This is a case of art imitating life.

Rachel Dratch reveals shocking comment that inspired Debbie Downer on SNL

This is a case of art imitating life.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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December 24, 2025 8:00 p.m. ET

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Rachel Dratch as Debbie Downer at a Birthday Party on 'Saturday Night Live'. Credit:

Rachel Dratch encountered her very own Debbie Downer while on vacation in Costa Rica in the early aughts.

Dratch shared on Amy Poehler's *Good Hang* podcast that the iconic *Saturday Night Live* character was inspired by true events after the *Wine Country* star took a solo trip to the jungle and met fellow travelers there.

The comedian met a cast of quirky characters while on the trip, including a pair of ladies touting the law of attraction. But it was an encounter with one man that planted the seed for the character that would eventually become Debbie Downer.

Rachel Dratch as Debbie Downer at Disney World alongside Amy Poehler.

"Someone said like, 'Where are you from?' and I said, 'New York,'" she recalled. "And then they said like, 'Oh were you there for 9/11?' And it was like 3 years after 9/11. It wasn't like it just happened."

Rachel Dratch scolded 'SNL' castmates for breaking during Debbie Downer sketch, then flubbed her own line

Watch Rachel Dratch surprise Drew Barrymore dressed as George Washington

Dratch said that it felt like a question that came out of nowhere. She had to steer the conversation back to the lighthearted vacation fodder that everyone expected for the circumstances. That exchange inspired her to work on the Debbie Downer character with *SNL* writer Paula Pell the following week.

The duo decided that it would be funny to put a pessimist like Debbie in a undeniably happy setting like Disney World. The sketch killed at the read-through, which made Dratch hopeful that the character would be a hit with audiences.

It debuted on the live show on May 1, 2004, in a sketch also starring host Lindsay Lohan, Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, Fred Armisen, Horatio Sanz, and first-season featured player Kenan Thompson.

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While Dratch said she "flubbed" a line, the sketch stuck. Debbie Downer became a recurring character, appearing six more times during Dratch's tenure on the show, appearing with hosts Ben Affleck, Luke Wilson, Hilary Swank, Steve Carell, Jack Black, and, coming full circle, Lohan for a final time. The character returned in a 2020 episode with Daniel Craig and made an appearance at *SNL50* earlier this year.

The *Just Go With It *actress said that it was rare to come up with a character that resonated with viewers.

Rachel Dratch as Debbie Downer.

Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

"Thinking of really original characters that kind of hit on something, it's not something you can steer the ship on," Dratch said.

Listen to the full episode of *Good Hang* with Rachel Dratch below.**

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Source: “EW SNL”