Paula Pell

26:55We're all over the place, but it doesn't matter. You did a documentary now. for people who don't know, Documentary Now was a bunch of fake documentaries that Bill Hader and Fred Armisen and Seth Meyers did, brilliantly did, and John Mulaney was in some and wrote some, and there was a very famous one based off of the film and musical company, the making of the Broadway album. Yes. And you guys did one called Co-op. Co-op. Co-op the musical. And it was of the era. We were in that era and I was in a lane stretch type and it was based on an actual documentary that was very, uh, iconic black and white documentary about the night that they recorded company, uh, cast album, which was a hot mess, but then it turned out incredible.

27:47And I listened to that. And when I got to do that with them, cause they were all fictional songs, but like Sondheim actually heard them and talked to Mulaney about them and was like, I love, you know, cause it was, he did. Yeah. He watched, he went to some screening of it and then talked to them and they, they all, I think met him. Like kind of, he kind of gave his blessing. Like these are good. He gave his blessing because they were such well done songs. Eli, Eli Bolin was so good at writing the, the music and, and the words and, you know, Seth wrote some of those songs, but they're, they're all so funny.

28:22And just, I just love being able to sing and emote at the same time. Like any musicals that I grew up with, I loved the ones that you could just be in the, you know, one of my favorites. I'm not going to, I know you probably, do you have to pay for songs? Well, I mean, I feel like we should do what we used to call it as an all a sound. Let's do a sound, but, but you can sing the song losing my mind from follies. It's like, Like, it's those kind of songs that, like, Liza Minnelli would, you know. So can you sing part of it, the real thing, and then show people what a sound-alike would be? It's one of the saddest songs on earth.

29:00The sun comes up, I think about you. The coffee cup, I think about you. You said you loved me, or were you just being kind? or am I losing my mind? Damn. Gunshot. Sound effect. Okay, now can we get a sound alike, please? Yeah, so if we were SNL and then they were like, we can't do that, you're going to have to do. So it would be like, when I wake up, you're in my mind. When I wake up, you're not here. my heart's cracking. You're in my mind. Just off enough. Okay. Florida, affectionate Florida. You get there as a high schooler. You go to Disney. Yes. You work at Disney. I work at Disney. How did you get the job at Disney, which is a job everyone must want.

30:04I got my degree in theater. I left University of Tennessee because I barely finished. I did finish. But that's really interesting because you're such a good student and you're so smart and studious. I was also a theater student. Okay. And it was the 80s. And my best friend, James Anderson, who wrote at SNL for 20 years and wrote every funny thing you've ever seen, he and I were classmates and 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 seven o 'clock biology class in the morning with no parking.

30:43So I was always making up incompletes all the time. And my parents came for my graduation and I looked for my final. I went to the hall of science to look at my final grade the night before they all got there with my grandparents and everything. And it was an F. and I called James crying and it was pouring rain in a phone booth and he goes, call the teacher. It's 11 o 'clock at night, but call the T I called the teacher and I just blubbered. And he ended up giving me like a D or a C and I could graduate. I had to write a, a, a paper that night, had no sleep the night before my graduation. I wrote a paper called that I still look for in boxes called plagiarized 100 % from a bunch of stuff cobbled together on microfiche.

31:33And it was called Galileo, the courage to wonder. And I came up with this theory because I read one line that he said he had a fraught relationship with his dad or something. And I was like, and it was just all about his internal world with his father and all this shit. Oh my God, Paula, I did not know that, that you graduated by the skin of your teeth. Would never have guessed that. But I got to Florida, you know, was broke as hell. A lot of my friends went to New York, like James, to have the dream. And I went back to Florida and then they built Pleasure Island. And it was this nighttime, crazy 80s, giant, like phallic island of clubs for the adults.

32:20It was brilliant. It's like your kids are here and you're sick of them and you want to go out and let it rip and get drunk with your wife and make out. And every night was New Year's Eve. So every night at like right before midnight, all the drunks from all the clubs and the theaters and the comedy warehouse, which was improv, all of them came out and then there'd be these hot dancers and then they'd have confetti. They do a big countdown. It was like Times Square and it was so 80s and so good. And so I ended up being in the original cast of The Adventurers Club. So I was Pamelia Perkins, once again, a matron, a comedy matron, I was 22.

