what's the hottest you've ever been?

• 12:15Speaker 02

  Mmm, probably when I was like 212 pounds, real cut.

• 12:20Amy Poehler?

  Just every day? Yeah. You tour a lot. What is your tour-- what do you like to do on tour? What's your-- how do you prepare for your show and what do you do after?

• 12:30Speaker 02

  Thank you for asking. No one asked me that.

• 12:33Amy Poehler?

  I'm really fascinated by a person on the road. It's hard work.

• 12:36Speaker 02

  No, it is, because you just hate being away from home. I used to, when you first start, sometimes the hotel much better than my home. But as the years have progressed, that has switched.

• 12:49Speaker 02

  And I always wanna be home. And so I try to make the road as much like home as possible. I travel with my best friend, Gabe Dinger. He's a great comedian. He's here with me tonight. We bring our video games with us all the time. And I usually do a Pilates class wherever I go.

• 13:04Amy Poehler?

  Oh, nice, yeah. What, uh, what video game do you play when you're on the road usually? Any of them?

• 13:10Speaker 02

  All of them. Anything, anything you got, I will play. If it's good.

• 13:15Amy Poehler?

  And Pilates, which I enjoy doing, what do you like about Pilates?

• 13:20Speaker 02

  Oh, I like that it's so difficult.

• 13:22Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 13:23Speaker 02

  I like that I could be like, how am I sweating so much while exclusively laying down?

• 13:34Speaker 02

  Oh, this is a good audience for this joke.

• 13:37Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, this is a Pilates audience. Are you kidding me?

• 13:40Speaker 02

  Your audience like a goop store.

• 13:42Amy Poehler?

  Every single, everybody gets a reformer on the way out.

• 13:49Amy Poehler?

  You have a reformer, you know. Do you bring anything with you on the road? You know how like people bring a pillowcase or a carbon monoxide detector?

• 14:01Speaker 02

  No, I just usually bring like the same pair of pajamas that I wanna wear. I bring my Steam Deck, which is like my little video game thing. But like, it makes me feel like I'm at home. And then, um, but that's really it. I think that and the Pilates keep me feeling like I'm focused at home. Because with the traveling, I always feel stiff and just kinda off balance. And once I feel like I land at a place and I sweat in a place, I feel more grounded.

• 14:26Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, I hear ya. And last question, are you a person that likes to talk to people on the plane?

• 14:31Speaker 02

  No, not at all. Not at all. I got my headphones on all the time. It's actually, I know it's probably okay being name dropping here. But it's how Bill Hader and I connected one time. We were working on a movie together and we were both on a plane and we saw each other. And so, but we were like separated by aisles. So the lady that I was sitting with was like, do you wanna sit with your friends so you guys could talk? And then we both looked up and immediately we're like, no.

• 14:59Amy Poehler?

  That's a nice friend.

• 15:00Speaker 02

  And then we're like, oh, okay. I respect you.

• 15:07Amy Poehler?

  Now, you and Maya have a real chemistry on your show. And I know you also have a real friendship in life. Can you tell me where you first met? Was it working together on Loot? Or did you meet before?

• 15:19Speaker 02

  Yeah, I met her first. I mean, obviously been a big, big fan of hers for a long time. Similar to you as well, you know? So I just remember watching her on Saturday Night Live. I don't remember how many times I would rewind and re-watch the scene of her just shitting in the street on

• 15:37Speaker 02

  Bridesmaids, you know? Like, to me, that was-

• 15:40Amy Poehler?

  Beautiful. It was like, it's like a beautiful opera.

• 15:42Speaker 02

  It's the highest form of art you could ever find.

• 15:46Amy Poehler?

  Agreed.

• 15:47Speaker 02

  And so I've always been such a, such a big fan. And then when Loot came up as an opportunity, I was actually in the process of pitching my own show and was seeing if that was gonna go across the line. So I had originally turned down the audition. And then Maya sent me a nice email, which was just more like, hey, I know you probably think this is just like some random call and you're just a one of 20, 30 people, but I like your work. I'm a fan of your work. I know who you are. I just wanted to just send you a quick email to see if you would reconsider and do this audition. And just getting a direct email from her like that, I was like, oh, I should probably do this.

• 16:31Speaker 02

  And then luckily, in the next two weeks, they passed on my show. So I was like, I really need to do this.

• 16:39Amy Poehler?

  And what is it like to work with her?

• 16:41Speaker 02

  It's amazing. It is like, I tell her, I've told her in person, and nice to tell her on this podcast. I'm a big, big comedy fan. I have been my whole life. One of my favorite shows is I Love Lucy. Big fan of just Lucille Ball in general. And I always say that working with her, to me, must feel like it was like to be like William Frawley and to be Vivian Vance, working with Lucille Ball. Like, to see the level of dedication and the level of skill and the craftsmanship that she can do in multiple areas that she- Can be funny, that she's a great singer, a great dancer, that she can be a dramatic actor when she wants to be.

• 17:22Speaker 02

  Um, to have that full skill set and to put that on display while still being a kind person is something that I don't see often. So to me, I'm like, this is the, like, I'm in the presence of a true, like, legend. So it's a, and, but she never makes you feel separate, you know? She never makes you feel like you don't belong or you're smaller than, you know? Sometimes she'll be like, she'll turn to me, she'll go like, is this funny? And I'm like, what the fuck are you asking me?

• 17:55Speaker 02

  If you say it, it probably will be.

• 17:59Amy Poehler?

  I mean, um, I don't usually talk behind the guest back when they're offstage right there, but I wanna, what I wanna talk about tonight is that Maya is like a natural. Like, she's like one of a kind natural. Like, she's, she's one of those people to me that feels like is, was born to do what she's doing. Like, it's almost like she ma, she makes it look so easy when she's doing stuff. It's because she's so naturally good at it, I think.

• 18:28Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 18:29Amy Poehler?

  And, um, you know, I think they should remake The Natural and they should put Maya in there.

• 18:34Speaker 02

  She's born to do it.

• 18:35Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 18:36Speaker 02

  You know, she's true Hollywood royalty. And a lot of times, uh, people look at that and they just think about like nepotism or people who don't do anything. But in a lot of cases, it's the opposite, where it's like she's been born into this world and she's spent a lifetime crafting these like abilities. And it shows in everything that she does. And then the fact that she's still, is spent so much time with her family and so much time balancing everything, that's to me is the wildest part, is like to accomplish so many things and to still be driven to get up and to come do this show and still spend time with your family. Like, that, that, I mean, I know it's hard for me and I just, you know, I'm doing stand-up four days a week, so to do all the stuff that she does is amazing to me.

• 19:21Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, yeah, women are amazing.

• 19:25Amy Poehler?

  There you are. And you too, Ron.

• 19:27Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 19:28Amy Poehler?

  And you too. So, what question do you have for Maya? What would you think we should ask her today?

• 19:34Speaker 02

  I have three questions.

• 19:36Amy Poehler?

  Ooh, OK, I need a pen.

• 19:38Speaker 02

  There you go.

• 19:39Amy Poehler?

  OK, OK, I'll remember it.

• 19:40Speaker 02

  You'll be fine. One, is Lou coming back? Because I need a job.

• 19:48Amy Poehler?

  Great.

• 19:49Speaker 02

  So if you could confirm that onto a microphone.

• 19:52Amy Poehler?

  Great, is Lou coming back?

• 19:54Speaker 02

  That would be helpful. Number two is one that I really do wonder personally, but I don't know if she'd want to answer in the pot. So I'm just going to ask, and she doesn't have to answer. But just when the time that she spent on Saturday Night Live playing Kamala Harris, to me, is a thing that I'd be very interested to know more about, to go through all of that, to like, live in her skin while she's going through the most like, pressurized time in her life, to have things not turn out the way that she, nor me, or most of us

• 20:36Speaker 02

  would have preferred. I just wanted to know, like, what that would feel like. Because I imagine there'd just be a lot of symbiotic pain from doing that. But maybe she don't want to answer that. So my third one would just be about, how does she choose, like, what projects are worth spending time away from her family? What makes her choose a thing that is like, is it like about providing more for her family? Or just something that she finds fun for herself or challenging for herself? Just because, again, like, I have my son, and I'm on the road four days a week, and then I immediately come back home to my son, and it's like a balance because, but I don't know how to do it. I want to know how to do it better.

• 21:20Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean. Me too. We all want to know how to do it. We're all hanging on by a thread.

• 21:24Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 21:25Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 21:26Speaker 02

  That's the secret.

• 21:27Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. Nobody knows, that's the secret. Nobody knows how to do it.

• 21:29Speaker 02

  People think, but if you have a microphone, they'll go, maybe they know.

• 21:33Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 21:35Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, I'm gonna sell a course talking about it.

• 21:39Amy Poehler?

  Okay, so just 'cause I'm, uh, menopausal, uh, so you've got, is Lou coming back?

• 21:46Speaker 02

  Mm-hmm.

• 21:47Amy Poehler?

  Uh, Kamala?

• 21:49Speaker 02

  Mm-hmm.

• 21:49Amy Poehler?

  How do you do it, babe?

• 21:50Speaker 02

  Yeah!

• 21:51Amy Poehler?

  How do you do it? Right on, those are awesome questions.

• 21:54Speaker 02

  Thank you!

