Maya Rudolph remembers being “humiliated” during David Letterman interview early in career
Maya Rudolph "did not have a good time" when David Letterman said her name wrong in 2009 interview
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The lifestyle of the rich and famous may be a pampered one, but it nevertheless requires a tough skin. Maya Rudolph, who rose to fame on Saturday Night Live, learned this lesson the hard way during her first-ever appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman in 2009—two years after she’d left the famed sketch show.
“I did not have a good time,” she tells WSJ. Magazine of her conversation with Letterman. “He said my name wrong, and I just sat there, like, I grew up my whole life in love with you. And now my heart is broken. And I’m sitting here embarrassed and humiliated. I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t know how to come up with something funny to say. My public persona muscle wasn’t strong yet.” (A representative for Letterman tells NBC News, “We must respectfully decline comment.”)
Rudolph has gotten “much better” at navigating these press appearances by deflecting with humor, but “It would always feel like someone was stealing my soul,” she admits. “That’s where, over the years, I created a persona to protect myself.”
Finding that persona took some doing: “I remember saying to someone, ‘What am I to you? What’s my brand?’ Because I don’t know what it is,” she reflects. “Do I have a brand? Like, what is it?”
It is not, in her opinion, a “celebrity,” even if she is technically famous. “I know I’m a working actor and people know who I am, but I don’t feel like a celebrity, because that word means something else today to me,” she says. “There are a lot of different types of celebrities these days and a lot of self-made celebrities where people are famous for being famous, and that isn’t what I do.” If there are lots of different types of celebs, surely Rudolph must qualify as one of them? She’s certainly well past “talk show flubbing her name” level now.
104 Comments
I thought this was going to be about Letterman being a dick, but I stead 8ts just a celebrity”s bruised ego.
No kidding – would it have been much of a stretch to use humour to correct his mispronunciation of her name? I suspect, also, that she wasn’t as crippled by this incident as the story makes it sound. This article has a click bait feel to it.
Yeah, just come back with, “Nice to be here, er-David.”
To answer your question: “I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t know how to come up with something funny to say. My public persona muscle wasn’t strong yet.”I do agree she probably isn’t as broken up about this as this post is trying to make it seem. Then again, I’m one of those people who will randomly remember some random embarrassing moment from years ago and cringe hard thinking about it, so I empathize if it’s one of those things.
Yep. It shows you how she didn’t get on Letterman because of her massive talent but because of her famous parents and their connections. Any real comedian who earned it would have be ready for something that small for David Letterman.
How on Earth does she navigate Starbucks? I guess she probably has assistants to go for her.
You people don’t understand how humiliating it is. People say my name wrong every single time and because of that I’ve attempted suicide over 5000 times.
I have a marginally unusual spelling of my first name that seems to make people lose their minds. I learned to get over it when I was 6.
That is some serious navel-gazing
Letterman after like 2005 became a smarmy asshole for some reason. His whole thing was always playing kind of a jerk but he really leaned into it towards the end of his show.
That’s kind of how Letterman differentiated his original NBC show from Carson. He had a reputation of… well, not exactly humiliating guests, but at the same time, not coddling them either. He probably softened up mid-career, particularly after the move to CBS, but perhaps he later reverted to form.
Massive smarmy asshole.
Which is why I thought this was probably another example of him being a dick, but from the clip someone else posted up there he was either goofing around with a-Maya Rudolph or actually made a mistake. You can tell when he’s just not interested in the goings-on. He makes no effort to hide it.
How does one mispronounce Maya Rudolph’s name? First and last are both pretty common, and use the “standard” spellings/pronunciations.
Because he did, he got the name wrong and it was not on purpose.
Maya is such an ambiguous name to pronounce! I’ve met people that pronounce it completely different. One was a ‘may-ah’ another was a ‘me-uh’. I imagine there’s all sorts of combinations.
Did he do it with a thick Kennedy accent and call her “Meyer?”
This is apropos of nothing, but I really feel Americans need to see this:
He said it “Amaya.”
Or, in a sentence liberally littered with “uhs” he dropped an “uh” in front of her name, which it sounds way more like.