32:58Pamelia Perkins, the president of The Adventurers Club. Congaloosh!

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35:49Oh, the other fun thing about Pleasure Island was all these guys would come. Now, this is when, after I got my heart broken, I wanted to have a baby. And I was like, never really been with a man. I've been a little bit here and there. Just a little sneaky, weaky, whatever. Yeah. Touchy, watchy, pokey, wokey, but like nothing. Yeah. Haven't had the full girth. Right. And so I was like, you know, maybe I need to go down Penis Avenue. So I, at that club, they'd let the employees party after work. Oh my God. That's what I was hoping. For like the last two hours. Yeah. So when the club would close, we had like at least an hour and a half to go to these other great bars right there.

36:29So we'd be with these cute ass boys and we'd just be like, you know, a bunch of cute Brits or cute like Irish boys. And now I looked literally like, you know, like, I mean, I had like a bouffant and I'm like, you want to meet us over at the thing? And then I would go in the bathroom and I would like blow out my long hair. I take all my hair down. I'd put a bunch of make, I'd put a bunch of makeup. I'd come out. I was still fat, but I would put all the other stuff on, bring the eye up, put earrings, lots of stuff up here. Look at me up here. And, and, uh, and then I'd show up and then I started fooling around with these guys that were like these fun, like there to have fun.

37:09And they were like, she's so cool. She doesn't even really seem into me. I'm like so. And I would fool around and nothing, nothing stuck. Yeah. Except the semen. No, I'm kidding. But like nothing, you know. Yeah. And so Disney was like, felt like a training ground for you. Yeah. Disney was every night you got to have a large group of people laugh at what you did. Even if it was like stupid that night or you weren't feeling it or you weren't. it's that energy that we all love that we loved at SNL that we we all crave since we were little that we do stick in front of our parents on a couch you got to hear humans look at you and go oh she's really funny she's they'd laugh at you and then I I went over to um work at Murder She Wrote the post-production show during the day for my next job I moved out of Disney and I just did part-time there.

38:02And I pretended I was a, like in this wheel, in these wheels, I pretended I, in some of it, you're an editor. And it was all about the making of murder she wrote. And I would talk to Jessica Fletcher on the screen. So I'd go, you know, it was all timed. So it was like fake, but you know, she'd come in and go, Oh dear, I think we're going to do this episode. You met, we better go. There's murders. And I go, I know Jessica. Well, we're going to make sure that we're going to, and you'd have to talk. And one, one day I was so hung over that I looked up at her and I turned and I went, let's see what big, I said, big old Jessica.

38:39I go, let's see what big old Jessica has to say. And then I turned like this and it was just like, I could not stop laughing. Like my whole, I missed like three cues. So she was just talking with like 10 seconds in between because I was just like this. So that felt like a step up. I got my SNL job. Okay. So that, how do you go from talking to Jessica Fletcher to get auditioning for SNL? Because I, that year, all those talented people that worked for SAC theater that also performed at Disney were great writers, great performers. And I, they had a theater and I would go and do characters at the theater sometimes on sketch night.

39:20I wasn't an improviser. I was, you know, I never really have had improv training ever in my life except theater. Sure. And every day at Disney. That's true. So I did these characters and then that got to SNL. Wow. And then I'm sitting in the dressing, I mean, green room with all the people that worked at Murder, She Wrote post-production. And I was sitting there waiting for the next, them to load the next audience. And everything was a corded phone, of course. And it was like, somebody's calling you. And I answered the phone. It was my local agent that I had done commercials for and stuff. And she was like, are you sitting down?

39:58And I said, yeah. And she said, Lauren Michaels wants you to come to New York and meet him. And I was like, what is it? Like, is it an audition? Because I mean, spent my whole life, you know, tape recording SNL, doing Roseanne, Roseanne Adana in high school for my school assemblies. Like I was so SNL. and they were like no it's not an audition and I was like what is it and I just got off the phone and they flew me there that week for two nights or one night and I just got there and was terrified and I went in he was like two hours late and I sat down with him and he started talking like we had been talking already like he started in the middle of a sentence like and that's why the show is uh you know a phoenix rising and this year we're gonna rise again and blah blah blah And I'm like rising above my body.