• 21:55Amy Poehler?

  Ron Funches, thank you for doing this.

• 21:57Speaker 02

  Thank you for having me!

• 21:58Amy Poehler?

  You're a total delight.

• 21:59Speaker 02

  I'm gonna take this.

• 22:00Amy Poehler?

  Take the mug, that mug is yours. Everybody, Ron Funches, thank you so much, Ron!

• 22:15Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by CarMax. Thinking of selling your car but still a little unsure if or how? Start by getting an online offer from CarMax. It's a real offer, worth real money, but there's no pressure to take it. CarMax gives you up to seven days to compare offers and think it over. And when you're ready to sell, they'll pick the car up directly from your home. Get a real offer today at carmax.com. At-home pickup not available in all locations. Distance restrictions and fees may apply.

• 22:44Speaker 03

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• 23:31Amy Poehler?

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• 24:13Amy Poehler?

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• 24:48Amy Poehler?

  I don't know if you saw the back of Ron's shirt, but it said, "I only want to work with friends." What a great shirt. Wow, Ron, thank you so much. That was a pleasure. I could have talked to you all evening, but it's literally already 8:33.

• 25:07Amy Poehler?

  Horrifying. Okay, very excited to introduce our guest this evening. You know her from a backup singer for The Rentals.

• 25:23Amy Poehler?

  She was Crossroads' coolest student, California's own, biggest comedy hit, MVP of SNL till the end of time. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Maya Rudolph.

• 26:06Amy Poehler?

  Hi Maya!

• 26:08Speaker 04

  Hi Amy!

• 26:09Amy Poehler?

  Hi! How's it going? Isn't this a nice crowd?

• 26:12Speaker 04

  This is very nice.

• 26:16Speaker 04

  So many nice people.

• 26:17Amy Poehler?

  Nice people. You can tell they're nice people.

• 26:20Speaker 04

  I can.

• 26:21Amy Poehler?

  I can feel it.

• 26:23Speaker 04

  I can smell it.

• 26:24Amy Poehler?

  Um, Maya, we're gonna do a little mic check.

• 26:27Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 26:28Amy Poehler?

  And, uh, let's... Will you sing the National Anthem first?

• 26:31Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 26:33Amy Poehler?

  Okay, little mic check, go ahead.

• 26:34Speaker 04

  Um, I'm not kidding, I want someone to ask me to do that again. Wouldn't that be fun? I... Someone did say for the 50th, "Hey, we, uh, we want you to sing, open the show, with the National Anthem," and I was like, "Okay," and then it just went away.

• 26:48Amy Poehler?

  Oh!

• 26:49Speaker 04

  Wouldn't that have been fun?

• 26:52Amy Poehler?

  Oh.

• 26:54Speaker 04

  Oh, you want me to do it?

• 26:55Amy Poehler?

  Just one line?

• 26:55Speaker 04

  Just a little bit? I haven't, I haven't even, I don't, I don't really like, think I've even, ever done it since then. Ooh.

• 27:14Speaker 04

  Say...

• 27:17Speaker 04

  Ugh. Ooh. Eee! That's enough, right?

• 27:25Amy Poehler?

  Beautiful.

• 27:28Amy Poehler?

  Beautiful.

• 27:29Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 27:29Amy Poehler?

  It's the faces.

• 27:30Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 27:31Amy Poehler?

  It's the faces, and it's the amount of time it takes.

• 27:34Speaker 04

  Yeah. You know what?

• 27:36Amy Poehler?

  Can we talk about that for a second?

• 27:37Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 27:38Amy Poehler?

  Talk about how that came to be, you singing the National Anthem.

• 27:41Speaker 04

  There was a-

• 27:42Amy Poehler?

  Or your character.

• 27:43Speaker 04

  My character Pamela Bell, let's be clear. Um, you know what? I rarely, all the time that we were at SNL, I rarely had good ideas. That's not true. Like, you know, when you have an idea and you're like, this is gonna be fun to do. Or, maybe I, maybe I should be more clear. I always have ideas for characters. But I never really had clear ideas for sketches. And this one was like, beginning, middle, and end. And it's because in the writers' room on Nine, at some point, someone was watching, I think it was like a rewrite night, and, uh, American Idol was on. And they do these wrap-ups. And I think it was like base, I don't know, World's, I don't know. Something with a baseball.

• 28:26Speaker 04

  And, um, they had people singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." And this one girl said, "Buy me some enuts and apple jacks." And that was it. I was like, here we go.

• 28:43Speaker 04

  Enuts and apple jacks.

• 28:47Amy Poehler?

  Oh, goddamn.

• 28:49Speaker 04

  But it was honestly like,

• 28:53Speaker 04

  whew, I know.

• 28:54Amy Poehler?

  Enuts and apple jacks.

• 28:56Speaker 04

  And erple jerks. I just, it's just, it was such a moment to be, I, I've never been like, other than when we did Bronx Beat, that was the only other time where I've like, done something that wasn't completely on the cards.

• 29:11Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 29:12Speaker 04

  Cause Bronx Beat's the only time I really feel like we were, I ever did anything loose.

• 29:15Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, yeah, that's what she said.

• 29:17Speaker 04

  That's what she said.

• 29:19Amy Poehler?

  Maya, um, I don't know if you heard Ron talk, and I talking about you, but I don't know.

• 29:23Speaker 04

  What? No.

• 29:25Amy Poehler?

  Did you know Ron was gonna be here?

• 29:27Speaker 04

  I actually didn't until I walked in the room and he was sitting there.

• 29:31Amy Poehler?

  Literally, all we needed to do was close the door. Uh, couldn't get that done.

• 29:35Speaker 04

  But how dumb am I? I was like, hey, Ron? What are you doing here? I just thought he was hanging out.

• 29:44Amy Poehler?

  He lives here at the Fonda. You, um, have Have you, have you performed here or been here at the Fonda recently?

• 29:49Speaker 04

  I've been here. I was here recently for the Geese show.

• 29:52Amy Poehler?

  Oh.

• 29:54Speaker 04

  Uh, yeah.

• 29:56Amy Poehler?

  Oh, Cameron Winter.

• 29:57Speaker 04

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 30:00Amy Poehler?

  What if he's here? He's still here.

• 30:01Speaker 04

  Oh my god, Cameron!

• 30:04Amy Poehler?

  Was that, did you feel cool when you were in, was it cool?

• 30:07Speaker 04

  I felt so cool. I did bring earplugs.

• 30:08Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 30:09Speaker 04

  Cause I'm 53, but um, that was a huge laugh.

• 30:17Speaker 04

  But I, uh, I love them a lot and it was really hard to make myself go out.

• 30:24Amy Poehler?

  I know. What time did you have to go out?

• 30:26Speaker 04

  I don't know.

• 30:27Amy Poehler?

  What time did they go on?

• 30:28Speaker 04

  I don't know.

• 30:29Amy Poehler?

  You don't, you really don't remember? Was it 10pm?

• 30:31Speaker 04

  Who knows?

• 30:32Amy Poehler?

  It, it, it literally like...

• 30:36Speaker 04

  What time is it?

• 30:38Amy Poehler?

  You had a sleeping cap on and a candle and you were like, "Oh, what the hell?"

• 30:42Speaker 04

  I had my nightgown on.

• 30:44Amy Poehler?

  It was a Geese song.

• 30:48Speaker 04

  Jacob Marley, is that you? I hear your chain! I am at a Geese show! It was very late, um, but it was totally worth it because they're so good and they're so exciting. And as you know, I get really grumpy when music is bad and they're so good. And they're so talented at making music and writing music, performing music, that I was happy to leave my house.

• 31:15Amy Poehler?

  Oh, that's great. I mean, it is hard to leave your house. It, it's hard to go out and I appreciate that you're here.

• 31:20Speaker 04

  Period, yes.

• 31:21Amy Poehler?

  And I really do. And I want to talk to you about music because, um, and your relationship to it. And I want to start with the fact that you are, as I asked Ron, he's a California boy, you're a California girl. And we had an, we had a great interview with the great Jack Black, who said that you were the coolest person he knew in high school.

• 31:43Speaker 04

  He said that?

• 31:44Amy Poehler?

  Yes. Do you not listen to my podcast?

• 31:49Speaker 04

  Um, I do, but I didn't listen to his episode yet.

• 31:52Amy Poehler?

  You didn't? We glazed you so hard.

• 31:54Speaker 04

  Wait, what?

• 31:56Amy Poehler?

  Glazed city, babe.

• 31:57Speaker 04

  I'm gonna go home tonight! Maya. Maya.

• 32:04Speaker 04

  I, it's funny, I almost said his name when we were talking about the National Anthem because when I was singing it on, um, first of all, there's so much to talk about when it comes to Jack. Cause I'd known him since I was 14 and I met him in school and he changed my life um, for the better. And you know, when you find people and you both speak the same language and he was new, he, he was a couple of years older and he had transferred to the school and I think my drama teacher was like, you guys should, should hang out. He was, um, he coached me in an improv competition. Ah. Um, me and a couple girlfriends and we just like spoke music the same way right away.

• 32:48Speaker 04

  We both like had a love for Bobby McFerrin and I didn't, I didn't know any 14 year olds that liked Bobby McFerrin. Um, but when I was doing the National Anthem, especially when I go b-b-b-b-b-b-brr, I always think about Jack.

