SNL’s ‘Hunting Wives’ Parody Turns Into ‘Parks and Rec’ Reunion

Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation co-star made a surprise appearance during her episode of Saturday Night Live, appearing in a pre-recorded sketch parodying Netflix’s The Hunting Wives.

Aubrey Plaza, who has remained good friends with Poehler after playing April Ludgate opposite her Leslie Knope on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation for seven years, was one of Poehler’s many friends who thrilled viewers with a cameo during Poehler’s first hosting stint in a decade.

Unlike friends Tina Fey and Seth Meyers, who joined Poehler in the studio on Saturday night, Plaza appeared in a pre-recorded parody of The Hunting Wives.

The audience in Studio 8H responded with loud applause to Plaza’s appearance in the sketch, cheering loudly as she approached Poehler and Chloe Fineman to introduce herself.

Parodying The Hunting Wives, “the straight-but-lesbian horny Republican murder drama,” the sketch featured Poehler, Fineman, Sarah Sherman, and Ashley Padilla as the titular hunting wives.

Eventually, Plaza joins in, with Fineman’s character offering to teach her how to make mimosas. They begin to make mimosas sensually, with all of the women joining in, until it’s revealed that Plaza’s character is an openly queer woman, at which point the other characters all turn their guns on her and shout, “Lesbian! This is Texas!”

Plaza has maintained a relatively low profile this year following the tragic death of her husband, Jeff Baena, in January.

One of her rare media appearances was for an interview on Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, in August.

Asked by Poehler how she was feeling, Plaza joked, “I mean, right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you.”

“I feel overall, I’m here and I’m functioning, and I feel, you know, like I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I’m OK, but, you know, it’s like a daily struggle.”