SNL has had amazing, hilarious female comedians for decades, but for the last couple of years, you and Tina Fey were practically headlining the show. Do you think you represented a turning point for female comedians on the show? 
I have to say, women were a huge presence on the show for years. It certainly didn’t start when Tina and I got there, and it certainly won’t end when we leave. Lorne Michaels has done more for women in comedy than anyone I know. Gender can kind of make you special, but at the end of the day it’s about, “Are you making people laugh? Are you producing stuff that the audience is responding to?” It’s very egalitarian in many ways. Everybody gets the same length of rope to climb up or to hang themselves with. I’m not dismissing that there are certain things that you kind of have to bump up against as a woman in comedy, but, frankly, it’s like, Who cares? Everybody’s got their shit: you’re fat, or you’re tall, or you’re black, or you’re a lady, or you’re a good-looking guy, or you’re a skinny, non-good-looking guy. Everybody has their thing and they have to figure it out, and every actor wants to feel like they’re not limited to that thing.

refresh askbox archive theme