Inside Story

Amy Poehler Reflects on SNL Regrets: “I Did Know, and I Didn’t Know” Amy Poehler Reflects on SNL Regrets: “I Did Know, and I Didn’t Know”

Amy Poehler is looking back on her time at Saturday Night Live with a more critical lens. During a candid conversation with former castmate Will Forte on their Good Hang podcast, Poehler admitted that some of the characters she portrayed on the show haven’t aged well—and that she bears responsibility for them.

“The part about getting older and being in comedy is you realize everything has an expiration date,” Poehler shared, echoing Forte’s acknowledgment that many past sketches prioritized laughs over sensitivity.

Referencing the SNL50: The Anniversary Special’s “In Memoriam” montage—which highlighted controversial moments in the show’s history—Poehler said she was struck by how many missteps they collectively made. “We all played people we should not have played,” she admitted. “I misappropriated. I appropriated. I didn’t know. I did know.”

The montage blurred faces but included clips of performers in racially insensitive makeup and roles that crossed ethical lines. Poehler has previously portrayed figures like Michael Jackson and Kim Jong-il—choices that, today, she views with remorse.

Still, she emphasizes growth: “The best thing you can do is make repair, learn from your mistakes, do better—that’s all you can do.”

Her reflection echoes a broader reckoning within the comedy world, as past norms face overdue scrutiny.


Photo Credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com