Actress, writer, and comedian Molly Shannon is a superstar. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts (where she received her BFA in drama), the effervescent performer got her big break in 1995, when Lorne Michaels brought her aboard Saturday Night Live during a mid-season sprucing up of the cast. She quickly established herself on the sketch show as one of the strongest performers, and for six seasons, any sketch she was featured in was guaranteed to elicit laughs. She even scored an Emmy nomination for her work in 2000. A well-deserved and overdue nomination, at that.
Throughout her career, Shannon’s proved her range as an actor in a variety of roles. She’s played everyone from Gail in Wet Hot American Summer and Sam, Elaine Benes’ stiff-armed co-worker in Seinfeld, to Aunt Victoire in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. In 2017, she received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the drama Other People, a semi-autobiographical story about former SNL writer Chris Kelly (who also wrote and directed the film) starring Jesse Plemons, Bradley Whitford, John Early, and Maude Apatow. She’s also starred in dramas such as Horse Girl, Promising Young Woman, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Private Life, along with comedies including The Little Hours, Life After Beth, the Hotel Transylvania franchise, Addicted to Fresno, and the upcoming film Spin Me Round starring Alison Brie, Lil Rel Howery, and Aubrey Plaza.
She continues to light up the small screen as well, having starred in the HBO series Divorce alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Tracy Letts, the recent hit The White Lotus, and the HBOMax original series The Other Two, where she plays the energetic mother-turned-talk-show-host Pat Dubek. She’s also set to star in I Love This For You, a new Showtime series from and starring fellow SNL alum Vanessa Bayer.
There’s no question that Molly Shannon is one of the greatest SNL cast members of all time. Whether she’s falling into tables and smelling her fingers as Mary Katherine Gallagher, cackling as Monica Lewinsky, or making sure that everyone knows that she’s 50, Shannon is sure to leave you breathless.
Let’s bask in the glory that is Molly Shannon, and revisit some of her iconic moments from Saturday Night Live.
Mary Katherine Gallagher at T.G.I. Friday's
In this particular sketch, Shannon brings her iconic nervous and accident-prone Catholic school student Mary Katherine Gallagher out of school and into the cut-throat real world that is T.G.I. Friday’s. In typical Mary fashion, she’s putting her shy self out there and trying out for something new. This time, she’s hoping to wear the coveted red and white striped t-shirt, and prove she has what it takes to be a waitress. First, of course, she must shadow their best server, Kevin (Scott Wolf). Rule number one? Win with a grin. Though she does her best to stay out of the spotlight and observe Kevin's professional behavior, she can’t help herself. After Kevin takes a couple’s drink order, Mary butts in and, in between deep breaths, lets the customers know that she is fully prepared for whatever her job brings her way, saying, “I just want to take this opportunity, to let you two know that I just came from the ladies’ room, and, in accordance to state law, I just washed my hands with a very powerful antibacterial soap, so I just want to announce that I am ready. To handle. Your food.” Of course, it wouldn’t be a Mary Katherine Gallagher sketch without her crashing into tables and people, and most importantly, telling everyone about her ultra-specific nervous habit. Physical comedy at its finest.
Dog Show: British Puppy Lover
If you like dogs, snare drums, and yelling, this laugh-out-loud sketch is the sketch for you. In the recurring Animal Planet parody “Dog Show,” Molly Shannon plays the eccentric dog lover Miss Colleen alongside Will Ferrell’s stern David Larry. In this quirky talk show, the two hosts are accompanied by their beloved dogs (Rocky Balboa and Mr. Bojangles), who are always dressed up in unique costumes. Shannon brings her over-zealous charm to Miss Colleen, who starts every sketch by yelling, “Dog Show!” in between David Larry’s drum beats. In the introduction to their show, David refers to Miss Colleen as a “dirty dog” to which she replies at an increasing volume, “That’s right, that’s me! And I. Like. Dogs!” In this particular sketch, they welcome guest Captain James Butternut (Alan Cumming) and his dog, Lucky Boots. He and his dog help stage an intervention for Mr. Bojangles, who is an alcoholic.
Sally O’Malley
When Molly Shannon returned to Studio 8H as host, she reprised her role as Sally O’Malley, a character she made famous during her time as a cast member. She proves yet again that she can kick, stretch, and kick when she appears in this parody of The Sopranos starring an over-the-top Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, and Darrell Hammond as Tony Soprano. Dressed head-to-toe in her typical red and white outfit and clutching her cheetah print purse, Sally stumbles onto the stage at the Bada Bing! Strip Club to show the regulars that she has what it takes to become the latest addition to the dance team. After Tony tries to tell her that he doesn't think she'll be a good fit, she explains, “Not so fast, sonny. Listen, I saw an ad in the paper that said you were looking for hoofers who could cut a rug. So I put on my red pants ‘cause I like to dance!” Despite their best efforts to get her off the stage, Shannon continuously talks and hikes up her pants so high, that Hammond, who rarely breaks character, couldn’t help but turn his head and laugh along with the crowd.