40:51And at one point I remember saying to him and Steve Higgins, I am a lot more boring here than I usually am. I just remembered like calling out cause I was so scared. And so, and he had already dissed my, you know, telling him I'm from Joliet. So I was a little off. You were basically hired without knowing and no one told you you were hired, which is what SNL does. So then they just said, I think, I think we, and then I left. Lauren notoriously does not hire or fire. And then I caught, and then they, you know, Steve Higgins was like, okay, we'll figure, you know, we'll call you. It has to be in about four days, five days.

41:29I went and gave my cats and my dog to my mom and dad. I ran and called, like, it was the most, I remember crying in a closet and calling my nieces and nephews and crying and being like, I don't, and they're like, can you take us to the opera? Like they didn't know New York City. Like it was so exciting, but it was terrifying. And I remember my mom just finally looking at me and going, what is the worst case scenario? And I'm like, I fail at a place that I've worshipped my whole life. And she's like, but then you do. And you had the experience. You got to go there. Wow, Paula. So they saw your characters and they were like, we want her as a writer.

42:04They didn't really make it clear why you were coming in, but you knew you were coming in for writing and not performing, but you were a performer. What is it like to like, and obviously you're a performer who's writing all the time. You're creating these characters, but back then, especially, I feel like the lines are way more blurred now. Yes. But when, when, when you get to SNL, you kind of get like put into a category and you were put into the writer category, even though you not, and, and you are this super strong performer who's been performing. Yes. So what was that adjustment like? Well, I don't want to assume, uh, you know, I've heard here and there little things and I, who knows?

42:42Cause we've all been in there when they're picking people and it's like so random. So I mean, not random, but like there's reasons that you don't think are the reasons and all this, but I do suspect that I was a big lady. I was a big plus size person. There wouldn't, there was, there was just not that in any TV, anything like there wasn't, you know there were starting to be Roseanne Barr like people that had more real looking bodies but I was just not of the aesthetic of that place whatsoever this was late 90s mid mid 90s so it was 95 and I just I do suspect that it wasn't even like oh no like but her writing like I like her writing because that fits with us did you ever talk to anyone at the show about that specifically or like, I mean, I, you know, I really was such a good Catholic girl of, of a rule follower when it comes to when, when, when a actor who, cause I had only acted, I got there and told them I'm not a writer.

43:48I, even though I'd written like short stories, I don't know how to do, I don't know how to do any of this. I really, I, I was so afraid to ever show any desire to perform. And it's why I'm so gloriously happy to be able to perform later in my life because I finally let that out of the cage of that shame. The shame. The shame and it also, the shame and the shine right next to each other. Yes. Oh, I like that. The shame and the shine. The shame and the shine because you might have been feeling that, right? Like, I just want to be grateful for what I have. But your shine just, without you even trying, like it could not be dimmed.

44:27like you there, you became the performer that you are now because it was such a strong, undeniable thing. People put you in sketches because they knew how funny you were. You were funny in the room. You just like without, to your point, you didn't say, fuck this. I'm not going to write. I only want this. You took the opportunity. You did an incredible job writing for other people and you slowly knew and believed in yourself and others saw what kind of performer you are. Well, I felt, I felt like everything, and it was, it was a bigger picture of codependency and caretaking that in my life, in my whole life, I was making the pie and then giving all the pie away.

45:15Okay. So for people who don't know, who are listening, and we talked about this a little bit with Anna and we've talked about it with Rachel and talked about with Tina and we talked about it with Seth and we talked about, but like Paula Pell has written some of your favorite sketches, including Bobby and Marty, the Culp's, including Debbie Downer, including the cheerleaders, including those actors. Of course, of course. But the actors get all the credit. They do. They always, it's like whoever's saying the lines, people assume that they've written the lines. And as we, I mean, people understand that there are writers on that show, but the public facing cast always gets the first kind of love, amount of love.