I’ve heard a lot of Letterman’s “uh”s over the years, including the eight or so that preceded his saying her name. That wasn’t one of them. He just flubbed it–and then graciously apologized, which he’d do if he flubbed it.
No, he said “uh, Maya”, similar to how he said “uh” about eight times in the intro.
Oh, wow! That’s not just a mispronunciation; that’s flat-out saying the wrong name!
Is she saying he called her Amaya?
I don’t think he mispronounces it, he’s just doing his old-timey announcer impression and puts an “uh” in front of it.
He does sound like a dick at the end though. Like he’s making a sarcastic, over the top apology for something he thinks is silly she’s upset about.
The apology might be a little too much, but I think he sounds perfectly sincere. I’ve definitely over apologized for a thing if I carelessly did something that I then found out hurt someone. Especially getting a name wrong, which I’ve actually done far too often for my liking. Misnaming someone is almost entirely inconsequential and yet can still hurt someone quite a lot. I don’t like to unintentionally make people feel bad, so I will let them know in no uncertain terms that I’m sorry.Though I do kind of agree that it’s more a speech affectation on his part than a mispronunciation in the first place. He says “uh” like four times in the first ten seconds of that clip. Also, thanks for the video. That would have been a nice addition to the actual article instead of just leaving readers with no idea what Dave said.
I mean, here’s how you do it:
Yeah, is that so hard?
And now she sells catfood.
Cat litter, no?
I know it’s just her resting voice and demeanor, but Heigl sounds like she wants to talk to the announcer’s supervisor.
I think that many people are so unaccustomed to sincerity that it often sounds fake to them. This is a problem one of my family members has. People often think she’s being sarcastic, but usually she’s just genuinely happy to see or talk to them.
“Our next guest has a ah new movie opening ah june fifth, please welcome ah Maya Rudolph.”… but you know, she wasn’t that well known at that time so it’s easy to see how it would upset her that probably half the audience heard “Amaya” and therefore don’t know what her name is. Didn’t get the feeling that that story was about how Dave was a dick to her. She was just telling a story about a time she felt awkward that would have been easier to deal with if she had had the confidence she had since gained.
I’ve watched a ton of Letterman all the way back to his appearances on “Liar’s Club” with Larry Hovis and Allen Ludden. He’s my favorite. And while he can be cranky, this seems like a sincere apology from him. He flubbed it. He respects the shit out of comedians and funny people. I don’t think he thinks she was being silly.His publicist needs to do better than “declining to comment” though. This is a win-win with another apology.
seems as sincere as i’ve ever seen him. having watched all of his recent netflix stuff, this seems right in line with how he talks to and about the people he has on that show (people he admires or respects or finds interesting at least, according to the premise of the show!).I think his character of being an old sarcastic rascal just can’t help but poke through, even when maybe he doesn’t want it to
omg this is the appearance she’s talking about? It can’t be. He does not mispronounce her name here.
Scans like a perfectly normal apology to me
I think his apology is sincere (based on watching a fair bit of Letterman, back in the day) but even if it was sarcastic, it would have nothing on the gold standard of weird, bad, I-messed-up-your-name apologies:
No, I think he’s just so good at sarcasm that it just reads that way. If Letterman wanted to belittle a celebrity, and he did a lot of that and I think there are fair criticisms to be levied that he as with many of his era was at the very least occasionally misogynistic including to guests, in this case it feels like he said the name wrong, sensed she was pissed or thrown off/was told he fucked up, and offered a real apology. I really can’t muster a ton of sympathy when THIS is the kind of issue that can weigh on you for years amidst a successful career in film and television.
“He does sound like a dick at the end though.”Oh, fuck off.
On what planet does that sound like a dick? Letterman has never been subtle about being a dick- go look at clips of him with Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera for reference.
I’m a fan of Maya Rudolph and was ready to be upset about this (ugh, internet, I know) and am a little surprised that this was what everything was about.
Yeah, giving the timing I was expecting this to fall into his late-career Not Giving a Fuck phase, but he was either goofing off a bit or made an honest mistake (and apologized). Not sure when her soul left her body.