• 33:06Speaker 04

  He brought me to my first Groundlings show when I was a kid and showed me this whole world. I, I didn't even imagine I'd end up being there and that would lead me to you, really? Honestly, I mean, he changed my life, but there's just so few people, um, that you can, you, you feel so lucky when you have those moments where you had no idea you were gonna meet someone that was gonna, gonna be such a positive influence on your life and he's such a great goof. Did you guys ever kiss? No. I wanted to. There's still time. Chapter, left, act three, baby.

• 33:49Speaker 04

  I wondered if we did maybe in like a, like a, a short film? Well, I played his girlfriend. And like Brett Morgan, who ended up becoming an incredible documentary filmmaker. He went to our school. I know everyone's like, "Oh, Crossroads, this is like private school." It was such a fucking great, creative, cool school. It was so punk and weird and artistic and I took film classes and improv. Jack got me into the improv class early when I was in eighth grade. You're supposed to be in ninth and he got me in.

• 34:22Amy Poehler?

  Eighth grade?

• 34:22Speaker 04

  Yes.

• 34:23Amy Poehler?

  And you were like, "Hey, you guys, I got some improv about." And you were like improvising, you were like, "Honey, I'm home from work." With your little briefcase.

• 34:32Speaker 04

  Isn't candy stupid?

• 34:35Amy Poehler?

  Tough day at the toy factory.

• 34:38Speaker 04

  Oh, boy. I don't remember.

• 34:40Amy Poehler?

  But you played his girlfriend. Okay. And you also went to school with Gwyneth?

• 34:43Speaker 04

  Yes, went to elementary school.

• 34:45Amy Poehler?

  Elementary school with Gwyneth Paltrow?

• 34:46Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 34:47Amy Poehler?

  And did you guys kiss?

• 34:49Speaker 04

  We kissed.

• 34:51Amy Poehler?

  You guys did kiss?

• 34:52Speaker 04

  Yeah, we did.

• 34:52Amy Poehler?

  Okay, good. That's what I thought.

• 34:54Speaker 04

  Yep, we went to St. Augustine together, which was the elementary of Crossroads before Crossroads really had an elementary. It was in this church called St. Augustine by the sea. And, yeah, and we were very close and weirdly, our dads went to college together. So we had kind of like a family bond. And then after sixth grade, she went to New York.

• 35:17Amy Poehler?

  And do you remember your first time in that time period with like your wonderful, artistic, beautifully groovy parents? You remember when you first saw SNL?

• 35:29Speaker 04

  I really do remember sneaking into my parents' room and faking like a stomach ache or just like, "I can't go to, I can't sleep," or something. That's how I talked when I was a kid. "I can't sleep." And my parents were young. I mean, they were probably in their twenties. And they were, yeah, they were watching the show. And I think I saw the land shark, is what I remember.

• 35:55Amy Poehler?

  Ooh.

• 35:56Speaker 04

  But.

• 35:56Amy Poehler?

  For those of you under the age of 50, there was a man named Chevy Chase. And he was updating.

• 36:04Speaker 04

  That's all you need to know.

• 36:05Amy Poehler?

  And the shark would come in and they'd grab him and get him.

• 36:08Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 36:10Amy Poehler?

  Groundlings, you mentioned Groundlings. When you were at the Groundlings, premier improv, sketch, comedy theater, who was in your freshman class? Who were you with at the time?

• 36:21Speaker 04

  I had the most unbelievable group of people. So, our beloved, dear friend Emily Spivey, who we wrote with for many, many years at SNL. I met Emily there. My friend Nat Faxon, who's on Loot. My friend Jim Rash. Cheryl Hines. Melissa McCarthy. Ben Falcone. Oh, my God, who am I forgetting? Jordan Black. Will Forte.

• 36:49Amy Poehler?

  Jordan Black.

• 36:50Speaker 04

  Will was in our group. Who else? Shit, this is gonna sound really bad when I can't remember people's names.

• 36:58Amy Poehler?

  No, that's great, that's perfect.

• 36:59Speaker 04

  Is that good?

• 37:00Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, that's great.

• 37:00Speaker 04

  Rachel Harris. Oh, my God, I'm still talking. We had an unbelievable group of people.

• 37:07Amy Poehler?

  And what did you, like, now it's a lot of perspective, right? What was the biggest takeaway? The best thing about being in that space, making that kind of art at that time?

• 37:16Speaker 04

  Absolutely, knowing that I listened to myself and found my people. And that I liked... And you've said this about me, and I know it to be true, especially because you're so good at reading people. I like to be with my friends and have fun. And I know that sounds stupid, but it's such a great way to do improv and sketch. I like to like, I like to come in the room and people are hanging, when there's a group of people that I really like. It makes me so happy. And then it makes me feel like I'm actually funny or funnier. And it fuels me. I like to be in the mix of it.

• 38:00Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. Maya, if I may speak for you, Maya. Please. And about you. The word fun feels like, like, you know, it's like, it feels like not a complex word, but it is, because it's really about this idea of like, a shared, communal sense of energy. And you love that. And I will say, you know, I said to Ron that you, I think you're one of the most naturally gifted performers I've ever met. And I think you're the most naturally best person at SNL that's ever been on the show.

• 38:32Speaker 04

  Amy.

• 38:34Amy Poehler?

  It's true, babe, you have to have a lot of skills to be on that show. You've got to have a lot of skills to pay the bills on that show. And one of the things that you do that is so important in live television especially is we are never nervous when Maya's performing. Like, we're never worried about you. Our mirror neurons aren't firing, that you're like... Because you're... Like, when you perform, you're having a lot of fun.

• 38:58Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 38:59Amy Poehler?

  It's almost like you're the most relaxed and the least nervous. Or at least it seems that way.

• 39:06Speaker 04

  It seems that way.

• 39:07Amy Poehler?

  So is that not true?

• 39:09Speaker 04

  I definitely get nervous, but I think it's interesting how I get nervous. And that... I realized it coming back to SNL during COVID, the first time I came to play Kamala, which was... Which worked the first time.

• 39:30Amy Poehler?

  Oh, brother.

• 39:31Speaker 04

  Oh, brother.

• 39:32Amy Poehler?

  Oh, brother.

• 39:35Speaker 04

  I... I lost my train of thought. What were we talking about?

• 39:39Amy Poehler?

  Nervous. Well, how are you like when you're nervous?

• 39:41Speaker 04

  I... My nerves are different when I'm there specifically because I want to be there and I like how present it is. And I do get an adrenaline rush from being in that room and knowing that it's like happening in that very moment and the history of the room, like, all of it. And over the years, knowing so many of the people, so many of the crew in that room, but my armpit sweat is like how I know my body's reacting. I'm not... I don't tremble. I do... I do get nervous about fucking up or stumbling words, and that has happened. And that's the thing that sticks with you.

• 40:21Amy Poehler?

  But my memory of you is when you fuck up, you like, look at, you know, whoever... You're with and me being sometimes being like

• 40:27Amy Poehler?

  which is like the even the joy of the electricity of that.

• 40:30Speaker 04

  But like even you know how you you know how there's moments where you really you're like I can't wait to say this line.

• 40:36Amy Poehler?

  Oh, no.

• 40:37Speaker 04

  And even even back to the National Anthem, remember there was one line that I used to say and I it would tickle Keenan. And I was singing it kind of like Whitney Houston and instead of saying like

• 40:49Speaker 04

  gave proof to the night I was saying like give a little bit of proof. And every time I sang it, he would like go

• 40:56Speaker 04

  and I love that he was tickled by it and I was so excited to do it that I didn't do it.

• 41:01Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 41:02Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 41:03Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 41:04Speaker 04

  And and those little slip ups, even most one of the most recent can't remember which one it was, but one of the most recent commas we did, I stumble, you know, you just stumble sometimes your tongue.

• 41:16Amy Poehler?

  Your adrenaline, like your adrenaline gets you all twisty. Yeah.

• 41:20Speaker 04

  So I hate that. And then and then Sunday morning, you're like, oh, God, you just hear it again and again, and you can't fix it.

• 41:27Amy Poehler?

  Well, but no one ever knows.

• 41:29Speaker 04

  No, and also, nobody cares.

• 41:31Amy Poehler?

  Nobody cares. I mean, no one's paying attention to anything except themselves. And I mean, it's almost quarter to nine.

• 41:38Speaker 04

  I know. We're almost in bed.

• 41:40Amy Poehler?

  It's ridiculous.

• 41:41Speaker 04

  I agree.

• 41:45Amy Poehler?

  So you came into SNL for like the final three shows.

• 41:50Speaker 04

  Oh, of the 25th season. Yeah.

• 41:53Amy Poehler?

  So you came in at the very end.

• 41:54Speaker 04

  Isn't that weird? Yeah.

• 41:56Amy Poehler?

  What was your audition like? And what do you remember of your audition?

• 42:02Speaker 04

  I didn't audition.

• 42:03Amy Poehler?

  Bitch, that's right.

• 42:04Speaker 04

  Oh, shit.

• 42:06Amy Poehler?

  I knew it.

• 42:09Speaker 04

  I don't love.

• 42:17Speaker 04

  My water.

• 42:18Amy Poehler?

  Oh my god, I spilled my water on my laptop.