45:50Appalachian Emergency Room, Tony Bennett Talk Show, all this stuff. When you're writing, what was the first time you wrote something and you were there where that terror went away a little bit where you thought, okay, I might not get fired. Okay. Well, there's two kinds of terror because I was in that era of recurring characters and I was lucky enough to get in that first year with Will and Sherry for cheerleaders and with Anna and Will for Bobby and Marty. And they were so up my alley. I was the person that tried out every year for cheerleading, never, ever made it, worked on my back handsprings in the summer.

46:27And then I would, because I was fat and I would stand with holding everyone's purses during the basketball games. And I knew every cheer and all my friends were cheerleaders. Like all of them were on the squad. And then I'd be up there like a dance mom, like, but once again, matron at 12 going, you know, and gathering them around to talk to them about life. Do you need a cough drop? And so the idea of, I loved writing joyful losers. That was my favorite thing is someone who is joyfully living their life, what they want to do. And that, because when I read that journal, that's what I was, you know, I, I, I got a new, I got my rock tumbler and I have, I changed the grit and my amethyst is looking gorgeous.

47:10My God. And I was like a Victoria, like a crazy broad as this little person, like talking about what lights me up, my plants, my stuffed animals, all those things. And when I got there and met them, they were my people. Like I would cry laughing till five in the morning, writing those things with them. But the other thing you have to get there is to prove that you're actually good by yourself. And that is a terrifying thing because you can always hide behind those characters that once they're hit, you got that to ride on. It's the best thing ever. Right. And my very first one I remember was doing Wilford Brimley with John Goodman.

47:50And I wrote it. I used to do this thing where I was the last one almost always at writing night. Yeah, so Paula stayed the latest. So one night I wrote John Goodman as Wilford Brimley and he was on a fake horse. and because it always used to make me laugh when he was a big guy and he would, I mean, Wilford Brimley was a big guy, but then he'd do this commercial for this, this like health stuff. And he'd be like, I take care of my blood sugar. And I was like, no, you don't. And so I, I had him say like, you know, I take care of my blood sugar. Well, I don't. And it was just this slowly descending conversation in this commercial.

48:27And John was so funny, but it killed at the table. It absolutely killed. And it was the first time I could really look and go, I deserve to be here because I didn't feel like I deserve to be there. I didn't think, you know, I, and then if I was writing with other actors, it's like, yeah, but they're so funny and they're so good. And that was the first time I said, you are a writer. Like you sat down and you wrote words that no one else saw because they all went home and they could, they could read this. I mean, they, they read this and they laughed. How long did you write for SNL? I wrote full time for like 18 years.

49:06And then I started slow, you know, I did that slow exiting out where I did like, I came to Lauren and was like, I'm going to do half the season spread out. So I would do like one or two shows, then I would have a break for a while. It was really trying to get away from the tea. And he didn't want you to leave. It was slow. And Lauren, you know, one of the things I love the most about him is he, he doesn't want people to, he doesn't want his family to leave, you know? And then when you - Do you know that you are the longest tenured female writer in SNL history? Female. Oh yeah. Cause I was going to say James beat me by two years on the writing side, but yeah, female.

49:43Um, uh, that's, that's really nice. Isn't that cool? Why haven't I gotten a plaque for that? And before I get off SNL, um, two things. One is Debbie Downer. Yes. Most fun ever. I mean, that first Debbie Downer is, we've talked about the antidepressant of all antidepressants. I remember us all standing in one of the dressing rooms, just looking up at the screen and just, we could not believe. It was like a house of cards falling down, but it was the best house of cards. And we just wanted to go on and on and on. And I mean, you created a cultural language. Like people use the term Debbie Downer now as if it was It was on my soaps the other day, and I was like, good Lord.

50:25It was? Yeah. What soap are you watching right now? All the CBS soaps. Love them all. If you ever want me on there, I'd love to do an art. Paula, you should definitely be on a soap opera. Oh, God. That would be so fun. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That would be so fun. Okay. So we've worked together on so many things after SNL. We worked together on Sisters, an incredible movie that you wrote that is like kind of— And you guys were incredible in. And me and Tina got to play some versions of you and your sister and— And read my actual journal in a bathtub. They were in the bathtub reading pages from my actual journal.

