Entertainment

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

Name: Paula Pell Nearly Failed to Graduate College Due to All-Night Gay Bar Dancing
Uploaded: 2026-05-24T13:50:00+00:00
Description: 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.

Good Hang with Amy Poehler · Paula Pell · May 24, 2026

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Paula Pell

"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.

About 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.

Key takeaways

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.