Sarah Sherman may be one of Saturday Night Live‘s standout cast members, but the comedian isn’t immune to professional jealousy.
Sherman appeared on Mike Birbiglia‘s podcast Working It Out as she promotes her upcoming HBO comedy special, Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh. Birbiglia, a comedian himself, asked Sherman, 32, who she’s most jealous of.
“I’m jealous of a couple people,” Sherman responded candidly. “I’m jealous of Ashley Padilla, my coworker and friend.” She went on to praise Padilla, who has been touted as SNL’s “breakout star.”
“She just... she writes the perfect sketches. She’s amazing,” Sherman said.
“So are you,” Birbiglia told Sherman. “But she’s also great on the show.”
“She’s unbelievable,” Sherman responded, adding how “fun” and “nice” Padilla is. “And I’ve said to her, I’m like, ‘how do you f---ing write this sh--?’” Sherman continued to explain how much Padilla helps when it comes to developing characters and comedy. “It’s like I’m jealous of her skill, and then she’s not stingy with it. She’ll go out of her way to help anyone.”
Birbiglia and Sherman both agreed that helping colleagues creatively can only help in the long run. “When people are generous to other people creatively, it’s like it doesn’t hurt you,” Birbiglia said. Sherman said, “It actually helps you. Look at all your karmic points!”
Sherman joined SNL as a featured player in 2021, and was promoted to repertory status two years later. Padilla was cast in 2024, for the show’s 50th season. In an interview with Seth Meyers, Padilla told the late-night host she never thought she would make the cut. Now, the 32-year-old is a fan favorite.
During her interview with Birbiglia, Sherman also praised Bowen Yang, her former SNL colleague who departed the show in December 2025 after being a cast member since 2019. “I feel like I’m going to cry,” Sherman said, saying she felt “overwhelmed” on the day Yang left. “He’s amazing,” she concluded.
