Amy Poehler Deems This Kenan Thompson & Maya Rudolph SNL Sketch “My Favorite”
During a chat with the longest-running Saturday Night Live cast member of all time, Amy Poehler gave the man himself — Kenan Thompson — his flowers. The Good Hang Host also had plenty of praise for their friend and collaborator Maya Rudolph, singing the gospel of their deep-cut “T.T. and Mario” characters.
Thompson, who is filling in for Simon Cowell as a temporary Guest Judge during the America’s Got Talent Season 21 Live Quarterfinals, was in the September 1 episode of the Good Hang podcast. As such, Poehler and Rudolph chatted about what to ask the comedian at the top of the show. Rudolph was an SNL cast member from Season 25 through Season 33, with Poehler joining the show in Season 27 and continuing through Season 34. Both shared the stage with Thompson, who joined the cast in Season 29.
T.T. and Mario first appeared in the SNL Season 30 commercial parody sketch “The Best of T.T. and Mario,” which also featured Poehler and Host Jason Bateman — watch that sketch here. The Ashford and Simpson-esque duo sang classics like “First Love” and “You Are a Lady, Right?” and “Atomic Booty.”
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Amy Poehler calls “T.T. and Mario” a favorite SNL sketch of hers
Poehler told Rudolph and Thompson that they consistently delivered “one of my favorite characters and sketches at SNL ever.”
“T.T. and Mario is a duo from your childhood past,” Poehler said, explaining the premise. “They sing the most beautiful love songs that are so raunchy and disgusting,” she said. “They think they’re very loving. They’re a married couple with children. They’ve been together for a very long time, and sometimes, one might say that sometimes they need the music to make things fun again.”
“They always start so beautiful and so romantic. And then maybe ten or fifteen seconds in, they start talking about each other’s booty and how tight it is,” Poehler added.
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T.T. and Mario returned in a Season 49 cut-for-time sketch
T.T. and Mario returned in Season 49’s cut-for-time “T.T. and Mario’s New Album” sketch, starring Season 49 cast members Michael Longfellow and Chloe Fineman with Rudolph and Thompson reprising their roles in cutaway performances.
“Wow! Not sexy, but it sure was relatable,” Fineman’s character said after T.T. and Mario sang “Cookin'” — a song that ends with T.T. declaring she’ll be taking a nap on the “terlet” after a heavy dinner.
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Maya Rudolph & Kenan Thompson serenaded Seth Meyers’ baby as T.T. and Mario
Rudolph and Thompson have taken their iconic characters on the road down the hall in 30 Rock.
During a June 2016 episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, the two SNL alums serenaded Seth Meyers’ then-three-month-old son Ashe, as T.T. and Mario.
“Now, the only thing I’d say about that song is it does not seem to be about Ashe in any way,” Meyers told them after their first song about a specific T.T. body part stunned Meyers’ live audience. (“That might be true,” Rudolph said.)
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Fortunately, the duo still had one more “baby song” up their sleeves — which ultimately served as helpful advice for the brand-new dad. Watch that below, and stream SNL Season 30, Episode 12 starring Host Jason Bateman on Peacock now.