For the second time, Saturday Night Live alum Molly Shannon returned to the sketch comedy show that boosted her to Superstar-dom. During the opening monologue, Shannon updates the audience on how her 2023 has been, from her kids’ graduations to her deeply personal memoir, Hello, Molly!, before being joined on stage by fellow alum, Martin Short, and other cast members to finish out her big musical number.
Shannon was an SNL cornerstone from 1995 to 2001, during which time she made popular roles like Jeannie Darcy and Sally O’Malley, which she reprised in last night’s show, and the ineffable Mary Katherine Gallagher. The latter would land Shannon a starring role in SNL’s 1999 feature, Superstar, alongside Will Ferrell. Since her time on Saturday Night Live, Shannon has had a number of roles in both movies and television such as Pat Dubek in the HBO Max series, The Other Two, and the overly involved mother-in-law, Kitty Patton, in Season 1 of Mike White’s hit series, The White Lotus.
More recently, and something she briefly touched on during the monologue, Shannon penned a New York Times bestseller tell-all memoir titled Hello, Molly! in which she recounts her childhood through her break into Hollywood, and on. While sharing the past year's successes with the crowd, Shannon broke out into song, inspired by the show tunes her father would play when she was little, sharing life lessons and advice to “keep your chin up” when things get tough. The musical number included current SNL members sharing their own griefs, as well as creator and producer, Lorne Michaels, who quipped that he didn’t have any problems, and fellow SNL legend, Short, who joined Shannon on stage to close out the monologue.
What Is Molly Shannon Up to Now?
While best known for her comedy, since her time on the late-night sketch comedy series, Shannon has branched into other genres, flexing her more dramatic muscles. In features like 2018’s Wild Nights With Emily, Shannon portrayed real-life poet, the reclusive Emily Dickinson, and explored a series of letters written between the poet and her sister-in-law. She also earned an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as an ailing mother with cancer in Other People, and can next be seen opposite Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman in Zach Braff’s A Good Person.
You can watch Molly Shannon's heartfelt monologue as the host of Saturday Night Live below. Be sure to check out Collider for the rest of Shannon's sketches!