• 42:22Amy Poehler?

  Oh my god, my beautiful laptop.

• 42:23Speaker 04

  Guys, we're gonna get electrocuted. I don't love that I didn't audition, but I said to Lorne, very recently, if I had auditioned, I probably wouldn't have been on the show. I didn't have a very good audition ready to go.

• 42:35Amy Poehler?

  I have good hang tissues.

• 42:39Amy Poehler?

  These are the Seth Meyers good hang tissues. The Seth Meyers memorial tissues, when I made him cry. Really, you think you would have blown it if you auditioned?

• 42:51Speaker 04

  Yeah, I do. I had never...

• 42:57Speaker 04

  You might wanna... You don't need those questions.

• 42:59Amy Poehler?

  No.

• 43:03Amy Poehler?

  You know, we know how to clean a table, though, don't we?

• 43:06Speaker 04

  I mean, this is...

• 43:07Amy Poehler?

  Do you like cleaning tables?

• 43:08Speaker 04

  I do.

• 43:09Amy Poehler?

  I love them, I love them.

• 43:10Speaker 04

  I like a nice smelling spray.

• 43:12Amy Poehler?

  Do you use Windex?

• 43:13Speaker 04

  You know what, I don't. Do you love Windex? You fucking love Windex, don't you?

• 43:19Amy Poehler?

  And not the new stuff that doesn't have the chemicals in it.

• 43:22Speaker 04

  I like the stuff that doesn't have the chemicals in it.

• 43:25Amy Poehler?

  I know, you're so California.

• 43:26Speaker 04

  I'm fucking California, I know.

• 43:28Amy Poehler?

  Well, that was the thing, when Maya arrived to SNL, there was like, east coast, west coast people.

• 43:34Speaker 04

  East coast was like,

• 43:39Speaker 04

  "You from the Groundlings? Cool." A little bit.

• 43:45Amy Poehler?

  Well, when I arrived, you were... You had already been there, but I didn't know at the time, for only three shows.

• 43:51Speaker 04

  Yeah, isn't that crazy?

• 43:53Amy Poehler?

  So what was it like to come at the end of a season?

• 43:55Speaker 04

  It was very strange, and it was a trial period. I had sent... I had sent some VHS tape of some of my sketches to Lorne.

• 44:08Amy Poehler?

  Directly to his house.

• 44:10Speaker 04

  Directly to Lorne's house, and I was like, "Did you watch?"

• 44:13Amy Poehler?

  "555 Park Avenue."

• 44:14Speaker 04

  It was like a trial period, trial by fire. They came to... They did come to the Groundlings, I think. I believe it was Tina, and perhaps Mike Shoemaker, and, god, I don't remember, probably Steve Higgins, who had seen me there before, who I credit, giving me my job. Amen, hallelujah. Changed my life forever.

• 44:36Amy Poehler?

  Do you remember where you were when you got the call that you were gonna be on the show?

• 44:39Speaker 04

  I was at my house. I used to live near Larchmont Village. Around the corner from the yoga place and the Larchmont Wine and Spirits.

• 44:50Speaker 04

  Yeah. Great sandwiches, am I right?

• 44:56Speaker 04

  When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, I used to go to that yoga place just so I could eat the sandwiches after. They're really good. Have you ever had them? I'm gonna get you one.

• 45:05Amy Poehler?

  I haven't. I would love one. Although, uh, sandwiches? I'm not really into them anymore.

• 45:10Speaker 04

  You don't like sandwiches?

• 45:12Amy Poehler?

  I'm not really into bread anymore.

• 45:13Speaker 04

  Have you grown out?

• 45:13Amy Poehler?

  Not as a restrictive thing. I just like, in general.

• 45:17Speaker 04

  It's a lot of work.

• 45:18Amy Poehler?

  When I see sandwich, I'm like, oh god, this sandwich, like, how are we gonna get through this? How am I gonna do this?

• 45:23Speaker 04

  Do you talk to it? You like negotiate?

• 45:27Amy Poehler?

  But you know what I do love? I love a fake felt sandwich.

• 45:29Speaker 04

  Yeah, you do.

• 45:32Amy Poehler?

  Sorry, we can cut this part out. Can we cut things out? Probably not. Um, look at this felt sandwich.

• 45:39Speaker 04

  I love it.

• 45:41Amy Poehler?

  This is a fake tomato.

• 45:44Speaker 04

  I want you to do ASMR a little bit.

• 45:46Amy Poehler?

  Fake onion.

• 45:47Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 45:48Amy Poehler?

  You know you're in California because we got an avocado coming over here.

• 45:51Speaker 04

  Yep.

• 45:51Amy Poehler?

  Lettuce, sorry. Only six more things. Cheese and bread. Okay. I love you.

• 46:00Speaker 04

  I love that.

• 46:01Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, me too.

• 46:03Speaker 04

  I like pretend, I like pretend food.

• 46:05Amy Poehler?

  I love pretend food. I love pretending. Okay.

• 46:07Speaker 04

  God, what were we talking about?

• 46:09Amy Poehler?

  Okay, doesn't matter. So, um...

• 46:11Speaker 04

  We were talking about coming.

• 46:13Amy Poehler?

  You got the call. You got the SNL call, do you remember?

• 46:15Speaker 04

  And I came out and I had nowhere to live. I, um, I was in the Sunday Company at the Groundlings and I think I had to come out there like in the next week or two or something. So, I lived at the Palace Hotel down the street and, um, I think I, you know, pitched, oh, oh, I came on a Tuesday because there was no, there was no pitch on Monday for some reason. And I didn't know anybody, um, I knew Chris Parnell a little and I said, "What do we do tonight?" And he said, "We write." And I said, "Till when?" And he said, "Till about 8 o'clock in the morning." And then all the doors started closing. And I was like, and I was sharing an office with another temporary actor, whatever you would call us there, I guess, where we featured, I don't even know.

• 46:59Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, featured players.

• 47:00Speaker 04

  Named Zach Galifianakis. Isn't that wild?

• 47:03Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 47:04Speaker 04

  And then we'd walk back to the palace going like, what are we doing here? I was like, I don't know.

• 47:08Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, we've talked about it before, but there wasn't a lot of onboarding. There was no, like, no one told you any, really, Shoemaker did.

• 47:16Speaker 04

  I will say, when you and Seth started the following year, I saw him making an extreme, I watched the process of him onboarding you and Seth in a way that made me so proud and so happy that people were given a chance to understand the mechanics of how a show like that works. It was really, and it helped educate me. I still felt so new and I didn't know what I was doing.

• 47:44Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 47:44Speaker 04

  And it's one of those things where you don't want to tell people like, I've never been swimming, but I'm gonna try. Like, I didn't want to say like, yeah, I've never been swimming before, but I just, I tried, but I, you didn't want to say how scared you were.

• 47:58Amy Poehler?

  No, fake it till you make it.

• 47:59Speaker 04

  Fake it till you make it, baby. We did a lot of faking it, and we did a lot of making it.

• 48:03Amy Poehler?

  We did. And so Maya and I were, my office was across the hall from you and Emily Spivey, and Maya and Emily had a great office. It had a window, and it looked out over the Empire State Building.

• 48:16Speaker 04

  Yep.

• 48:16Amy Poehler?

  And this is in the 2000s, so you could fully open the window. No bars, nothing, and lean out and smoke a cigarette.

• 48:23Speaker 04

  Seventeenth floor.

• 48:23Amy Poehler?

  Seventeenth floor.

• 48:25Speaker 04

  And when we were writing on Tuesday nights, we could tell it was time to go home because we could hear people lining up for the Today Show outside and look down below. And we used to get visitors from a friend who would hang out of the window.

• 48:40Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 48:40Speaker 04

  He was made of cardboard.

• 48:42Amy Poehler?

  Harper Steele, a writer on SNL, she used to... Um, right, uh, draw a picture of a weird creepy.

• 48:50Speaker 04

  Creepy dude.

• 48:51Amy Poehler?

  Creepy dude and stick, uh, uh, stick it out the window into our window.

• 48:56Speaker 04

  That's right. And then, and then we'd go, who did this?

• 49:03Amy Poehler?

  And then we'd run over and she would just be like closing her window.

• 49:05Speaker 04

  Her office would be freezing cold, yeah.

• 49:08Amy Poehler?

  Um, and, um, but also I have memories, lots of tears, like laughter and tears in that office. I have a lot of memories of your office.

• 49:16Speaker 04

  Our office was, I felt like you were one of the first people that really made me feel good about coming in and recognizing it as a safe space. You'd come in, you'd crack your back, your little backy crackies. And sometimes you'd lay on the floor and it was just a place for us to say, this is really hard, or I'm really sad, or I'm stressed out, or this fucking sucks, or whatever it was, it was such a safe space. And I, I mean, I could spend so, as you know, I could spend so much time talking about how fortunate I feel about being there with the company that I was with.

• 49:58Speaker 04

  And I don't know how the stars aligned in that way, but I think because we had so many of us that even though we didn't grow up in the same town and go to the same schools, we kind of had a similar, I don't know, life ethic. And I always say it's like, well, we were like, you know, good daughters, good students.

• 50:18Amy Poehler?

