Amy Poehler finished her Saturday Night Live tenure as one of the show's all-time greats. During that final year in Studio 8H, Poehler delivered her favorite SNL sketch of all time.
Poehler joined SNL in 2001 after making a name for herself through Upright Citizens Brigade and appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She quickly established herself as a versatile performer, capable of impressions, absurd characters, and physical comedy.
That appreciation for physical comedy was behind "I'm No Angel," the sketch Poehler told The Ringer is her all-time favorite sketch. It came during the 2008-2009 season, Poehler's last.
Poehler conceived of the sketch with longtime collaborator and SNL writer Emily Spivey. Both Poehler and Spivey were pregnant at the time and were already looking for an excuse to work the song "I'm No Angel" into a sketch.
"There’s something about that sketch that I love so much because it was our senior year," Poehler told The Ringer. "It’s kind of like we had senioritis. We were both pregnant. We were both on our way out. We really didn’t give two Fs about a lot of stuff, in a good way."
Poehler also may have been making Saturday Night Live history in the process. Few cast members have been pregnant on the show in the way Poehler was, nearing her due date.
"I don’t know if anyone’s ever done, on the show anyway, actual physical comedy with their own pregnant belly," Poehler said. "We had breakaway bottles, and I just kept walking past people’s tables and knocking things over. It’s really fun when you’re pregnant. You’re so used to taking up a certain amount of space, and then you just really do bump into things a lot."
The episode was memorable for more than just the "I'm No Angel" sketch. Sarah Palin made a cameo during "Weekend Update" as Poehler rapped about her life. Plus, there was an ambulance on stand by just in case Poehler went into labor.
She gave birth to her first son on October 25, 2008, just seven days after this sketch aired on Saturday Night Live. Poehler effectively left SNL after the show, save for special appearances to close out the season.
The sketch isn't easy to track down online. It's likely that the song rights made it too expensive for NBC and Saturday Night Live to share. But if you're like Poehler, it's not a sketch you'll ever forget.