Molly Shannon returns to Conan O'Brien's podcast to discuss her new Netflix show with Will Ferrell, their 30-year friendship that started at a coffee shop across from the Groundlings, and her wild upbringing with a father who encouraged cheating and shoplifting as 'street smarts' while being deeply Catholic — before admitting on his deathbed that he was 'most definitely' gay.
Key Moments
Molly Shannon
“I would throw myself into a pile of nails if I thought people would laugh.”
Molly explaining her reckless physical comedy as Mary Katherine Gallagher on SNL, crashing into real classroom chairs.
“He would say if I had a big exam and I was stressed out in high school, he would say, 'Can't you get a call in sick and get a copy of the test so you can go in the next day?'”
Molly describing her father's philosophy of street smarts over schoolwork, encouraging her to cheat on exams.
“I would drive to Ontario, California, and I would go to the Wilford Academy School of Beauty and let the young students do my hair, and I would get breakfast at Molly's, and then I would feel better.”
Molly describing her remedy for depression while struggling as an actress in early LA — cheap ways to change your atmosphere.
Molly Shannon is a comedian and actress best known as a longtime cast member on Saturday Night Live, where she created iconic characters like Mary Katherine Gallagher. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows over her decades-long career. In 2026, she stars alongside Will Ferrell in the new Netflix comedy series The Hawk.
Takeaways
1
Cheap environmental change beats expensive self-help When Molly felt depressed struggling as an actress in LA, she drove to Ontario, got a student haircut at a beauty school, and ate breakfast at a diner — and it worked. The insight: novelty and atmosphere shifts don't need to be big or costly, they just need to be genuinely different from your current rut.
2
Repressed identity distorts values in complex ways Molly's father was devoutly Catholic about premarital sex and marriage, yet casually encouraged his children to cheat, steal wigs, and sneak into amusement parks. Near death, he admitted he was 'most definitely' gay — suggesting his rigid religious morality coexisted with, and was possibly shaped by, a lifetime of suppressing his true identity.
3
Adrenaline from laughter physically suppresses pain Both Conan and Molly independently describe performing physical comedy — crashing into chairs, jumping on water buffalos — without feeling pain in the moment, only discovering bruises and injuries the next day. The audience's laughter provided enough adrenaline to override the pain response entirely.
4
Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon's chemistry predates SNL Their on-screen rapport in the new Netflix series The Hawk is rooted in a 30-year friendship that began when a mutual friend introduced them at the Melrose Baking Company coffee shop, across the street from the Groundlings. Molly got on SNL first; Will followed shortly after, and they clicked immediately.