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SNL Legend Paula Pell's "Abducted" Bit Is Making the Internet Laugh Hysterically
The Girls5Eva star had Paul Rudd cracking up at her hilarious "human tricks" in a classic Late Night with Seth Meyers appearance.
For decades, Girls5Eva star Paula Pell has been one of comedy's best-kept secrets—and if you know, you know. During her 18-year run as a Saturday Night Live writer from 1995-2013, Pell helped create some of the most iconic characters in the show's history — including the Spartan Cheerleaders, Gilly, and Debbie Downer, just to name a few. Pell also wrote the film Sisters, starring her frequent collaborators Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Pell's returned to SNL intermittently since 2013, most recently to write on on Kristen Wiig's April 6 episode and help induct Wiig into the Five-Timers Club. In December 2023, she also made a cameo in the "Tampon Farm" musical sketch featuring Kate McKinnon, Billie Eilish, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph.
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In recent years, Pell's stepped in front of the camera more, gaining fans with her work on Wine Country, A.P. Bio, and Girls5eva. With more people falling in love with Pell every day, her hilarity is being rediscovered online — including a July 2015 Late Night with Seth Meyers interview where she showed off some of her unusual talents. One trick in particular had Paul Rudd, and now, the internet, cracking up.
Paula Pell's classic Late Night with Seth Meyers "abduction" is unbelievably hilarious
When Pell and her fellow SNL writer James Anderson visited to promote their web series, Hudson Valley Ballers, Seth Meyers shifted into "proud parent" mode. The Host and former SNL cast member wanted Pell to share her unique talents with viewers.
"Paula, you have some human tricks that I think it's time for the world to see," the Late Night Host said around the two-minute mark of the interview, asking her to perform her famous fake sneeze. Pell also showed off her ability to "beep" herself, making it look like she was telling off fellow guest Paul Rudd in an expletive-filled tirade.
But it was Pell's impression of "getting abducted from the doorway" that's currently making the rounds on social media — watch it below.
"One of my comedy idols Paula Pell is having a moment with Girls5Eva, so it’s important we revisit this incredible bit," writer Bec Shaw captioned a clip of the bit on X (formerly Twitter), posted April 22.
As Rudd, Anderson, and Meyers looked on, Pell walked over to the wall behind Meyers' desk. Peering out, she acted unsettled and scared as she described seeing someone else in her bathroom stall backstage. Pell then "abducts herself" in a feat of physical comedy that needs to be seen to be believed.
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The clip's resurgence has made way for lots of Paula Pell love on X, welcoming new members to her unofficial fan club.
"Paula is top 10 nicest, funniest people I’ve ever met," comedian Mike Drucker wrote when he re-shared the clip. "One of the best weeks of my life was writing with her on an awards show. Just a nexus of joy."