50:55It was beautiful and so fun. And that shoot was so fun with Ike and John Cena, your buddy who loves John Cena. He loves you. I love John Cena. I know. I see him to this day. I have a couple ideas for John Cena I'm going to hit him up for. I have some. He is. He just. And that shoot was just. And Kate. There were so many fun people that came in on that. Diane Wiest and James Brolin. James Brolin playing my parents. And do you want to tell the story about when Barbara came by set? So my mom has lived to like worship Barbara Streisand her whole life. I took her to the millennial millennium concert that was supposed to be Barbara's last concert.

51:34And that was at the millennium. That was like 2000, whatever. Right. 2000. Right. Yeah. Yes. And I spent all this money to fly her to Vegas to go to that concert at like New Year's Eve. It was this huge surprise. And I took her. And then she comes to sisters, married to James Rowland. She comes to sisters the day before my parents came to set to visit from Florida. And if I would have known, I would have like immediately flown her there. But, you know, I sent pictures, which is like, great. She looks cute from this blurry picture. I don't know if you remember, my parents happened to be there. And in a different way, you're flying my parent, you're flying your parent, your mom out to Vegas.

52:14I'm always telling my parents, I'm not going to fly you out to Vegas. okay I'm doing the opposite. Vegas is their Streisand? Well they're always like why don't you take me to the Academy Awards and I'm like relax. Right. So my parents arrived on the set and my mom's like oh James Berlin is here I wonder if Barbara Streisand is going to show up and I go Barbara Streisand is not going to come to our set mom give it a break like let it go and she just came to visit. She is and she was the cutest. So cute. So cute and I just remember whenever I would get up to go to anything she go are you going to the you go into the craft services she could just give me a little plate of something just give me just give me a little something i don't care what it's just a little something and i'm like that's fucking power straight i mean a star is born with christopherson and her is like i know every moment of that movie i used to lay on the shag carpeting and ball and sing to that movie and not ball sexually like ball yeah b-a-w-l um but we've worked together on Wine Country, on Parks and Rec, on Sisters.

53:19You have been more and more, like you said, in front of the camera. You got a new show on Pica called The Burbs. Yes. So excited. Yes. Which looks so fun. So fun and creepy. Tell me, like what, you love to be part of an ensemble. I mean, you are a leading lady in every way, but you also love that juicy ensemble thing. And Kiki Palmer. Kiki Palmer leads the pack. Oh, Julia Duffy, Mark Proach, Kapil Tallwalker and Jack Whitehall, who is also in the movie. I'm sure we're shooting that Janine and I wrote and they are so funny and so weird. Like their characters have so many twisty, weird secrets. I've never done this kind of genre.

54:03I've never done a mystery, murdery, like some things are serious. Some things are funny, you know, because that we grew up with. comedy or drama. You know, you were either watching ER or you were watching, there was no like in between. Can we talk about Kiki for a second? So unbelievable. We just did the press press for it and the premiere for it. And she can just, she can just lead anything and just be the kindest, funniest, most energetic. And then she's like in hair and makeup, getting like elaborate stuff done while she's doing like a podcast thing. Also talking to a choreographer for about a music choreography for the music video she's doing for her album that's coming out the next week.

54:49Like, I would just look at her and go like, I get exhausted. And a two-year-old child. I know. She's a pro. She's so great. I was getting my hair blown out a couple weeks ago, and I just looked up at the TV, and they play the movies on the screen at the hair place, and it was her and Akilah and the Bee. and she just had little braces. And she was such a great actor. I was just watching her do this whole monologue and I'm like, oh my God, she was just cooked when she was born. Like it was just, came out cooked. I don't want to skip over the fact that you were getting your hair blown out because I would say that next to Tina Fey, and not a competition, but I'd love to have you both in here and we can touch your hair.

55:32You have the best hair. You have incredible hair. Thank you very much. People should know this is all your hair. It's all my hair. I took very good care of my hair because when I was plus size and in that era, this is not like a pathetic fact. It's a true fact. If you had good hair, it was like something that you could use because there were there was no good clothes. It was like big shirts and leggings. That was all you had. Right. When I was young, all the pictures of me, if I ever felt good about how I looked, it was always just right right here. Yeah. Because everything else I wanted to forget about.

