On this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live, one of the sketch comedy series' former members, Molly Shannon, returned for the second time to host, with musical guests, the Jonas Brothers. As well as reprising some of her most iconic characters, Shannon played herself in Please Don’t Destroy’s sketch, “Molly Shannon 2K23,” about the massively popular video game about Molly Shannon!
Before she retired from the series in 2001, Shannon was a beloved cast member of SNL alongside other notable members like Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, and Ana Gasteyer. Though she was in countless sketches, Shannon popularized now-iconic characters such as Jeannie Darcy and Sally O’Malley, both of whom she appeared as in last night’s episode. By far the most notable, however, was Shannon’s portrayal of the ever-optimistic Catholic schoolgirl, Mary Katherine Gallagher, after the character was given her own feature film, Superstar, co-starring Ferrell. Since leaving SNL, Shannon has lent her bubbly comedy to both movies and television, including HBO Max’s The Other Two, and Mike White’s hit series, The White Lotus, as well penning a memoir titled, Hello, Molly!.
In the Please Don’t Destroy sketch, Shannon pops into their office to talk ideas but finds the three friends, Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy deeply invested in a video game. Upon inspection, Shannon realizes this game, Molly Shannon 2K23, is about her, and the trio explains to her how it works. Through shots of the gameplay we find out Molly Shannon 2K23 is an open-world game with sidequests, a Molly Market where you spend your turnips, and “play as Molly Shannon balancing her career as an actor with raising a family.” Unbeknownst to Shannon, the game is a series that’s been releasing since ‘95, with an updated version set to debut in 2024!
The game allows players to work their way through milestones in Shannon’s career, as well as offering new achievements to unlock. The possibilities are endless, with numerous dialogue options that each have consequences or rewards, “you can be any Molly Shannon you want!” But when Shannon is unamused, Please Don’t Destroy take off, leaving her with the controller. When they return sometime later, it appears Shannon has been playing for a lengthy amount of time, and unsurprisingly, she’s pretty good at her own life.
Who Are Please Don’t Destroy?
Consisting of Marshall, Higgins, and Herlihy, Please Don’t Destroy was a comedy group that formed during their time together at NYU. After being hired on as a trio with Saturday Night Live in 2021, they now write and perform prerecording videos and other sketches for the series, which include “Three Sad Virgins” with Pete Davidson and Taylor Swift. Most recently, Scream IV’s Jenna Ortega joined the boys for a cross-country road trip in “Road Trip,” and “Plirts” with Austin Butler and Lizzo.
You can watch Molly Shannon ace her own game in the sketch below, and check out her most recent feature opposite Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman in Zach Braff’s A Good Person.