“It doesn’t feel good coming out of me” — Maya Rudolph reveals she does not like “mean comedy”

Loot star Maya Rudolph does not like doing "mean comedy". In an interview with Town & Country magazine published on May 1, 2024, the actress shared that she doesn't enjoy doing comedy at the expense of someone else. Rudolph revealed that she can't even watch or even "stomach" such comedy. She told the publication:

"It (mean comedy) doesn’t feel good coming out of me,"

The comedian further noted that whenever she ended up doing impressions as part of her routine in SNL, they often felt like "tributes" to the people being impersonated rather than a "mockery" of them.

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"I always wanted to be, like, this fabulous woman" — Maya Rudolph

On Wednesday, Bridesmaids star Maya Rudolph adorned the cover of Town & Country magazine. The cover story on the comedian and actress, written by Jessica Pressler was titled, "Maya Rudolph Is a National Treasure". Rudolph is currently busy with the ongoing second season of her Apple TV+ comedy series Loot.

During the conversation, the interviewer praised Rudolph for rising through the ranks in the early 2000s - a period that was labeled as a "uniquely toxic time" for comedy and pop culture in general. The interviewer appreciated Rudolph for conquering the decade without "donning a fat suit."

"I have a really hard time with mean comedy. Those things that are like, ‘Oh, I’m being funny, but I’m making fun of you’? I can’t watch it. I can’t stomach it." Maya Rudolph replied.

Maya Rudolph was on the 2024 Time 100 list (Image via Instagram/@princesstagram)

As mentioned above, the comedian did not feel good about "mean comedy" coming out of her. Maya Rudolph recalled an incident during her early SNL days, where she tried to make a character based on one of her friend's "annoying girlfriend." According to her, those were the characters that really stood out. However, there was a problem as the comedian revealed:

"You’re in a room like this, and you’re seeing somebody really obnoxious, and you think, Oh my god, that would make a great character. And then you write it, and you realize, I don’t want to hear this person talk."

Rudolph sees her impressions as tributes (Image via Instagram/@mayarudolph)

The actress did end up doing a plethora of impressions during her Saturday Night Live days, including those of Oprah and Whitney Houston. However, the ones that she did never felt like mockery but were more akin to tributes. Rudolph, who grew up playing a ton of dress-up, further told Town & Country magazine:

"I say it all the time, but I think I’m a drag queen, really. I always wanted to be, like, this fabulous woman."

Maya Rudolph also elaborated that most of her impressions originated from simply watching the people she loves, obsessing over them, and wanting to be them. Rudolph joined Saturday Night Live when singer Beyoncé was moving away from her troupe, Destiny's Child. Rudolph used her tried-and-trusted technique to impersonate the singer.

"So when I started getting to play Beyoncé, I felt like, I know how to do this. Because it’s the same thing I did when I was little. You’re dressing up like a princess. You put on the leotard and some weird scarf, and you’re like, ‘This is my beautiful ball gown,’" Rudolph told the publication.

Currently doing Loot, the actress got to flex her voice-acting chops on multiple occasions. Some of her notable animated shows and movies include Big Mouth, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy, Human Resources, Digman!, and Baymax!