56:07What is your relationship now to neck down? It's good. I lost some weight this year for health reasons, a little bit like 25 pounds. And it made me feel a lot better because I have knee replacements. So it was much better for that. But I lost close to 100 pounds three 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. I would go into that cycle of like suddenly people want to talk to me because I'm skinny and pretty looking.

56:43And then like and I'm not funny. I was not funny at all when I was skinny. Right. And so that's the only reason that I eat cream cheese on Pop-Tarts now to stay funny. But but now I feel like. I mean, well, I think you speak to you're speaking to a lot of people who are listening, who understand and you're really honest and very compassionate about how that can be a lifelong struggle. And 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 want to live a long life.

57:30And so I'm now. It's not about, because I have a younger wife. She's 22. She's 42. Gorgeous, sexy wife. And you're so in love. Janine Brito, a hilarious writer, actress. Incredible writer, incredible person, incredible performer. I mean, Paula, your relationship, for most of us that know you, felt like not only a miracle to come into your life, but just like aspirational for us to think about wanting to have a partner. It was a miracle, and it taught me truly to stop always, you know, not believing that the happy ending can happen. And that's why I'm—the world is dark right now, And I still, no matter how sad it makes me, I wake up and I go, it will right itself.

58:14It will right itself. Because that's the nature of life. You look at nature doing it. You know, there's a disaster. And then there's the green coming up. And I really do believe that. And that I saw it in real time with finding her. Well, when we were trying to figure out who to talk to about this podcast, who we should have talked to about Paula. Is it Michelle Obama? Close. Um, but no, but we were like, we, we have so many, I want you to know, I know you know this, but I just want to say out loud, like I can think of a dozen people that would in five minutes notice, get on a zoom to talk to me about you, but we decided to go with your newest best friend.

58:56And that was Kim Kardashian.

59:01I'm the new spokesperson for Skims. She, she's size inclusive. She is. She really is a sweetheart. boy what a drawing the hell out of her i know and i really wanted to talk to kim because two things i don't know kim but i her wanting to talk to us about you i was like i love this lady because people who love paula and people i'm speaking about you in the third person people who love you and know the how funny and talented you are to me i'm like okay that's that's a smart person who's paying attention. That's a smart part. And I remember you saying that you worked with her. You started to work with her and her mom and you were like, she's really fun and easy to work with.

59:45You guys are doing a movie together. We're doing a movie together. We're mid-shoot. We're like about two weeks in and it's with a bunch of other comedy. It's a bunch of comedy ladies that we all know and love. Fortune Feimster, Nikki Glaser, Casey Wilson, Brenda Song. and she is so blending in with them in this group. And just her existing was like an inspiration for it because we knew that she wanted to do this kind of idea. And we were like, what would if Kim was just a normal person with a normal life and normal, you know, living situation, and she was around girls that she grew up with, like what would be that thing?

1:00:34And anyone I talked to, including Lorne Michaels, when she hosted, we're like, she's really nice. You know, there's the fame is always equated with someone's an asshole. Right. And that is often true. Often true. And our next episode, which is only available on another website, the two of us will list those to you. But what I love the most about her is she's an extremely kind, gentle person, really doing a great job playing her part. What I love the most about her after all those years at SNL, having all those hosts, is that she is always aware of what she's really good at and what she wants you to be great at that she knows you're good at.

1:01:22That's a good skill. And it's like, let's meet, let's meet and do something fun. And that is so valuable to me at this age because I just can't be with people that think they can do my job better than me. Oh, Paula, say it again. I can't do it. Say, Paula. I cannot be with people. I'm going to put the chair around while you say it. Say it again. I cannot. Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo. No, I cannot be with people who think they can do a better job than I can in the situation that we're doing right then. Now, they might be just as good at something that I'm doing. I'm not saying I'm better than them. But when people come in, when a host would come in and they have never written something in their life and they're telling you how to write the sketch.

