Maya Rudolph Leaves SNL, Only to Return

Authored by Scott Goldberg on September 25, 2007 - 5:20pm.

Maya Rudolph quit and returned to SNL, all within two days

One of the few remaining reasons to watch Saturday Night Live nearly left the building, as reports surfaced that veteran Maya Rudolph resigned from the show on Sunday. The new season is scheduled to debut this Saturday, meaning Rudolph’s exit was about as well timed as a racial slur at a job interview. But it turns out Rudolph has changed her mind, and decided to remain with SNL for at least another season.

Under normal circumstances an employer might decline the see-saw act, but when it’s NBC, and the job in question is with a show teetering on the edge of irrelevance, you welcome your stars back with open arms.

And not that Maya was running off to a ton of options, either. The world already has too many SNL alums whose post-show careers made less noise than a cricket, and it’s hard to imagine Hollywood having a ready-made career for Rudolph.

One thing NBC might consider, however, is a big salary bump: Until Rudolph left the show most people were probably completely unaware of the Saturday opener. With a fall full of comedy heavies, where does SNL even rank anymore?

But who’s complaining? Rudolph’s a gem on that show. Enjoy while it lasts.