Maya Rudolph didn’t showcase her Whitney Houston impersonation during her hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live” — but a bevy of celebrity guests, including SI cover girl Kate Upton, Paul Simon and Bill O’Reilly, brought consistent laughs.
The “Bridesmaids” star regularly spoofed Houston during her time as a SNL cast member from 2000-2007, with the impersonation involving frantic gestures, break-outs into song, Bobby Brown criticisms and hints of the superstar’s troubles.
While Rudolph didn’t spoof Houston this weekend, she did imitate Beyonce in a skit showing different guests greeting Blue Ivy, Beyonce’s baby with husband Jay-Z.
“I asked the doctor, ‘Did I have a boy?’ And he was like, ‘No you had a single lady,” Rudolph quipped during the skit.
Other Rudolph skits included “Bronx Beat,” a NYC talk show between two man-hunting friends, and a “Cosby Show” rip-off involving the Obamas.
The show opened with a group of TV analysts mocking the recent “Linsanity” coverage surrounding Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin.
O’Reilly appeared during a recurring skit called “What Up With That?” — a soul-themed program with a singing host played by cast member Kenan Thompson. O’Reilly started discussing his book “Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever,” but he was cut off.
Thompson’s character later called O’Reilly the “sexiest guy” in New York.
“I don’t know what happened here,” the Fox News host responded.
Justin Timberlake and longtime SNL cast member Amy Poehler also appeared.
“Saturday Night Live” honored Houston last weekend, airing a still image from the superstar’s 1996 appearance on the program.