1:02:07I have done that so many times in my life with people and I'm so spiritually exhausted with it. And the first time we met with her, Janine and I wrote this movie together. We came up with it together, drinking, eating soup on a winter day. And Janine and I just started like spinning it like, wait, what if this? And what if this? And then we really loved it because it had a lot of heart and it was about female friendship. And it was we're like, oh, my God, I love this. We ended up like Zooming with her. She came there. I thought she'd have like an entourage of people with her on the Zoom, a lot of squares.

1:02:41It was just one square of beautiful Kim Kardashian just going, hey, guys, you know, just being a lovely person. And she's been so great on the set. We have had so much fun. You're absolutely right. People who know what they're good at and also like working with people who are good at what they do. That is a skill. And also, you know, it is when we were talking to her, one of the questions she has, which is such a sweet question, is also told me a lot about maybe what I sometimes forget or hopefully don't take for granted, but sometimes do, which is she was basically saying, do you think Paula is feeling the magic, the sparkly magic of what we have like I am?

1:03:26you know it was basically like I'm and she basically said I'm having such a good time I'm like I can't believe I'm there I'm a I'm new to doing comedy but I've loved it forever and I'm having fun is Paula having fun like it was such a sweet question and the answer is hell yeah and I am in a no asshole zone of joy now this is our only weapon is joy that's the only thing we can do know. Okay. And so the other question that Kim had was who is someone that you like, you like, you know, is so hilarious that you can't barely get through a scene with them. Like who really tickles you? I like that old time.

1:04:05Yeah. True classic, like without the meanness under it. Well, I feel like I saw you do versions of that all the time. And what comes to mind is especially in Lauren's office where we would have this big meeting where between dress and air or after a read through where all of us would be packed in and Paula would come in and you just do some version of that with Lauren. And he would, he would just, he, he's kind of a quiet laugher. He would laugh like this. And you don't see Lauren laughing at, I mean, when you're in comedy, you almost can't laugh anymore. You're tired of it. And no one would make him laugh harder than you.

1:04:43And Paula would you put two oranges in your bra yes I would always but he had oranges always in a bowl that is little tangerines and I would always put oranges in my bra or I would um I've done a lot of things and there's a picture in Lauren's office yes would you want to describe what that picture is it's my 1980s headshot and I think it's one of the times that I lost a lot of weight and it's just that dreamy it almost looks like a 80s soap soap star it is very soap and I have my hair flipped and I have a very metallic, almost like alligator print, like, which now would probably be a, like a beautiful outfit and cause everything has come back, but it's very eighties.

1:05:24And I gave it to him. I framed it in a very heavy, like crystal frame. And I wrote on it, I'll never forget our time in San Tropez. And it's just this woman heavily filtered looking off and he has it over by when everyone's sitting there picking the show. It really does look like his old lover. It looks a little like a corpse. It's just like this. But when you're new to the show and Paula would do that, it was like watching. I mean. It was like it's like watching. How would I how do I describe this? It was like. Honestly, it was thrilling. It honestly was thrilling to watch a woman come in and just make the big honcho laugh.

1:06:14It honestly, Paula, it made you feel like, oh, maybe he will think I'm funny. Like it, you being fearless in those moments and earning all of the laughs and being the funniest made everybody else feel like, oh, there might be room for me here. Like there might be space for me here. I mean, if I analyzed it, I probably was always trying to get him to know that I was performatively funny because that was something I hid. Sure. And so for years, it was very painful for me to be in rooms and just be very serious with him. And while we worked on that and I put the joke in, okay, great. Thanks. Thanks, Lauren.

1:06:52And just walking out, always very contained. And once I broke through that with him, I felt much better about that. You know what? I didn't get to be in the cast here, but like I, he knows that I'm a funny person. It's really interesting. As we started this interview, like Midwestern girl doing the right thing, you broke, you keep breaking social protocol and you did it in that office at a time when we were all watching. You really did keep breaking barriers for us that didn't make it feel really safer and safer for us in every way. And you still do that. I hope so, because now it feels so much better.

