Maya Rudolph recently reflected on her first appearance on “The Late Show” with David Letterman in 2009.
During an interview with WSJ Magazine on Friday, Rudolph did not look back on the moment in her career fondly. In fact, she told the outlet outright, โI did not have a good time.โ
โHe said my name wrong, and I just sat there, like, I grew up my whole life in love with you,โ she added. โAnd now my heart is broken. And Iโm sitting here embarrassed and humiliated. I didnโt know how to handle it. I didnโt know how to come up with something funny to say. My public persona muscle wasnโt strong yet.โ
However, she acknowledged that in the 13 years since the incident, sheโs โgotten much better,โ adding, โWhen Iโm uncomfortable, I try to be funny.โ
Lettermanโs representative said, โWe must respectfully decline comment.โ
In a clip from the 2009 appearance, Letterman appears to pronounce her name with an “a” at the beginning. He later apologized during the appearance for flubbing her name.
Rudolph, perhaps best known for her seven seasons and subsequent guest appearances on โSaturday Night Live,โ spoke to the outlet at the top of the interview about how she struggled with all of the public-facing aspects early in her career, all of which stunted her comedy.
โIt would always feel like someone was stealing my soul,โ she said. โThatโs where, over the years, I created a persona to protect myself.โ
Later on in the interview, she reflected on how sketch comedy had eventually become tiring for her.
โBelieve me, I am not a Pollyanna whoโs like, I smile all day, every day,โ she explained. โI get stressed out, I get pissed off, but I learned I could make a choice for myself, and itโs liberating. Maybe people whoโve worked as long as I have made other choices and have nicer cars. I donโt know, but itโs so important for me to [try to] have that balance.โ (NBC)