This sounds like it could be the plot of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. David was trying to sincerely apologize for an honest mistake but his delivery accidentally makes it worse
These stories always get framed as an accusation rather than just someone recounting how they felt in their personal experience.
I was thinking maybe he mispronounced her name as “Adolf Hitler”…
That would bum me out.
Aw, you and Meghan Markley can sit and cry together.
He said “Uh, Maya,” which can be misconstrued as “Amaya” and then he apologized.
What a fucking thin-skinned loon. I’m sad she had to give up her sense of humor in whatever dowry her parents gave Paul Thomas Anderson.
What a load of bullshitRudolph has been wealthy celebrity royalty her entire life. Her father is a famous record producer and executive and her mother a famous R&B singer with huge hit. Get the fuck out of here with this fake humble horseshit.
Show me on the doll where Maya Rudolph hurt you, honey.
It’s a general pain that comes from her being an annoying unfunny whiny idiot and her small annoying fanbase who are obviously stupid with bad taste.
Show me where Maya Rudolph was hurt first.(But it was my butthole. Thanks for making me relive it.)
Being the child of a celebrity isn’t the same as being a celebrity.
i would have said it more nicely but yes the idea that Maya Rudolph rose from nowhere is a bit silly given her parents involvement in the entertainment industry. still, she’s pretty good. my favorite is probably her Dionne Warwick impersonations
Her talents aside, I have absolutely no sympathy for the supposed ego bruises for anyone like her. Yes. She is talented. But how could she not be with that pedigree, investment and surroundings?First off she is from third generation wealth. Her grandfather was a very wealthy businessman in Florida. Her parents are even MORE wealthy. She went to the same celebrity Crossroads private school that Jonah Hill, Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Liv Tyler and Zooey Deschanel went to. She leveraged her family connections and money her entire life. She was surrounded by celebrity her entire life.But David Letterman, the show that most performers worked entire careers to get on, mispronounced her name?Jesus. Quintessential entitlement.
If celebrity ever really just meant famous, I think the distinction has definitely grown pretty distinct in recent times. Fame is pretty variable, especially over the course of time, and it’s fairly easy to accumulate a lot of it in a short time and lose it just as quickly, like winning the lottery makes you rich, but doesn’t make you wealthy.Working actors especially straddle the line. Is Richard Kind a celebrity? Is Michael Weston? They might be somewhat well known, and maybe even be recognized in the street, but so too would Martin Shkreli and Pewdiepie, both of whom are probably more famous (or infamous maybe) than Rudolph, Kind, or Weston. I think at a certain medium level of fame, you can choose whether or not to be a celebrity by trying to catch as much of the spotlight as you can, or else shunning it as much as possible. It sounds like Rudolph is more the latter.
I’m going “no” on Michael Weston since I thought you were talking about Jeffrey Donovan’s Burn Notice character.
I actually drew names entirely from Burn Notice, as both Michael Weston Richard Kind appeared in it. I thought about including Campbell, but he’s certainly embraced his celebrity in his own way.
I think if I ever run a news website I’m just going to have all my headlines be about imminent thermonuclear war and the articles about celebrity gossip and movie rankings. Cuz you know, dem clicks.
Get in line.
“I grew up my whole life in love with you.” I watched this guy long enough to learn that he’s an arrogant misogynist who enjoys humiliating people, especially women. Years of asking him why he didn’t have any women writers working for him met with the same response – “I don’t know why I didn’t.”
Except that none of that is actually present in the interview if you watch it (which unfortunately avclub did not bother with).
The interview is behind a paywall. The quote is included in the body of the piece and I don’t see how you find it completely irrelevant. Your highjacking skills are not very elegant, but you got the attention you’re seeking.
What a weird reply. I was not trying to hijack anything. You mentioned some stuff about Letterman in response to this article, and I mentioned that in my opinion the stuff you mentioned did not seem relevant to this particular story. No beef with you in particular. The fact that a number of people agreed with me is just what it is. I had not noticed until I saw your reply.
