Andy Samberg, a former Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast member, has returned to the show this fall to play Doug Emhoff, husband of Kamala Harris.
He recently shared his thoughts on his comeback, revealing it’s been a mixed bag of emotions.
“It’s been fun, I’ve got to say,” Samberg told fellow SNL alum Seth Meyers on The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast.
“It’s been really fun going back, but again, also inheriting, re-inheriting, the stress of it and being like, ‘Oh, right, this is intense.'”
Samberg, who was an SNL cast member from 2005 to 2012, acknowledged that his current role feels less intense than his previous stint.
“It’s a little more mellow, me and Maya [Rudolph, who plays Harris] have been talking about [how] it’s a little bit more mellow because we know why we’re there specifically.”
However, during the Oct. 19 episode, Samberg’s anxiety returned. “That last show, I was like, if this ‘Beetlejuice’ thing doesn’t work, I’m just going to be here and not do anything. And that puts you right back in the feeling of being a cast member — of, you’re always at risk.”
During that episode, host Michael Keaton poked fun at Samberg’s Doug Emhoff impression.
“Hey, don’t you normally play Doug Emhoff in the cold opens?” Keaton joked, prompting Samberg to respond in character.
Doug Emhoff himself has weighed in on Samberg’s impression, saying, “It’s good, it’s funny. It’s not quite me, but some of the lines are pretty good.”
Emhoff preferred Martin Short’s portrayal, stating, “He actually got me.”
Despite this, Emhoff has no hard feelings. “To see yourself on [SNL], yeah, the group chats blow up on that kind of stuff… it’s one of many surreal things that I’ve experienced in this world, I love it.”
