Here’s Why ‘SNL’ Alum Amy Poehler Enjoys Talking About ‘Cancel Culture’
Amy Poehler knows she probably won’t make everyone laugh. However, the comedian who became famous for her stint on Saturday Night Live has struck the funny bone of a significant fan base. She’s proven her mettle across various TV shows and movies and racked up a slew of punch lines along the way.
Poehler doesn’t show any signs of slowing, though she’s traded some of her work in front of the camera for producing and directing. For Poehler, comedy is an “art form,” and she welcomes chances to analyze and debate its role in culture — even when it can land comedians in hot water.
Amy Poehler is one of TV’s foremost comedians, from ‘SNL’ to ‘Parks and Recreation’
Poehler has always viewed comedy as a currency in her life.
“I did like the feeling of knowing I could make people laugh, or if I tried to be funny, it would work,” she said in a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning.
Poehler honed her standup skills at The Second City in Chicago and co-founded the Upright Citizens Brigade during the same era. It was in Chicago where she met and bonded with Tina Fey — her comedic foil in films like Baby Mama and Sisters — and, of course, on Saturday Night Live.
Poehler was a regular SNL cast member from 2001 until 2008 and has reappeared for special segments.
“I loved the people, but I also loved the skills I learned in terms of letting things go, fighting for things,” Poehler said of her time on the show. “It’s like an emergency room. You feel really excited that you survived it, and you also might die if you stay too long.”
One of Poehler’s seminal roles after SNL was the effusive, eternally optimistic Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation. The underdog city employee put her indelible mark on the fictional Pawnee, Indiana, through her work in the parks department — and solidified the actor’s household status in comedy. Poehler won a Golden Globe for the role in 2014 and earned nominations for countless others, including several Emmy Awards. (She has one Emmy, for her work with Fey on SNL).
Comedy is subjective and has an ‘expiration date,’ Poehler says
Though much of Poehler’s work continues to resonate years later, the comedian isn’t afraid to evolve her humor. When the CBS interviewer asked her whether “cancel culture” within comedy should exist, she said she expects that evolution to happen.
“Comedy has an expiration date. Comedy is a fresh product,” Poehler said. “Nothing is more subjective than what makes you laugh. It’s wild. Country by country, state by state, family member by family member — people feel very strongly about what they think is funny.”
She elaborated by saying that what people find funny can be complicated, and that it’s OK.
“It’s supposed to be this art form that makes you think and question and figure out, ‘Why do I like that? Why am I laughing at that? Why am I not laughing at that anymore? Can we say that anymore?’”
When she’s been in times when she’s made a mistake, Poehler said she learns from the process and can move on, better informed. Discussions about what’s appropriate in comedy also allow for her and other comedians to decide if they’re overcorrecting in some areas, adding the right new perspectives that weren’t there before.
“The line is always moving, which I don’t think is a bad thing,” Poehler added. “I love all of the discussion. One hopes that you’re different than you were 20 years ago. One hopes that you’ve learned some things about how the world works.”
Her latest projects include ‘Baking It’ and ‘Inside Out 2’
Poehler has had plenty of opportunities to continue advancing her humor in recent years. She occasionally drops by SNL for a laugh and finished a three-season sitcom on Fox, Duncanville, in 2022. Over the holidays, she and frequent collaborator Maya Rudolph co-hosted Baking It, a reality baking competition on Peacock. Poehler also owns the production company Paper Kite Productions, which has produced hits such as Russian Doll, Broad City, and Lucy and Desi, a 2022 documentary about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz that earned the SNL alum two Emmy nominations.
Poehler also has a few projects on the way. First Time Female Director is in post-production, though there isn’t a release date set. She will also reprise her role as the voice of Joy in Inside Out 2, where the main animated character Riley is now a teenager. That movie is expected in 2024, according to IMDb.
