Ferrell calls his former costar “a superstar.”

Will Ferrell says Molly Shannon ‘saved’ SNL with this classic sketch: ‘At least we have one funny character’

Ferrell calls his former costar "a superstar."

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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June 22, 2026 5:44 p.m. ET

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Molly Shannon on 'Saturday Night Live'. Credit:

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBCU/Getty

- Will Ferrell believes that Molly Shannon "saved" *Saturday Night Live*.

- The actor was honoring his former costar at her Hollywood Walk of Fame induction.

- Ferrell recalled the impact of Shannon's Mary Katherine Gallagher.

To Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon will forever be the "superstar" who "saved' *Saturday Night Live*.

On Monday, Ferrell paid tribute to his former *SNL *costar as Shannon was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ferrell flashed back to Oct. 28, 1995, the fourth episode of *SNL *season 21, when Shannon debuted her iconic Catholic school girl character, Mary Katherine Gallagher.

The sketch series was undergoing an overhaul, after most of the previous cast was fired. It was Ferrell's debut season, while Shannon had been brought in a few months earlier during the end of season 20.

"No one knows us, or if we're any good, or if anyone even likes the show anymore," Ferrell reflected. "It's coming out of a low ebb, '*Saturday Night* Dead' were some of the headlines, and we're just out there throwing things up to see what's going to happen. But that night is the first time we get to see Mary Katherine Gallagher. At dress rehearsal, I'm in the beginning of the sketch, and I had to run to do a quick change, and as I was changing, I'm hearing Molly perform the character and I'm feeling the stands shake with laughter."

He continued, "To the point that I thought, *Oh my god, I haven't heard laughter like this so far in the three shows we've done*. And it was such an emotional moment, because I remember thinking, *We're going to be okay. Molly has saved us — at least we have one funny character*."

Will Ferrell and Shannon at the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 22.

Emma McIntyre/Getty

Gallagher was the signature character for Shannon over her seven-season run on *SNL*. Despite suffering from stage fright and being prone to emotional swings, Gallagher believed that she was a true superstar. And she wasn't wrong, given the impact Gallagher had on *SNL* was so strong that 1999 film *Superstar* was built around her, with Shannon and Ferrell starring.

"I was thankful to be a little part of that legendary character," Ferrell said. "What was so great about Mary Katherine is that it was such a trademark of what you do. The character was funny, real, dark in moments, an outsider who dreamed, which is what you bring to so much of your work. It was a moment I'll never forget. It literally was a catalyst for us to continue on, and it was a catalyst for you."

Molly Shannon on how childhood tragedy inspired her 'SNL' character Mary Katherine Gallagher

Molly Shannon reuniting with 'SNL' costar Will Ferrell in Netflix golf comedy series

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Ferrell and Shannon proved to be one of *SNL*'s great duos, and as beloved as Ferrell is for his time on *SNL*, he bows down to the real legend.

"I think Molly Shannon saved *Saturday Night Live*, I'll say it," Ferrell declared. "You really are a superstar."

Shannon and Ferrell will soon reunite in Netflix's golf comedy *The Hawk*.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW SNL”