  I've heard you talking about this on Kylie Kelsey's podcast, great podcast, love her. And you, you made such a good point about that, Maya. You were like saying like, why, you know, all the women at the time at SNL, Rachel and Tina and Anna and Kristen, like we all felt like we were different, certainly, but we had some kind of similar shared sensibility.

• 50:38Speaker 04

  A common thread. And I also feel like, you know, in those days, like even, you know, at the Groundlings now, it's all, I think you have to wait a long time to get to the next level. Or, you know, we were just kind of like walking right in. We had something in common that we just knew was our thing. And I can't even, I can't describe it, but it was that generation, that time. We had the same shows growing up, we had the same influences and. I don't know, for me, it was like, my older brother was the funniest person I knew. And so I was trying to emulate people that I looked up to, like my heroes. That's why I wanted to be funny. I wanted to be funny because he and his friends were so funny.

• 51:21Amy Poehler?

  What were they listening to? And what were, and who were they?

• 51:23Speaker 04

  My brother was really into like Parliament and Funkadelic, which is act, which has such a huge sense of humor. I mean, it's just like the funkiest funk, funkety funk funk funk. Um, like The Mothership Connection and um, Motor Booty Affairs, one of the albums. And the album artwork is insane. George Clinton is just like a freak and clearly has such an amazing sense of humor. My brother and I used to watch um, The Gong Show.

• 51:55Amy Poehler?

  Oh, yeah.

• 51:56Speaker 04

  And Make Me Laugh. Did you ever watch Make Me Laugh?

• 51:59Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 51:59Speaker 04

  And we used to play Make Me Laugh in our house all the time. Make Me Laugh was basically, it was just a guest was sitting in a chair. And then, I guess it was stand-ups or comedians were supposed to make them laugh. They had 60 seconds on the clock and the person had to like, not break. That was it.

• 52:17Amy Poehler?

  And there were a lot of young comics that started there. Like, could it have been Gallagher?

• 52:21Speaker 04

  Oh, I'm sure.

• 52:23Amy Poehler?

  Maybe, and like um.

• 52:24Speaker 04

  I don't know, I was doing so much acid then, I don't remember anything. But it, I have a feeling if we looked back, we'd probably recognize a lot of people. Same with The Gong Show, for sure.

• 52:33Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. Do you um, one, one thing I wanted to bring up in that office was uh, there was a cleaning lady.

• 52:40Speaker 04

  Rosa.

• 52:41Amy Poehler?

  Rosa, that worked in the, in the, on the 17th floor. Teeny tiny lady.

• 52:46Speaker 04

  Very teeny.

• 52:47Amy Poehler?

  And um, she had been there for a very long time. She had seen some shit.

• 52:51Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 52:53Amy Poehler?

  And uh, there was a moment when, would you tell the moment when we were in that office and Rosa came in?

• 52:59Speaker 04

  I think it was probably, usually if we were in that office during the day, because we were there so much at night, you know, they, we weren't keeping regular office hours. So, there weren't great times for people to come in and clean and change the trashcans out and stuff. And so it was probably a read-through day, maybe like a Wednesday. And we were in there waiting for a table read to start and um. Someone was definitely crying. I think Emily might have been crying.

• 53:26Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 53:26Speaker 04

  Because her desk in that office was close to the door. And so she had her back to the door. And she was talking to us about something that was really hard. And we were all so sleep deprived. And I just remember Rosa coming in. And she didn't speak very much English. But she saw what she always saw, which was she came in and she saw a few of us just sitting around talking to each other, deep in conversation. And Emily was crying. And she put her hand on Emily's shoulder and she goes, "Oh, don't cry sexy."

• 54:00Speaker 04

  Do you remember that?

• 54:04Speaker 04

  I love it so much. It was like it was yesterday.

• 54:07Amy Poehler?

  Don't cry sexy.

• 54:08Speaker 04

  Don't cry sexy.

• 54:09Amy Poehler?

  And I highly recommend you say that to your friend when they're sad. It's really...

• 54:14Speaker 04

  Just a little.

• 54:15Amy Poehler?

  Don't cry sexy.

• 54:16Speaker 04

  Don't cry sexy.

• 54:20Amy Poehler?

  Do you want to tell everyone the first time you met Barack Obama and who you were dressed as?

• 54:25Speaker 04

  Yes, I would love to. The first time I met Barack Obama, when he was running for office, I was dressed as Shirley MacLaine.

• 54:34Speaker 04

  And...

• 54:36Amy Poehler?

  And then the second time you saw him, you were dressed as?

• 54:39Speaker 04

  Barack Obama.

• 54:44Speaker 04

  Yeah. It was a sketch that you were, you and Daryl were Hillary and Bill Clinton at a...

• 54:51Amy Poehler?

  Halloween party or something?

• 54:52Speaker 04

  Halloween party. And it was one that, and I remember Barack was new on the scene. Looking smooth.

• 55:02Speaker 04

  And at that time, I think Barack Obama masks were popular. You know, because it was like the new candidate. And so the joke was going to be that I come in like, "Wop, wop, I'm Barack Obama." And then he taps me on the shoulder with his mask and takes the mask off. And I'm like, "Oh, my God, it's the real Barack Obama." So we did that at dress. And that was it.

• 55:26Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, he didn't do it to air.

• 55:27Speaker 04

  We did not do it at air. Thank God.

• 55:29Amy Poehler?

  Why? Do we know why?

• 55:31Speaker 04

  I do. I mean, I did not have a take on Barack Obama at all. I didn't have...

• 55:37Amy Poehler?

  You know, I just remember you were...

• 55:39Speaker 04

  The way I was dressed?

• 55:40Amy Poehler?

  You were a teeny, tiny...

• 55:41Speaker 04

  Well, he's a very tall man. Very tall, handsome man.

• 55:45Amy Poehler?

  It's very fun and stressful to be dressed... Just exactly like the person you're standing next to.

• 55:50Speaker 04

  It is so much fun. And I remember the first time we saw each other was when we were about to walk out on stage. So at dress rehearsal, there was like a little, little flag there and door that's supposed to open. And I'm there waiting in my little Brooks Brothers suit. And I think we like bound my boobs and I had, um, I used to play Scott Joplin. And so I had my Scott Joplin wig on. And I was standing there and then-

• 56:14Amy Poehler?

  And people don't know, Maya has the cutest little, tiniest little legs from knee down.

• 56:19Speaker 04

  Just the knee down.

• 56:20Amy Poehler?

  Knee down, it's like a little-

• 56:22Speaker 04

  Little toothpick.

• 56:23Amy Poehler?

  Teeny tiny toothpick. Look at those little legs from knee down. So cute.

• 56:31Speaker 04

  Stretch.

• 56:36Speaker 04

  I'm sick. Up to three.

• 56:38Amy Poehler?

  Teeny tiny, teeny tiny.

• 56:40Speaker 04

  Just from the knee down. They're like, like breakable, I think.

• 56:45Amy Poehler?

  I know, they're so little. So you had your little suit on.

• 56:47Speaker 04

  My little suit on and it was teeny tiny and then he came over. And here's the thing, I didn't, it was written then, I didn't have a good impression. Like I was sort of like, I'm Barack Obama. And, um, so I was standing there and then he came over and I said, well, what do you think? And all he said to me was, I don't wear a three button suit.

• 57:14Amy Poehler?

  Damn.

• 57:15Speaker 04

  I still don't know what that means. It's like, it's like guy, that's like a guy knowledge thing.

• 57:22Amy Poehler?

  Sounds like flirting to me.

• 57:26Amy Poehler?

  Just kidding.

• 57:27Speaker 04

  No, I'm, I'm not. I would, I will take that. I've, I've gotten two, two tonight and I'm taking them home with me. I'm taking them into the Spank Bank tonight.

• 57:40Amy Poehler?

  Speaking of Spank Bank.

• 57:40Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 57:41Amy Poehler?

  Ron Funches, so great.

• 57:43Speaker 04

  So Spank Bankable.

• 57:44Amy Poehler?

  So Spank Bankable. And he has three questions for you. Let me give you the first one, which is, speaking of standing next to- Someone that you play, you were so incredible when you were playing Kamala Harris. And it was such an exciting time to watch you play.

• 57:59Speaker 04

  It was exciting.

• 57:59Amy Poehler?

  And for Dana Carvey to be playing Joanne.

• 58:02Speaker 04

  Oh, my God.

• 58:02Amy Poehler?

  It was just very exciting. The world was watching. There was this feeling of like, here we go again. And that's SNL at its best, I think. When the, when the world is on the same vibe as the show. And the political impersonations, we, I mean, it's one of the best things about, you know, our tenure there is that more and more women we were, we got to play. Because more and more women were, were candidates at the time. And Kamala was such an incredible, you did an incredible, great take on her. You were so good and you got to do stuff with her. Ron's question is a good one, which is like, how, what do you do with all of that energy

• 58:46Amy Poehler?

  and feeling when it goes away? When, you know, she doesn't win?

• 58:51Speaker 04

  There was definitely, especially after the first election. I remember even talking about it with our friends, saying like, I'm, you know, when we heard this was happening again, like, I'm scared to be hopeful. You know, we were nervous about opening that vulnerability and opening up our hearts to like, could something good happen? Because it's been such a shitstorm. And a rat fuck of a, of a

• 59:25Speaker 04

  of a time.