Pretty Living
Does life have you down? Then tune in to the sketch “Pretty Living,” where upbeat host Gail Gleason (Ana Gasteyer) takes the viewer on a journey of fashion, beauty, and fitness. The atmosphere is extra positive in this sketch, as Gail is joined by everyone’s favorite licensed joyologist Helen Madden (Molly Shannon). Helen is having quite the busy year promoting her new book, and as usual, cannot contain her excitement. She’s so excited, she can’t even sit still. Gail tries her best to match Helen’s positivity, but is still trying to get over her ex-husband. Meanwhile, Helen is contorting herself in her chair, busy shouting “I love it! I love it!” and flailing her legs around in her seat. She also brings along her personal yogi, Hal Lieberman (Ben Stiller) who she met at a Starbucks. “He was at the Starbucks, and I was at the very same Starbucks, at the same time, when I first saw Hal. I was sneaking some free Starbucks samples and using the facilities, and I was wearing my lucky tiger belt.” Shannon’s theatrics get so out of hand, that she falls backwards in her chair, much to her and the audience's surprise. Being the comedy warrior that she is, she didn’t miss a beat, and sprung right up as Helen and continued the sketch.
NPR's Delicious Dish: Schweddy Balls
This NPR parody sketch from 1998 is a staple in any Saturday Night Live Christmas special, and there’s no wondering why. Margaret Jo McCullin (Gasteyer) and Terry Rialto (Shannon) host the calm radio show "The Delicious Dish," in which they indulge the audience in some of their favorite treats. Since it’s Christmas, the two hosts are decked out in their best Christmas season vests and are excited to welcome the owner of the holiday bakery Season’s Eatings, Pete Schweddy (Alec Baldwin). Pete is here to show everyone his balls. Popcorn balls, cheese balls, and rum balls, that is. Shannon, Gasteyer, and Baldwin’s composure makes this sketch even funnier. With each mention of Pete’s balls, the audience’s laughs grow. “It’s been years since I’ve seen any balls,” Shannon’s Terry tells Pete. “Can I touch your balls?”
Dr. Beaman’s Office Test Results
Okay, there’s really no way to do this sketch justice. Or even articulate what’s exactly happening, but here it goes. Molly Shannon and Chris Parnell play a very stressed couple and new parents to their son, Shane. They’ve been on the edge of their seat for a week as they wait to hear about their son's health. They hope to get some answers when they meet with their doctor, Dr. Beaman (Will Ferrell). Only problem is that Beaman is an absolute jerk and completely irresponsible. He takes calls right in front of the nervous parents and even bad-mouths them to his pal Beverly over the phone. From the moment this sketch starts, it doesn’t make sense, and that’s what makes it so spectacular. After telling them that their son is a witch, Beaman calls in Dr. Poop (yes, Dr. Poop) played by Tim Meadows, who is apparently the only person who can save their baby. Poop, however, admits he cannot help them, but he can do the robot. Shannon can’t help but break down laughing as she watches her co-star dance in a suit and tie. Ferrell cannot believe what they are in the middle of either, and the two of them do their best to keep it together and finish out this strange masterpiece.
Nightline: Actresses Not Nominated For Oscars
In this cold open, Darrell Hammond plays Nightline host Ted Koppel, who reluctantly pushes aside the news to try out a segment on the show that Americans would be more interested in. Capitalizing on the excitement of the recently announced Oscar nominations, Ted interviews three women who were not nominated for Oscars: Madonna (Ana Gasteyer), Debbie Reynolds (Cheri Oteri), and Courtney Love (Molly Shannon). Over the years, Shannon’s portrayal of Love has been wild, aggressive, and loud (look no further than the “The Courtney Love Show” sketch), but here, Shannon is eerily still and soft spoken. Rather than gripping a guitar, she’s cradling a teacup and saucer, and welcoming the viewers into her kitchen. Koppel brings up the stark image change to Love, only to be met with a blank stare. Shannon’s Love cannot keep up this new façade for too long, and by the end of the sketch, she’s strumming a guitar on top of her kitchen counter and crashing into walls.
Molly Shannon stars in The Other Two on HBOMax, as well as the upcoming Hotel Transylvania 4, Spin Me Round, and I Love This For You. Her memoir, Hello, Molly! is available for pre-order.