Maya Rudolph Opens Up About Being 'Humiliated' On Her First David Letterman Show

Comedian and actress Maya Rudolph recently recalled her first interview with David Letterman and how 'embarrassed' she felt. Besides her long run on the NBC comedy show "Saturday Night Live," the actress is known for her roles in films like "Grown Ups" and "Bridesmaids."

The mother of four has been with her partner, Paul Thomas Anderson, since 2001 and is famously private about their relationship. The couple has four children, the eldest of which appeared with her mother in "Licorice Pizza" released last year.

Rudolph recently talked about one of her early experiences in the entertainment industry, which left her feeling embarrassed and humiliated. She also revealed that despite her years in show business, she never quite felt famous.

Read on to learn more.

Rudolph joined WSJ. Magazine recently and looked back on her first time on "The Late Show With David Letterman." She made an appearance on the CBS show in 2009 to promote her film at the time, "Away We Go." According to the actress, during the interview, the host pronounced her name wrong, which embarrassed her.

"He said my name wrong, and I just sat there, like, I grew up my whole life in love with you," the "Licorice Pizza" actress said per People. "And now my heart is broken. And I'm sitting here embarrassed and humiliated." Rudolph further revealed that she didn't know how to react to the blunder.

"I didn't know how to handle it," the comedian added. "I didn't know how to come up with something funny to say. My public persona muscle wasn't strong yet."

After realizing his mistake, the show host, Letterman, apologized to Rudolph and revealed that there was no excuse for his blunder. "I'm sorry that I mispronounced your name," Letterman said. "I'm just a boob, there's no excuse for it, and from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologize."

Rudolph has been open about her struggle with the publicity aspect of being famous, including attending interviews and making red-carpet appearances. She explained that during those times, she felt like "someone was stealing my soul" and tried to make another persona to shield herself.

"That's where, over the years, I created a persona to protect myself," Rudolph said. "I've definitely gotten much better. When I'm uncomfortable, I try to be funny."

Further on in the interview, Rudolph admitted that despite her over a decade in the spotlight, she doesn't think of herself as a celebrity. "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," the actress said.

"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," Rudolph continued.

The actress got candid about how she was managing taking care of her family with her bustling career. According to Rudolph, she prioritized her family above her hectic work schedule.

"Believe me; I am not a Pollyanna who's like, I smile all day, every day. I get stressed out, I get pissed off, but I learned I could make a choice for myself, and it's liberating," Rudolph said (via People). "Maybe people who've worked as long as I have make other choices and have nicer cars. I don't know, but it's so important for me to [try to] have that balance."

In a late 2020 interview, Rudolph spoke to People about her four children with Anderson and their budding interest in the entertainment industry. The actress and director have been together for more than two decades and had Pearl, Lucille, Jack, and Minnie together.

She revealed that they regularly had "a lot of living room shows," and she was made to sit and watch instead of being a part of the performance. "They'll dance to anything. They're natural hams," Rudolph said.

The actress also spoke about her oldest daughter Pearl and how she was really proud of her mother. She disclosed that her children had seen only a small amount of her work because she sheltered them from it.