• 59:29Speaker 04

  I, I chose to, especially because she came to the show and that, that electricity alone just propelled this idea of

• 59:44Speaker 04

  I'm gonna allow myself to be hopeful. I hadn't felt hope in a very long time when it came to this, this, um, subject. And she made me feel hopeful. Even if it was a dream, even though, I gotta be honest, it didn't feel like it. It felt real, but she's really good at what she does and she makes you feel like it's gonna be okay. Truly. She was saying things like, "This country really needs to heal," which, I mean, now we really need like a fucking... We need some sage.

• 1:00:22Speaker 04

  I mean, it's so bad.

• 1:00:24Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. We don't have to go...

• 1:00:26Speaker 04

  But what I was gonna say is...

• 1:00:27Amy Poehler?

  What do you do with the feeling?

• 1:00:29Speaker 04

  Okay, so, and I, by the way, I haven't let go of it either, is that knowing that I can still be hopeful even when I'm scared actually was really incredible.

• 1:00:38Amy Poehler?

  Ah, I see.

• 1:00:39Speaker 04

  And it was something that I, I shared with quite a few people the night before the election, after the election, is being hopeful is a good thing, even if you, even if you lose. Being hopeful is for you. That I was really surprised I was, I allowed myself to feel because I felt, I felt like, um, and in case anyone's wondering, yes, I wanted her to win. But what I'm...

• 1:01:04Amy Poehler?

  What?

• 1:01:07Speaker 04

  But, but I, oh god, you know, listen, just to rewind a little bit. I, all the time that we worked at the show, I never expected to play anyone that was running for president, ever.

• 1:01:21Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 1:01:22Speaker 04

  You know, and this was such a natural path, which is the best kind. And especially when you're no longer working on the show and they say, and you hear people saying like, "They should call you," and then Lauren calls you.

• 1:01:37Amy Poehler?

  It feels very like Avengers: Assemble, right? It's such a cool, it's like, "Maya, we need you."

• 1:01:45Amy Poehler?

  You're like pulling on your pants.

• 1:01:48Amy Poehler?

  Trying on all of your wigs.

• 1:01:54Speaker 04

  And it's exciting to be, and I think it helped me filter all my rage, my anxiety about the election, all of it. It was so great to have something to do.

• 1:02:03Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:04Speaker 04

  And I

• 1:02:04Amy Poehler?

  To be of service.

• 1:02:05Speaker 04

  Yeah, and it felt like being of service. And then sometimes I'd say like, I mean, it doesn't really affect the election. And I was like, why doesn't it? I like being part of the conversation.

• 1:02:14Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:15Speaker 04

  Especially some of the relief, because we needed some relief.

• 1:02:19Amy Poehler?

  And also, Maya, you bring up a beautiful, obvious, but yet not often discussed point, which is, you looked like the candidate and candidates didn't look like you.

• 1:02:29Speaker 04

  Yeah. And that was for me, like, the biggest part of it, is that all the years that we worked on the show, it wasn't like, when are they gonna call me? I was like, there's not gonna be anyone that looks like me running for president in my time at this show, ever. I couldn't imagine. And to play someone that looks like me, running for president in the United States was wild. Wild. And I'm like you. I'm like, you know, we're those people that can do anything on the show. And we're like, put me in, coach. I want to do that. I want to do that. I want to do that. I just didn't. There are some things naturally that you don't get the opportunity because you don't resemble

• 1:03:12Speaker 04

  the person. And that's just the way that it is. I mean, you have to understand, like, and you know this about me, I played so many different kinds of people on the show. And I think it's because I just believe I can be anyone. And I don't even know, like, I don't know, that's more just me and how I've always just been in the world and something that probably came out of me from being a kid. And I don't even know

• 1:03:43Speaker 04

  I don't even know if that's allowed anymore, you know, in a lot of ways.

• 1:03:48Speaker 04

  But in the best way possible, like, it was just more like, I just do what feels natural or funny or right, which is why it was always fine, but I don't know. I don't know how I got so lucky. It was a really exciting thing to be a part of. And then the other part of it was the Dana Carvey part of it.

• 1:04:08Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:04:08Speaker 04

  Because...

• 1:04:09Amy Poehler?

  Because I think, for us, anyway, our generation, Dana Carvey was, I mean, that was the era that I started watching SNL.

• 1:04:16Speaker 04

  And they say, like, you know, a lot of people, one of the theories is like, your favorite cast is when you were in high school. And that cast was the dream. I mean, I fell in love with so many of the casts, but him and Mike Myers and Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman. I really didn't realize how much of them that I took with me. And when we came offstage after that first time and Dana did something and he, he turned on a little sauce, like, on the air and was being a little goofy and having fun. He said, "I just like to do that. I like to, I like to make the other person part of it and I like to have fun and it's infectious."

• 1:05:00Speaker 04

  And I realized while he was saying in that moment is, "That's why I, that's what I like to do." And I think I got it from him. I couldn't believe it.

• 1:05:08Amy Poehler?

  Very cool.

• 1:05:09Speaker 04

  It was really cool.

• 1:05:10Amy Poehler?

  That's very cool.

• 1:05:11Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 1:05:12Amy Poehler?

  And you know, I feel like we shared a similar feeling when we did Bronx Beat with Mike Myers for the SNL 50th.

• 1:05:18Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 1:05:19Amy Poehler?

  Because we were huge fans of Linda Richmond and Coffee Talk.

• 1:05:22Speaker 04

  Oh, my God.

• 1:05:22Amy Poehler?

  And we did a little, what the kids would call a mashup.

• 1:05:25Speaker 04

  Yep.

• 1:05:27Amy Poehler?

  And we smushed everybody together.

• 1:05:29Speaker 04

  I mean, that's, that was also like the most exciting dream is like, SNL 50th, I was like, "I want to be with my heroes." And, and that was truly the mashup. That was really exciting.

• 1:05:41Amy Poehler?

  That was cool.

• 1:05:42Speaker 04

  It really was.

• 1:05:43Amy Poehler?

  And, um, and, and I'll finish, and there's so, I mean, I could talk to you forever about all your characters, you know.

• 1:05:49Speaker 04

  You don't have to.

• 1:05:51Amy Poehler?

  Beyonce and Whitney Houston and Donatella Versace. I mean, you just did so much. And just so also so many small dumb people with weird names.

• 1:06:01Speaker 04

  Those are my favorites and you and I both share a love for dumb dumb dums.

• 1:06:05Amy Poehler?

  God.

• 1:06:06Speaker 04

  Dumb dumb dums.

• 1:06:07Amy Poehler?

  Who was your, what was the favorite wig you ever wore?

• 1:06:10Speaker 04

  Oh my God. There was a wig that really like it it made the rounds. I think. My Leilani wig became a pet psychic became um.

• 1:06:23Speaker 04

  Who was the lady? She was a fake Charo. She was a red headed Charo.

• 1:06:26Amy Poehler?

  Oh yeah.

• 1:06:28Speaker 04

  Fiesta politico.

• 1:06:29Amy Poehler?

  Fiesta politico.

• 1:06:32Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, and she was like, she kind of had like, Amy, she had your color hair.

• 1:06:35Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 1:06:36Amy Poehler?

  She had like a beautiful red, a vibrant red.

• 1:06:39Speaker 04

  A vibrant red, perhaps a little bit of a strawberry blonde. Um, her name was Rebecca. Her name was Rebecca.

• 1:06:47Amy Poehler?

  Good job, Maya.

• 1:06:47Speaker 04

  Thank you. Yes, I remembered something. Um, yes, I remember that because I remember, I'm not going to tell this story. Can you cut it?

• 1:06:58Amy Poehler?

  Can we cut it? Probably not. I'll whisper with it.

• 1:07:14Speaker 04

  You cannot tell that story.

• 1:07:18Amy Poehler?

  Absolutely not. I'm sweating just you even done this.

• 1:07:25Amy Poehler?

  Oh my God, I'm sweating. Oh my God, I'm sweating. You told her, I'm going to be, I'm going to be. Sorry, guys.

• 1:07:33Speaker 04

  Can we talk about flirting more? I didn't get to like sleep with anybody at SNL.

• 1:07:37Amy Poehler?

  I know, I'm sorry.

• 1:07:42Speaker 04

  Poor me.

• 1:07:43Amy Poehler?

  Anybody got a time machine?

• 1:07:46Speaker 04

  I know. Why didn't I like flirt with people? I'm bad at flirting. I'm bad at it.

• 1:07:52Amy Poehler?

  I agree.

• 1:07:53Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 1:07:55Speaker 04

  I can't read it.

• 1:07:56Amy Poehler?

  You don't read it.

• 1:07:57Speaker 04

  And I'm saying that because.

• 1:07:58Amy Poehler?

  Everyone was in love with you. Every, yes.

• 1:08:00Speaker 04

  Didn't, I didn't have that experience, but that's why I'm bringing it up because the way you said it earlier, I knew that's what you were saying was like.

• 1:08:06Amy Poehler?

  You, you.

• 1:08:07Speaker 04

  You didn't know, dummy?

• 1:08:08Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:08:09Speaker 04

  I didn't.

• 1:08:09Amy Poehler?

  You could have.

• 1:08:14Speaker 04

  Whoa, is me. Nobody likes me.

• 1:08:19Amy Poehler?

