It didn’t take long for Ashley Padilla to become one of the breakout stars of Saturday Night Live season 51. By the end of the year, fans online weren’t just praising the second-year cast member, but many were openly calling her the MVP of the season. Now, Padilla is reacting to all the attention that came with her rapid rise.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter as part of the Comedy Actress Roundtable, Padilla addressed the online praise for her performances, the pressure of joining one of television’s most notoriously competitive environments, and why she never really viewed Saturday Night Live that way in the first place.
“It’s funny, because I do not see the show as competitive,” Padilla said. “That sounds so silly to people. It almost feels disrespectful to people. I remember someone saying to me, ‘There are sharks in the water there.’ That was what I was going into. But I see it as a collaborative place to be funny with wonderful friends.”
Over 50 years, Saturday Night Live developed a reputation as a competitive, cutthroat environment. Writers and performers alike fought to get their material on the air, knowing that there was always someone else waiting in the wings for a chance to shine.
In the documentary SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, Tina Fey described how combative things could get. She revealed that writers routinely talked about each other behind their backs and ripped competiting material apart at readthroughs and rewrites.
Fey also suggested things are different now. And Padilla's comments seem to back that up. “And if your thing gets on, that’s awesome,” she explained. “If not, you’ve got to help your teammates and their sketch. You’ll try again next week.”
While Fey and plenty of former cast members have described SNL as an intense fight for airtime, Padilla framed the experience much differently. For her, it's a collaborative environment built around making each other funnier.
And nobody was funnier in season 51 than Padilla. She consistently popped up in sketches that became fan favorites, whether she was leading the scene or simply elevating it with a memorable reaction or line delivery. Fans quickly noticed how frequently she appeared throughout episodes, with social media users regularly tracking her screen time and praising how she consistently delivered laughs.
Her background likely played a major role in helping her adjust so seamlessly. Before joining SNL, Padilla developed her skills at The Groundlings, the legendary Los Angeles improv and sketch comedy theater that has been a pipeline of SNL talent. Unlike stand-ups who may arrive at the show primarily as performers, Padilla came in with extensive sketch-writing experience and an understanding of ensemble comedy.
“At the Groundlings, you have to write for yourself to get on that stage,” Padilla said. “So, I had that tool with me going in.” Sketch performers who can both pitch strong ideas and contribute to other people’s material are indispensable at SNL. Padilla quickly developed a reputation among fans as someone capable of improving sketches even when she wasn’t the centerpiece.
Even so, Padilla admitted the online reaction to her breakout season still feels strange. “The online stuff is surreal to me,” she said.
Going into season 52, it's a lock that Padilla will be upgraded from featured to repertory player. And if Saturday Night Live experiences another extensive cast shake-up, then the spotlight on Padilla will only get bigger. The good news is that she's more than capable of stepping up, and fans know they can expect more greatness from season 51's MVP.
Add us as a preferred source on Google