Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

by Molly Shannon

NOW, THIRTY YEARS LATER, that’s still my spiritual/business philosophy. Struggle itself is meaningful. You never know where anything is going to go. You don’t know.

Chris always kneeled down and prayed before every show. He was a Catholic like us. Erin Maroney, one of the writers, used to say that Lorne loved Irish Catholics. Conan O’Brien, Colin Jost, Chris Farley, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Sweeney, Colin Quinn, Kevin Nealon, Tim Herlihy, John Mulaney . . . The list goes on and on.

Brian said, “Our goal was to keep you in one piece and to protect Molly Shannon from Mary Katherine Gallagher. You were a meal ticket for everyone. OMG, I was worried about you getting hurt in any capacity. You were the crown jewel.”

BRIAN LIKED TO SAY about stuntwomen: “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did—backwards and in six-inch heels.”

I decided to treat the show as a creative-arts comedy camp. A writing and performing boot camp—the best one imaginable.

It’s good to be responsible, but there’s no point in being so stressed that you can’t adjust or bend the rules a little when necessary. Particularly when dealing with your kids. I’d rather send them to school happy and relaxed than send them to school when they aren’t quite ready.