Ashley Padilla may be known as Saturday Night Live’s breakout star now, but the comedian initially thought she’d been rejected from the cast.
Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday, the 32-year-old told how she believed she hadn’t made the cut after a meeting with SNL mastermind Lorne Michaels.
Meyers asked about Padilla’s meeting with the SNL creator, saying, “I was also delighted to hear that you had a similar experience with Lorne that I had,” he said. “Based on the meeting, you thought you had officially not been hired.”
Padilla confirmed the story, recounting her interview with Michaels in which he told her, “There’s really no room for you in the cast.”
She then went for drinks with other people who were testing for the role. Padilla was sure it was over—until a producer called her 30 minutes later, telling her she was in.
“I was like, ‘Are you sure?’” Padilla said, laughing.
Meyers, 51, also got his big break on SNL, joining the cast from 2001 until his departure in 2014. He joked about Michaels, saying, “I think he’s really worried someone’s gonna hug him.”
Padilla was cast on the show’s 50th season in 2024, alongside two other fresh faces, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline. Before joining SNL, she made appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm and NBC’s Night Court.
Padilla admitted she was scared to try out for the SNL gig at all, in an interview with Glamour last week.
“I had always been a little hesitant to audition because I think deep down I probably just felt terrified. I would see the show and be like, ‘Well, there’s no way I can do that. Look at that,’” she said.
After her audition and her meeting with Lornes—which turned out to be successful—she moved to New York in just a few days. Now, Padilla is a fixture on the show and has quickly become a fan favorite.