1:07:30And I mean, all of it is some, some's worse, some's better. But I do feel like in comedy, the women in rooms, when I go to SNL now and I see the writing staff, I'm like, oh my God, it's so much more diverse. And like, there's queer people and thank God, like, it just makes you feel so much better. And, and, and one last thing I just want to say about who makes me laugh is Janine is one of those people that I never thought in a million years I would ever be with a comedy person. My ex was not a comedy person, lovely person and funny, but like not by trade. But she makes me laugh in that stealthy way that I enjoy so much.

1:08:11I mean, the two of you guys are so matched comedically. I've never, I've never, because sometimes, you know, like people are like, my partner is so funny and you're like, when? now we are at three hours okay as you requested yes so i have two last quick questions for you um one is how are the dogs the dogs are great i haven't seen them in a month and a half janine just went home to see them um we have a uh an old donkey a very big white horse that i used to ride verbena and uh five dogs one in a wheel cart and um who hauls ass little tiny uh paralyzed dog and three cats. And they're all... Two snakes.

1:08:52I'm not done. Two snakes? I was like, when did you get those snakes? I can't get other classes of animals because they'll start eating each other. Reptiles are a whole thing. Well, I couldn't feed them the live animals. Exactly. You have to start... And birds, I hate cages. I love birds, but unless I can afford someday an aviary of rescue birds where I can walk in and they can all land on me like snow white. And you don't want something that's going to outlive you. Like a parrot will outlive you. That's true. Well, our donkey could live to be like 50. He's old. He's older now. But like I we we were like our old horse.

1:09:26We're like, let's get her. She lost her partner horse. Let's get her a little donkey. We'll adopt an old older donkey. And then the donkey is like 18. How long do they 50 years? Oh, 50 years. We get the rescue old dogs all the time. And they'll call and they'll go, you know, we did bring her to the cardiologist. and Noni is, you know, Nino is actually going to probably not make it for a few weeks. Do you still want him? Of course we want him. A thousand good days in one day. Like, let's just give him a great end of his life. He lives like seven years. Because it's too much love. Lots of expensive medications.

1:10:00Too much love. Too much love and medication, which is the name of my book. Too much love. And then the last thing is, I want to find a public domain song that we can harmonize to. Yes. Because you're so good at it. Okay. Oh my God, I love it. What's a good public domain song? Let's see. That we don't have to. Is Amazing Grace? Yes, it is. Amazing Grace. Okay. I have a good one at that. Okay, Paula. Good harmony. But that's a high. Amazing Grace. What one should I sing? I'll do the higher. So you just sing the melody.

1:10:36Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

1:11:02I once was lost But now I am found Was blind But now I see

1:11:32What is great? That was so good! We did not rehearse that. We did not. It's not public domain. Great, it's getting cut. What is it? It costs$150 ,000? Okay, great. We're going to cut it. I will put$20 towards it. Paula, I love you so much. Thank you. I love you so much. I love the show. Thank you so much for doing this. It's such an honor to be at the table with you. Are you kidding, Paula? Are you the best in the biz? At the beige table. This is like, I love watching this and hearing it. It's a very expensive table. It's a big honor. It's a big honor. Paula, I love you so much. Thank you. I love you so much.

1:12:09Paula Pell, you're just so fun to be around. Thank you for doing that. And, you know, for this polar plunge, there's just so many things that Paula mentioned that she wrote on great sketches that you should check out at SNL if you're looking to laugh. But but I want to remind you about a little YouTube show that she did. Not little big, a big YouTube show called Hudson Valley Ballers that her and James Anderson, another writer at SNL who was mentioned in this interview, worked on. And Paula and James just play two jerks, two funny, lovable jerks who live in the Hudson Valley. And there's a lot of really funny cameos.

1:12:54Stupid people being with other stupid people doing stupid things. So check out Hudson Valley Ballers if you haven't checked that out. And check out Paula on the Burbs. And keep listening to Good Hang. We love that you're here. Thanks for being here. And see you soon. Bye. you've been listening to Good Hang the executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman and me Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paper Kite. For The Ringer production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane Kaya McMullen and Alaya Zanaris for Paper Kite production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell and Jenna Weiss-Berman.

1:13:29Original music by Amy Miles

1:13:37Turn it up. Storm has zero sugar and 200 milligrams of caffeine. So you can turn that workout up a notch. Good energy in, good energy out. Energy for life.