  And there was like. And like howling dogs outside your window every night.

• 1:08:23Speaker 04

  Not one weiner.

• 1:08:24Amy Poehler?

  "Hey Maya, where you going home? Maya, I need a, I need a help on my..."

• 1:08:27Speaker 04

  That didn't happen. I did go on one date when I was there with somebody that you know, and he took me to see a show called Puppetry of the Penis.

• 1:08:35Amy Poehler?

  Sure. You can't tell that story either.

• 1:08:43Amy Poehler?

  I should try to ask a question. And we're, and we're, and... Okay, I'll just say that in the vein of you being a natural and you being musically gifted in every way, like, you know, Maya was, you know, we would have musical guests come on, and then Maya would sing in a sketch, and we'd be like, "Maya's better than the..." "Than the multi-platinum singer." But do you think that there's some rhythm that's important to have for both comedy and music? And like, what do you think? Why do you think you need both? Like, why do you think they're such, like, loving cousins?

• 1:09:25Speaker 04

  They're cousins. I love this topic so much because I can't really, truly define why. I think there is a language to both of them. I think that there's an incredible inherent ability to them. Some people are just musically gifted. Those people are musically gifted. I know that for a fact. And, and, and that's why you always hear about musicians quoting Spinal Tap on their tour bus. Like, they want to be, in some way, musicians want to be comedians, and comedians want to be musicians, and sometimes they're both.

• 1:10:09Speaker 04

  But they, they live together. There's, and it's such a mutual appreciation, admiration society, you know? But they're also like an incredible skill, and when you're good at it, like, you can't fake it. You know? Great musicians don't... I mean, I also like had this funny... I don't know, growing up, because I was so surrounded by music, because my parents were musicians that, and we'd saw a lot of music too, or we had friends that were musicians, and music was just very, music was very normal in my house. Like, that's just the best way to describe it, like, it was, it was normal.

• 1:10:49Speaker 04

  And, um, sometimes I'd watch people on stage and I'd think, I'm, I'm, that's what I want to do. Like, I could see, like, I, I could just imagine doing it, and then I'd see somebody funny, and I was like, that's what I want to do, and I'd sort of, like, vacillate between the two. But, um, here I go, I can't remember what I was saying. I think, I think it's a fascinating, um, love story, comedy and music. And I think that, when I think about some of the best people, I do think it's something that you really, when people are naturally good at it, there's nothing better.

• 1:11:27Amy Poehler?

  And I think I like to, we all know Maya, you know, in another life is, is married to Prince, in another life. And you're hu, you're in the band Princess, you, you know, yes, and Prince, you know, you had the, um, pleasure to meet him, and, um, and you love him, and, um, he, you like to talk about how funny Prince was.

• 1:11:52Speaker 04

  So funny. Oh, my god, so funny.

• 1:11:54Amy Poehler?

  Can you tell us a joke that Prince told you, or something funny? Or a funny moment with Prince?

• 1:12:01Speaker 04

  He did tell me a joke once, but I didn't understand it.

• 1:12:05Amy Poehler?

  You're not supposed to.

• 1:12:10Amy Poehler?

  I'm thinking about when Fred Armisen and you would do Beyonce and Prince, and Prince would hide the whole time.

• 1:12:18Speaker 04

  Oh, my god, Prince was always hiding. That was, again, like, the best thing about that sketch was the fact that we loved Prince so much that we understood it, and so, it was just, like, getting to do, it wasn't like, huh, huh, isn't this funny?

• 1:12:30Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:12:30Speaker 04

  He's short.

• 1:12:32Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:12:33Speaker 04

  I hate that so much.

• 1:12:34Amy Poehler?

  And you felt that way about Beyonce, like the same with Beyonce, like such reverence for her.

• 1:12:39Speaker 04

  Well, yeah, because the other thing is like, I never, I don't know how you feel about doing impressions of people, but I'm not an impressionist. And we've talked so many times about different personalities. There's so many different types of people that work at Saturday Night Live specifically. Some people are impressionists, some people are stand-ups, some people are sketch performers. And some impressionists, they can be very specific personalities. I'm not an impressionist, but I feel like when I do an impression, it comes from watching someone. And I'm watching them because I'm fascinated, I'm interested, I'm excited by them. So I think I'm picking up, in the same way that like you tell a story and you use the person's voice,

• 1:13:19Speaker 04

  like, whatever, but like, but, but, but, but joking aside, like, when I tell a story, I usually imitate the person.

• 1:13:27Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:13:28Speaker 04

  But I think it's because I'm interested, I'm, I don't know, I can hear it.

• 1:13:32Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:13:33Speaker 04

  I also think I'm a little bit of a parrot, to go back to the, the comedy, uh, music thing.

• 1:13:39Amy Poehler?

  Well, that's what I would just say, is that I feel like you have a sense of time. Like, uh, we, you know, when we started with you singing the National Anthem, you took, you take your time with that. You know when to go fast and be like Whitney, talking to Bobby Brown really fast, and you know how to go really slow.

• 1:13:57Speaker 04

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:13:58Amy Poehler?

  And it's like, you know, the rhythm, the in-between of stuff. Like, that's part of the magic of you, I think, Maya, is the way in which you can, uh, change the, the tempo of the stuff that you do really naturally. And everybody's just like, you just, you have the rhythm that everybody, you, like, you are the song everybody wants to hear. It's like, we love your song. Like, you are, you have that. Okay, so we're going to the speed round.

• 1:14:26Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 1:14:27Amy Poehler?

  Okay? Here we go.

• 1:14:29Speaker 04

  Here we go.

• 1:14:31Amy Poehler?

  Do you like scary movies?

• 1:14:32Speaker 04

  Nope.

• 1:14:33Amy Poehler?

  Great.

• 1:14:35Amy Poehler?

  Favorite thing to cook?

• 1:14:37Speaker 04

  Oh, hmm, pancakes. Silver dollar pancakes.

• 1:14:42Amy Poehler?

  What happened to your finger?

• 1:14:44Speaker 04

  I fucking cut it on Thanksgiving, making stuffing.

• 1:14:49Amy Poehler?

  Oh.

• 1:14:50Speaker 04

  I sliced the shit out of it. It really hurts.

• 1:14:55Amy Poehler?

  Do you like going to Disneyland?

• 1:14:57Speaker 04

  Yep, I do.

• 1:14:59Amy Poehler?

  What's your favorite part? What kind of Disney adult are you?

• 1:15:03Speaker 04

  And by the way, I know you love me because you're asking me this question because you do not like Disneyland.

• 1:15:10Amy Poehler?

  Oopsie.

• 1:15:12Speaker 04

  And I was born in Gainesville, Florida, even though I've lived here since I was one, other than the time that I spent in New York. Gainesville got a whoop. Is somebody from Gainesville? You're from Gainesville? Wow.

• 1:15:22Amy Poehler?

  Wow.

• 1:15:23Speaker 04

  Hi. You, me, Tom Petty and Joaquin Phoenix.

• 1:15:27Amy Poehler?

  What if we looked out in the audience and it was just a crocodile?

• 1:15:33Speaker 04

  I actually have not been back to Gainesville. Do you want to go with me after the show?

• 1:15:38Amy Poehler?

  Maya, speed round.

• 1:15:39Speaker 04

  Okay, sorry. I probably have ADD, but I was never tested.

• 1:15:44Amy Poehler?

  That's okay. Are big pants still in?

• 1:15:47Speaker 04

  What do you mean by big pants?

• 1:15:49Amy Poehler?

  You tell me.

• 1:15:50Speaker 04

  I mean, yeah.

• 1:15:51Amy Poehler?

  Whatever is...

• 1:15:51Speaker 04

  I feel like these are big pants.

• 1:15:52Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, big pants are still in. I go to Maya for all my fashion.

• 1:15:56Speaker 04

  I love fashion.

• 1:15:58Amy Poehler?

  You love fashion.

• 1:15:59Speaker 04

  I love it.

• 1:15:59Amy Poehler?

  You love fashion.

• 1:16:00Speaker 04

  I've always loved it.

• 1:16:02Amy Poehler?

  Best thing about Hanukkah?

• 1:16:05Speaker 04

  Lattes.

• 1:16:06Amy Poehler?

  Lattes. This episode's gonna be coming out close to Hanukkah.

• 1:16:10Speaker 04

  I love sour cream and applesauce on my lattes.

• 1:16:14Amy Poehler?

  And how's your dog Leroy?

• 1:16:16Speaker 04

  He's great. Thank you for asking.

• 1:16:18Amy Poehler?

  What kind of dog is he?

• 1:16:19Speaker 04

  He's probably a golden doodle. We were told he was a standard poodle when we rescued him.

• 1:16:27Amy Poehler?

  For those listening, Maya did that in quotes. With a bandaged finger.

• 1:16:33Speaker 04

  I mean, I think he's a rescue. He was, he and his siblings and his mom and dad were all living in a, you know, what do you call it? A crate or whatever.

• 1:16:43Amy Poehler?

  You think he's faking being a rescue?

• 1:16:45Speaker 04

  No, well. He was like, "Oh, my leg."

• 1:16:49Amy Poehler?

  He showed up. At your door, ding dong.

• 1:16:53Speaker 05

  Uh, hey, um.

