Maya Rudolph is stepping onto Broadway for the first time and bringing her signature humor with a perfectly timed “spoiler alert” about Abraham Lincoln that had Stephen Colbert cracking up.
A ‘Spoiler Alert’ That Got the Biggest Laugh of the Night
Appearing on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert, Maya Rudolph had the audience roaring when she casually described her latest role.
“It’s a story about Mary Todd Lincoln, who was married to President Abraham Lincoln,” she said, before adding with perfect timing, “It’s a dark comedy about the few weeks before Abraham Lincoln’s assassination… Spoiler alert.”
The crowd immediately erupted in laughter.
“That was a good one,” Colbert responded.
“That’s what I came for,” Rudolph joked back.
Why Maya Rudolph Was ‘Born to Do’ Broadway
GettyRudolph makes her Broadway debut in a role described as one she was “born to do.” The “SNL” star will play Mary Todd Lincoln in “Oh, Mary!”
A production she describes as “ridiculous and campy,” has a limited eight-week run from April 28 through June 20.
“You can do everything in it,” she said. “For me to do Broadway and for this to be the first show I’m doing makes so much sense.”
A Childhood Dream Decades in the Making
GettyLong before Saturday Night Live and Hollywood success, Broadway was already part of Rudolph’s vision.
“I have always wanted to be on Broadway since I was a little girl,” she shared, recalling her middle school yearbook entry:
She laughed at how “very specific” the dream was—one that’s now coming full circle.
Raised on Stage: A Family of Performers
Performance has always been part of Rudolph’s DNA.
She is the daughter of singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph, and spent much of her childhood around live shows.
“I used to watch my mom on stage all the time,” she said, noting that her parents even took her and her brother on the road while they worked.
Riperton’s influence, despite her passing when Rudolph was just six years old, remains connected to how she approaches her craft, especially the importance of originality.
“I never wanted to be like anybody else,” Rudolph said.
From ‘SNL’ to Broadway On Her Own Terms
Colbert praised Rudolph as a “one-of-a-kind performer,” a nod to her standout work on Saturday Night Live, where her characters, from sharp impressions to absurd originals, became fan favorites.
Looking back, Rudolph says she feels lucky to have been on the show before the pressures of social media took over.
“It was a time when you could really embrace the character,” she said. “That’s very much indicative of my personal sense of humor as opposed to doing something for someone else for the wrong reasons.”
Maya Rudolph Stars as Mary Todd Lincoln in ‘Oh, Mary!’
The actress will be sporting a real hoop skirt that she revealed weighs 15 pounds! Just another over-the-top element in a production she says fully leans into the absurd. “Oh, Mary!” opens on Broadway April 28.
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