You can watch the actual incident right here and see for yourself how much of a giant fucking nothingburger with nothingfries this whole thing really is, you cheap fuck. God forbid you actually pay for something..
Merrill Markoe was his head writer for years.
maybe she wouldn’t be as embarrassed if she’d done better on Know Your Cuts Of Meat
He mispronounced her name everyone! It was true terror.
It’s a wonder she ever worked again.
Hey, uh, ya, uh, ya got any gum? Eeeeeeeeeee. *coughing fit*
As someone who has had people mispronouncing my name since I can remember – and I mean that literally – I got used to not caring how people garbled my name.
These days though if I tell you my name, or write it for you, and you still obviously mispronounce or misspell it, then you evidently don’t care. If that’s the way you want our interactions to start, then you can’t exactly expect me to be happy about it (though I probably won’t show it).
I’m guessing Maya feels similarly.
Ok, Frankie drinks darling tea.
;p
You sound like an egotistical asshole. Some people just don’t talk good stupid. No one gives a fuck about how to say your stupid name correctly. Go get into anger management classes because you sound insufferable.
You seem nice
You are an asshole who gets mad about someone saying your name incorrectly. You are literally a Nazi with that kind of mindset. You would follow orders and run the gas chamber while being mad at the victims for saying your name wrong when they beg for their lives.
Ding ding ding we have a winner folks, Godwin’s Law has been invoked!Thanks to everyone for playing, and remember: if you ever want to end an argument leaving yourself nowhere to go all while showing everyone your opinion is rubbish and you’re not worth talking to, use Godwin’s Law. Getting the grays laughed at since 2005.
lol You must be so old. lol Fucking loser.
why you so mad tho
Thanks for chiming in, Jeff..
If it wasn’t for Paul Thomas Anderson, Maya Rudolph would be driving an UBER.
In what way is 2009 considered “early” in her career?
That caught my attention as well. She’d already finished her very successful run on SNL, been on two other high-profile TV series and in a half-dozen movies (including Idiocracy). After seven years of SNL she couldn’t handle someone messing her name up a bit??
I was watching an old clip of Norm MacDonald on Letterman the other day and Letterman kept saying “MAC-Donald.” Seemed like he was just being goofy with the way he was pronouncing it. Seems like the same thing here.
Buttafuoco, Buttafuoco, Buttafuoco…and pinheads at GE! You get that one, Paul? PINHEADS AT GE!!
yet she persisted
“Maya, Uma.”” Uma, Maya. “
Uma le’chu finish!
Well… that was a nothing burger…
This seems like the kind of thing you should carry with you for 13 years.
What is the point of this? Is every woman’s grievance from decades ago news now on the avclub? Did a white guy cut Lizzo off in traffic ever?
“AV Club writer recalls the harrowing time someone questioned her article in the comment section.”
Believe it or not this website used to do important things like review classic Simpsons episodes.
Oh probably, since she spent so much time in Minnesota.
It’s almost as if raising entire generations of people with kid gloves and teaching them from day one of their existence that every last bit of what they say, do, and feel was immaculate poetry delivered from on high was a bad idea..
People die of starvation, lack of water. Having your name mispronounced is the least of things to be embarrassed about. Literally the least.
Wow, 2009, huh? Really on top of the news…
Why is this a story? What IS the story? What the FUCK was the point of posting this?
Boo hoo.
I’m all for holding rich jerks accountable when they act like rich jerks, but this ain’t it.
Americans have never pronounced my name correctly but I didn’t know one should feel embarrassed and humiliated about such a thing.
Talk about slow fu#king news day…
He fucking apologized. What the hell is her problem? Grow up, get over yourself. These fucking celebrity egos are so goddamn fragile. She should just be thankful he bothered to have this no-talent on his show.
Aside from the fact that this incident happened THIRTEEN YEARS AGO….At that point, Maya had been on SNL for a decade, performing live in front of millions of people each week, had been in 10 feature films and had appeared on countless talk shows all over the world. But she was still too much of a new, naive little doe in the headlights to navigate this life-changing hurdle that was thrown in her face? Oh look, she has a new movie coming out in 3 weeks. Now I get it. Never mind.