Ana Gasteyer reflected on her six‑year run at Saturday Night Live with a mix of pride and lingering regret.
The American Auto star shared on her recent appearance on Good Hang podcast her biggest disappointment was never fully allowing herself to enjoy the moment while performing on the iconic stage.
“My greatest regret about this show, not that you would go back in time, is that I never settled into it and enjoyed it because I was always so aware of the time and of running down the clock,” Gasteyer told her former costar Amy Poehler.
She explained that the tight scheduling of live tapings often left her anxious about sketches being cut if they ran long.
Between 1996 and 2002, Gasteyer shared the stage with big names in comedy including Poehler, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, and Molly Shannon.
With so much talent competing for airtime, she often felt pressured to “keep it moving” rather than savour the experience.
Her return for SNL50 gave her a chance to rewrite that narrative.
Performing as fan‑favorite character Bobbi Mohan‑Culp alongside Ferrell, she took her time with the audience, even stretching a bit longer than usual.
“I was like, I’m going to keep going until they settle. I’m not going to worry about it,” she recalled, noting that the streaming format allowed her more freedom than the rigid timing of Studio 8H.
