Maya Rudolph Becomes First Same Category Consecutive Double-Emmy Winner In 20 Years & Third Black Woman Ever To Win Back-To-Back Emmys

Collecting her second Emmy on Sunday night, Maya Rudolph became the first person in 20 years to win twice consecutively in the same category, twice – she won her second consecutive Emmy this year for her Big Mouth voice role, and another second consecutive Emmy for guesting on SNL. But she also became the third Black woman ever to win back-to back Emmys.

Picking up the gold for Comedy Guest Actress for hosting Saturday Night Live, Rudolph was thrilled to learn of the latter achievement backstage.

“Wow that’s amazing,” she told reporters. “I feel honored to be part of something like that. I feel like this Emmy is very fitting in that it’s for something that feels like such a personal achievement. It’s for hosting my childhood love and dream and at a place in my life I finally realized it’s what I do best, and what makes me happiest when I perform. I feel really honored that I’m part of a legacy as the third woman of color to achieve that.”

Regina King was the most recent Black actor to win back-to-back Emmys for her supporting role in American Crime in 2015 and 2016, while Uzo Aduba won twice consecutively for Orange is the New Black.

The last person to win twice in the same category was Jean Smart for Frasier in 2000 and 2001.

Rudolph also said that playing Vice President Kamala Harris had resulted in a fun interaction with the woman herself.

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“We did meet during a fundraiser before the election over Zoom,” Rudolph said. “She was quite aware that I was playing her and was so lovely and cool, and it was so exciting to talk to her and to meet her, and to get a chance to be a part of her orbit. But she’s so cool, she was great about it, and I think that’s always the mark of someone who knows that they’re impenetrable and they’re doing something great in the world because she knows I’m doing it with love and she’s so fantastic that someone is impersonating her.”

Watch a video of Rudolph’s backstage comments above.