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Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph have been friends for over 21 years, so they know each other very well and have many mutual interests and habits. The pair is known for their sizzling chemistry, but it took them some time to become truly comfortable with one another. 

In a recent interview with People, the two alums of Saturday Night Live discussed how one of their favorite moments on the classic sketch show changed the way they collaborated forever. Poehler claimed in the interview that it was through one particular sketch that Rudolph had taught her the “secret sauce” to the show’s success.

Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler’s time on ‘Saturday Night Live’

Since they first met in 2001 on the set of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, Poehler and Rudolph have been inseparable. Rudolph joined the SNL cast in 2000, while Poehler did the same the following year. 

Even now, Rudolph can recall every detail of their initial encounter. She talked to People about it, saying, “Amy came in, and it was like that scene in Grease when the Pink Ladies get to school.” Poehler revealed that the feeling was mutual, saying, “We had the same impression about each other because I was like, ‘Maya is an SNL natural.'” 

Poehler and Rudolph worked together on Saturday Night Live for six years. During that time, the two stars appeared in several skits together, including the regular routine Bronx Beat, where they play Jodi and Betty, two neighbors from the ‘burbs who host a talk show despite being way too frustrated to do so.

Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler agree that ‘The Trainwreck Awards’ was their best sketch ever

Rudolph and Poehler admit that when they first started working at Saturday Night Live in the early 2000s, they were petrified of each other. However, after doing a skit together in 2004 called Trainwreck Awards, they let down their guard. Rudolph told People that the sketch was one of her favorite things that she and Poehler did together.

The skit, in which Rudolph portrayed Diana Ross, and Poehler played the late Anna Nicole Smith, was about award events and how they can go horribly wrong.

Rudolph revealed that they had so much fun doing the skit, saying, “You can tell we were laughing so hard because our wigs came off and people were nose breathing into their mics. That was the beginning of us recognizing that you can have a blast doing the show, have a laugh while you’re doing it.”

Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler are co-hosting ‘Baking It’ Season 2

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Since leaving SNL, Rudolph and Poehler have continued to collaborate on a number of successful projects. The two are currently co-hosting Peacock’s reality competition show Baking It. The series puts good bakers to the test during the holiday season. In the competition, eight teams of two bakers must bake a series of decadent desserts based on a given theme for a chance to win $50,000.

Poehler joined Rudolph as a co-host on the second season of Baking It, which premiered on December 12. Poehler takes over for Andy Samberg, who co-hosted the first season with Rudolph and is also an SNL alum. While Poehler and Rudolph have been friends for a while, this is the first time they are co-hosting a show, and it’s been a delight to see the two old pals reunited.

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