• 1:16:56Speaker 05

  Me and my family are, uh, kinda homeless.

• 1:17:00Amy Poehler?

  Our car broke down on the side of the road.

• 1:17:02Speaker 05

  You got jumper cables?

• 1:17:05Speaker 04

  No, it's just that we, we, we got him from a rescue place. There's a lot of rescue places.

• 1:17:09Amy Poehler?

  Another airside aircraft.

• 1:17:10Speaker 04

  Yeah, so, I mean, whatever, you pay like, but you gotta pay to make sure they're healthy and whatever.

• 1:17:15Amy Poehler?

  Sure.

• 1:17:15Speaker 04

  It's the best fucking money I've spent. I fucking love that dog. Um, I have a, I have another dog named Daisy.

• 1:17:24Amy Poehler?

  And tell us about Daisy.

• 1:17:25Speaker 04

  Daisy just got attacked by two coyotes and now she's okay. She, I know.

• 1:17:30Amy Poehler?

  Why, in your yard?

• 1:17:31Speaker 04

  In my yard.

• 1:17:34Amy Poehler?

  Did you see it?

• 1:17:35Speaker 04

  No, but my daughter did. It was really bad.

• 1:17:37Amy Poehler?

  Daisy.

• 1:17:38Speaker 04

  Daisy is a fucking warrior.

• 1:17:40Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, Daisy, Daisy survived.

• 1:17:42Speaker 04

  Daisy survived.

• 1:17:43Amy Poehler?

  Fuck those coyotes.

• 1:17:44Speaker 04

  Fuck those coyotes. I know. And they have, they're kinda dicks, like, when I see-

• 1:17:49Amy Poehler?

  Coyotes are dicks.

• 1:17:51Speaker 04

  Don't you agree? I feel like when I look at them, they're like, sup. But they do, they just stand there like,

• 1:18:00Speaker 04

  "Sup, old lady?" I'm like, "No, get the fuck out of here, man."

• 1:18:05Speaker 04

  I, I mean, I don't know, I, right?

• 1:18:10Amy Poehler?

  Coyotes-

• 1:18:10Speaker 04

  They're so rude.

• 1:18:11Amy Poehler?

  Rude, and they're really, they just, you're right.

• 1:18:14Speaker 04

  They're like the Lost Boys, they're like-

• 1:18:20Speaker 05

  Sup? You got any bread?

• 1:18:24Speaker 05

  You guys have cereal?

• 1:18:26Speaker 04

  Get the fuck out of here, man. Nobody invited you in, into my yard. Get out of my yard, dicks.

• 1:18:37Amy Poehler?

  Oh my god, the Lost Boys.

• 1:18:39Speaker 04

  I don't know why that was my reference.

• 1:18:41Amy Poehler?

  And then, um, the last thing I wanna ask you about is, um-

• 1:18:44Speaker 04

  I love fast questions. I'm sorry, I didn't answer them, this is fun.

• 1:18:48Amy Poehler?

  Um, your astrological sign?

• 1:18:50Speaker 04

  Leo.

• 1:18:51Amy Poehler?

  Yeah?

• 1:18:53Speaker 04

  And I don't remember my, um, what's it called?

• 1:18:55Amy Poehler?

  Enneagram?

• 1:18:56Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 1:18:56Amy Poehler?

  It's a seven, I've told you so many times.

• 1:19:01Amy Poehler?

  That's so many times, I've told you.

• 1:19:02Speaker 04

  And you told me that I'm a seven, cuz I don't remember that I'm a seven.

• 1:19:07Amy Poehler?

  Well, it's about fun. Sevens love to have fun.

• 1:19:10Speaker 04

  Uh-oh.

• 1:19:15Speaker 04

  I mean, let's be clear. I like to have fun with you. There's plenty of people I do not have fun with.

• 1:19:20Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, for sure. I mean, we have a lot of fun. We've had a lot, a lot of fun.

• 1:19:24Speaker 04

  We have fun.

• 1:19:25Amy Poehler?

  We have fun.

• 1:19:28Amy Poehler?

  And then Ron brought this question up, but I think it's a beautiful... Well, first of all, he'd like to know if Loot is... Loot is coming back. And congratulations on another season.

• 1:19:39Speaker 04

  Thank you, thank you. It was a fun season, and I love working with Ron so much. And I love that he wants to come back to his job. Isn't that a nice thing? When people are like, "I want to come back to my job and be employed."

• 1:19:54Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, what's great about working with Ron?

• 1:19:55Speaker 04

  Oh, my God. I always say Ron is like human mochi. He's like... Well, the sound of his voice, but like, he's a genuinely good human being. And it's very... I was in love with Ron's work, and I just wanted him to be on my show. I just... I didn't know him, I just wanted to work with him. And there's nobody like him. And he's sensitive and kind, and he cares. He cares about where he is and who he's with. And he is so singularly himself and so funny. I just... I love... I love who he is. I just love him.

• 1:20:34Amy Poehler?

  But Ron asks you, how... How do you do it, Maya? How do you balance it? How do you... And what I think is lovely about that question and behind it is what we were talking about earlier, which is the idea of kind of like figuring out the art... You know, being an architect of your own life, trying to figure out like what's important to you, how to have a full life, where, you know, all of us are lucky enough now to have been friends for 20, 30 years. And like, we're... You know, some of us are blessed with children and lives and figuring out how to work and be a good mom and good partner and...

• 1:21:17Amy Poehler?

  I just, I have to say that like being in your presence as you mother is pretty amazing. You're a fantastic mother and you have wonderful kids. And I mean, I know it's so important to you. Like I knew that was a really, really important thing for you to accomplish in this time around is being a mother.

• 1:21:41Amy Poehler?

  What is, what is it, how has it changed your life?

• 1:21:46Speaker 04

  I remember so, you know, I became a mother while we were still working on the show. When we were still at Saturday Night Live and none of my friends there had kids. That was wild because you go from one lifestyle and you're watching all your friends go out and have fun. And you're over here like, I gotta get up with my baby. But thank God it, it taught me to let go of things that I really needed to let go of. And I, I called it, you know, my bullshit meter and just, it just, everything that wasn't important just fell away. There was no time. You have to keep a human being alive. And, um, and a human being that you're so in love with.

• 1:22:30Speaker 04

  And it just really helped me. I, I tend to be someone who can get caught up in the minutia. And I, and I worry too much about pleasing people, making sure I'm polite, um, doing the right thing. I always felt like I was a very good student when it came to being at, at SNL. And if I had to do it all over again, I'd, I'd wanna be a slutty rebel.

• 1:22:58Speaker 04

  But I wasn't, you know, and I, I wanted to do it right, which, which got in my way a lot, to be honest. And then after I had Pearl, and I didn't know whether I'd come back to the show or not. I wanted to be with you guys so much. And it's also so fascinating that such a hard job is actually a welcome thing after having a baby. I really just was like, I, I, cause you, you say to yourself like, oh, I know how to do that. And even though you're juggling something else. I learned the lesson of if I'm doing something I love, then that's a good reason to say goodnight to her and go to work. You know, or give her a bath and say like, I can't be here for bedtime or whatever. Go to work because I loved what I was doing.

• 1:23:40Speaker 04

  And sometimes, as you know, when you're traveling for work and your kids are little and you have to leave and knowing that you're going somewhere that you love or doing something you love makes it more worthwhile. Not to say I've never worked on things I don't love. I have. You know, we all have to make a living and that can be really tough too, but it made me make a mental note of what works for me. And so I try to seek those moments out when I can, as often as I can. And we don't always have the opportunities, but it definitely changed how I viewed work and

• 1:24:25Speaker 04

  I think it's why I did the National Anthem. I think I like loosened up a little bit and that was when I came back to work after Pearl was born, yeah.

• 1:24:37Amy Poehler?

  Well, we're very lucky that we got to see you work in real time. And I think I can speak for all of us that like we know there's so much stuff always ahead with you. Like Maya, everything you do is just fucking delight. Sorry I swore. I don't know why I swore.

• 1:24:54Speaker 04

  I liked it.

• 1:24:55Amy Poehler?

  Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Maya Rudolph.

• 1:25:13Amy Poehler?

  You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paperkite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane, Kaya McMullin, and Aleah Zaneras. For Paperkite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.

• 1:25:39Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by Sephora. Holiday gifting can be a tough gig. You're frantically searching, second guessing everything, and accidentally buying your dad eye cream he's never gonna use. Thankfully, Sephora is here to save us from ourselves. Whether you're shopping for a total beauty guru or someone whose whole routine is hand soap, Sephora has the perfect gift for everyone on your list. And if you're still lost, don't panic. Their beauty advisors can guide you to safety. This holiday season, we all Sephora. Shop gifts at Sephora and give something beautiful.

• 1:26:10Speaker 06

  Ugh, I hate Mondays.

• 1:26:12Amy Poehler?

  King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Swirl Bite?

• 1:26:13Speaker 06

  Uh, Taylor Hansen? Sure, I'll try one. Mmm.

• 1:26:19Speaker 06

  Hey, let's get back to work, please. But Taylor Hansen's making my day way better with these new soft and swirly King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Bites. Taylor Hansen? Nice. Try one. Mmm.

• 1:26:32Speaker 06

  King's Hawaiian Cinnamon Bites. There's nothing like it.