Julia Louis-Dreyfus Recalls “Excruciating” First ‘SNL’ Moment That Left Her Humiliated

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Recalls “Excruciating” First ‘SNL’ Moment That Left Her Humiliated

As a fan, I can’t help but admire Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ resilience and grace in the face of adversity, especially when recalling her humbling experience during her early days at Saturday Night Live. The image of her standing tall amidst the fluorescent lights of 30 Rock, a complete unknown facing a room full of cynical cast members and writers, is a testament to her tenacity and determination.


Julia Louis-Dreyfus is remembering an embarrassing incident that occurred during her initial years with Saturday Night Live.

Actress and comedian from Veep recalled her initial journey in Hollywood on a recent episode of Lemonada Media’s Wiser Than Me podcast, discussing an early incident with a comedy sketch show that didn’t quite go according to plan.

She shared that her early career began with being in the Practical Theater group based in Chicago. Impressed by our show, the team behind Saturday Night Live visited and were captivated, ultimately inviting us all to join them in New York City as part of SNL.

Back then, Louis-Dreyfus explained that she and three other novices were asked to perform the opening act of the show in the SNL office “under harsh fluorescent lights during the day, in front of about 20 skeptical, unfriendly Saturday Night Live cast members and writers. They had a grudge against us because their friends, who happened to be some of the best, were recently let go to make way for us.

From the start, our attempts failed miserably. The sketches that had been successful in Chicago suffered a devastating end that day, a painful ordeal indeed. It was agonizing,” the former Seinfeld star went on to say. “I believe that experience left us humiliated, and it affected our Saturday Night Live performances for several years afterwards. … I’ve learned many valuable lessons since that mortifying moment in an office on the 17th floor of 30 Rock.

From 1982 to 1985, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was a cast member on Saturday Night Live, alongside notable performers like Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Jim Belushi, and Brad Hall. In addition, she tied the knot with Brad Hall later on. Over the years, she has had the honor of hosting SNL on three separate occasions.

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2024-10-31 04:54