Episode overview

Paula Pell

Good Hang with Amy Poehler · 19 May 2026 · 4 Egleze moments

What happened in this episode?

Amy Poehler sits down with comedy legend Paula Pell, SNL's longest-tenured female writer, for an intimate two-hour conversation covering her 18-year SNL tenure, closeted youth, and current comedy resurgence. The episode opens with a surprise intro from Kim Kardashian, who is currently filming a comedy Pell co-wrote called The Fifth Wheel alongside Nikki Glaser, Fortune Feimster, and Kristen Wiig. Kardashian gushes about Pell's genius and asks whether Pell feels the 'magic' she's experiencing on set. The bulk of the conversation traces Pell's journey from Midwestern Catholic girl to Disney Pleasure Island performer to SNL writer, where she created iconic sketches including Debbie Downer, the Culps, and the Spartan Cheerleaders. Pell makes a striking revelation: she believes she was hired as a writer rather than cast member in 1995 because of her size, despite auditioning as a performer, leading to years of suppressing her on-camera ambitions. She opens up about her closeted lesbian relationship in high school Florida, her traumatic yo-yo dieting in her 20s where she lost nearly 100 pounds three times, and her current use of a weight loss medication for health reasons. The conversation also covers her marriage to writer Janine Brito, her menagerie of rescue animals including a donkey and paralyzed dog in a wheel cart, and her philosophy of writing 'joyful losers.' Poehler and Pell close by harmonizing Amazing Grace, showcasing the musical theater roots that shaped Pell's comedy. The episode is both a celebration of Pell's under-recognized comedy legacy and a raw meditation on body image, sexuality, and finding joy after decades of self-suppression.

What are the key points?

Pell believes SNL hired her as a writer instead of cast member in 1995 because she was plus-size and didn't fit the show's aesthetic.
Pell lost nearly 100 pounds three times in her 20s, each time regaining more weight and falling into deep depression from diet culture.
Pell revealed she's currently using a weight loss medication in micro-doses to help with inflammation, pain, and 25-pound weight loss for health reasons.
Pell nearly didn't graduate college after spending nights at gay bars and theater rehearsals, ultimately plagiarizing a biology paper the night before graduation.
Kim Kardashian appeared via Zoom praising Pell's genius and describing the 'magical' experience filming their comedy The Fifth Wheel together.
Pell wrote SNL's most iconic sketches including Debbie Downer, the Culps, and Spartan Cheerleaders during her 18-year tenure as longest-serving female writer.
Pell describes her specialty as writing 'joyful losers' and credits her wife Janine Brito with helping her finally embrace on-camera performance later in life.

Which topics are covered?

Entertainment Society Health, Longevity & Biohacking

How is this page sourced?

Programme: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Published: 19 May 2026
Original episode: Open the original source ↗

Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.

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4 moments from this episode

Source-linked · editorially selected

Entertainment

Paula Pell Nearly Failed to Graduate College Due to All-Night Gay Bar Dancing

at 30:37 · Attributed speaker claim

We were gay, and we used to go to the gay bars and dance all night. And then we would do plays constantly that rehearsed all night. And then we would have, like, a 7 o'clock biology class in the morning... it was an F. And I called the teacher crying, and it was pouring rain in a phone booth.

Pell revealed she nearly didn't graduate from University of Tennessee in the mid-1980s after failing a biology class. She spent nights at gay bars and theater rehearsals with fellow SNL writer James Anderson, then had to plead with her professor the night before graduation, ultimately writing a plagiarized paper called 'Galileo: The Courage to Wonder' to pass.

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Entertainment

Paula Pell Suspected SNL Refused Her Cast Role Due to Weight

at 40:20 · Attributed speaker claim

I do suspect that I was a big lady. I was a big plus-size person. There would— there was, there was just not that in any TV anything. I was just not of the aesthetic of that place whatsoever. I do suspect that it wasn't even like, 'Oh, no, but her writing. I like her writing 'cause that fits with us.'

Paula Pell, SNL's longest-tenured female writer, revealed she believes she was hired as a writer rather than cast member in 1995 because of her size. Despite being a trained performer who auditioned with characters, she suspects the show's aesthetic standards at the time prevented her from being considered for on-camera work, leading to years of suppressing her performance ambitions.

Read this moment → Check original at 40:20 ↗

Health, Longevity & Biohacking

Paula Pell Credits New Weight Loss Shot for Health Improvement

at 54:46 · Attributed speaker claim

I have been on the shot. I've been on the shot this year on a very micro-dosed way that helped me a lot. With inflammation, pain, everything. And it got me, I had kept gaining again, and it got me down to this kind of like, I just wanna live a long life.

Pell disclosed she's been using a weight loss medication this year in micro-doses, which she credits with helping inflammation, pain, and modest weight loss of 25 pounds. She framed the decision around longevity and health management for her knee replacements rather than aesthetics, marking a shift from her traumatic past diet experiences.

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Health, Longevity & Biohacking

Paula Pell Lost 100 Pounds Three Times, Gained Back More Each Time

at 55:49 · Attributed speaker claim

I lost 100, close to 100 pounds 3 times in my 20s. And it really devastated me because I gained it back each time I gained it back more. It was such a racket. All those diet things were such a racket. I would go into deep depression, which I'd always struggled with.

The veteran comedy writer opened up about repeated extreme weight loss cycles in her 20s, each time losing nearly 100 pounds only to regain more weight. She tied the yo-yo dieting to deep depression and criticized the diet industry as exploitative, revealing a lifelong struggle with body image that affected her mental health and career confidence.

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