Paula Pell, a longtime writer for “Saturday Night Live,” believes she was not cast on the show because she is a “large plus-size person.”
The 63-year-old shared her theory on Tuesday’s episode of “SNL” alum Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast.
“I don’t want to assume, but I’ve heard little things here and there,” she told listeners.
“And no one knows, because we’ve all been there when people pick people, and it’s so random,” she added. “So, it’s not a coincidence, but there’s a reason for all of this that you might not think.
“But I suspect[it’s because]I was a great woman,” Pell continued. “I was a big plus-size person.”
The comedian said that when he joined “SNL” in 1995, “there was absolutely nothing like that (representation) on any TV.”
“People were starting to appear with bodies that looked more authentic, like Roseanne Barr, but I just wasn’t interested in the aesthetics of the place,” she said.
When Poehler asked the Emmy winner if he “spoke specifically to anyone on the show about it,” Pell replied, “I was a really, really good Catholic, rule-abiding kid. … I was very scared to show any desire to perform.”
Representatives for NBC did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Notably, Pell did not audition for “SNL,” but instead received a call to meet with the show’s creator and executive producer, Lorne Michaels.
She was working at Disney World at the time and flew to New York City for a meeting.
“When I got there, (I) felt scared,” Pell recalled Wednesday. “He came in about two hours late, so I sat down with him and he started speaking as if he had already spoken. He started mid-sentence.”
Pell joked that he didn’t get a formal job offer from Michaels, but somehow ended up on his writing staff.
Before joining the behind-the-scenes of “SNL,” Pell was “not a writer” and only had some comedy experience doing live performances at theme parks and theaters.
“I had written short stories before, but I had no idea how to do it,” she said of writing for the NBC show.
But Pell worked on “SNL” from 1995 to 2013, creating some of its most popular characters and sketches, as well as making occasional cameo appearances.
She has also worked as a screenwriter on several major projects, including Bridesmaids and Kim Kardashian’s new film The 5th Wheel.
Pell pursued her original dream of acting after “SNL,” landing roles on shows from “30 Rock” to “Girls5eva.” She currently stars in Peacock’s series “The ‘Burbs.”
“That’s why I couldn’t be happier to be performing this late in my life, because I’m finally free from the cage,” she enthuses on “Good Hang.”
