NBC Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
NBC Insider Late Night

Amy Poehler on Her January 1 Ritual: "It Gets My Head Straight for the Year Ahead"

The Parks and Rec star shared what she'd be doing to ring in 2025 on Josh and Seth Meyers' Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers podcast.

By Christopher Rudolph

For many, New Year's is a time for fresh starts, and new beginnings. For Amy Poehler, it means taking the Poehler Polar Plunge.

How to Watch

Watch Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC weeknights at 12:35/11:35c and next day on Peacock.  

On the December 24 episode of the Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers podcast, Hosts Seth Meyers and his brother Josh Meyers had a "holiday hangout" with actors Timothy Olyphant and Ike Barinholtz. But in addition to the funny foursome, the episode also featured an appearance from a surprise guest: Amy Poehler.

RELATED: Seth Meyers' Family Hilariously Details His Brother Josh Meyers' Wedding with Photos

The Parks and Recreation star popped in with a video message, in which she was prompted to tell a story about childhood holiday trips. Because her family skipped Christmastime travel to stay in the Boston area, Poehler decided to focus on another kind of trip she's been taking in recent years: the annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge in Brooklyn's Coney Island.

"A holiday ritual that I've started as an adult — that I hope to continue — is the New Year's Day Polar Plunge. And I don't do it just because it's my last name," Poehler said in her video.

Amy Poehler told Seth Meyers she'd be taking the New Year's Day Polar Plunge in 2025 too

"I do it because I feel like the cold waters cleanse me of my previous year's sins, and get my head straight for what's ahead," Poehler told Seth Meyers and Josh Meyers. "So I go to Coney Island, I jump in the water with the rest of the crazy people. I'm going to be doing that again this year, Jan. 1." Guess we know where Poehler was on the first day of 2025.

Amy Poehler, wearing a white blazer, smiles at the camera at an event.

"So that is it's not really a trip, I mean I guess it's a trip in it takes your mind to crazy places... kind of an existential trip," she mused.

RELATED: Amy Poehler Shares the Best Books She Read in 2024

A Pawnee Polar Plunge sounds like a lost Parks and Rec episode — though we're not sure if Leslie Knope would approve.

RELATED: SNL Shares Famous Cast Alumni Auditions in New 50th Anniversary Special Promo: Watch

When does the Polar Bear Plunge happen?

The Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge — where thousands take a dip in the freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean — happens every year on January 1 in Coney Island, Brooklyn, The 2025 Plunge was the 122nd year of the tradition. Proceeds from the New Year’s Day Plunge go to various Coney Island nonprofit organizations.

Polar Plunges take place across the U.S. during the winter, however. The largest Polar Plunge happens in Sandy Point State Park in Maryland, which will be held this year on February 1, 2025.