The Groundlings
For over 50 years, The Groundlings Theatre & School has been the launching pad for some of the biggest names in comedy. As an improvisational and sketch comedy institution in Los Angeles, we are both a school that trains aspiring performers and a theater that entertains audiences weekly. Our alumni include Will Ferrell, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and more. From the classroom to the stage, we focus on original character work, ensemble collaboration, and the magic of spontaneous comedy. Whether you're a student looking to hone your skills or an audience member ready for a laugh, The Groundlings is where talent grows and comedy glows.www.groundlings.com
269
MENTIONS
109
EPISODES
94
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Search complete. 269 mentions across 109 episodes found for "The Groundlings".
Oct 28, 2026
Ashley PadillaGUEST
Yes.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
I told my manager, I said, you know, I think I'm going to call it quits at the Groundlings.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
I don't feel like I'm contributing anymore.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
Like, I
Zach BaronHOST
Are you allowed to talk about what you do in that moment? What are you showcasing? What are you showing them?
Ashley PadillaGUEST
Yeah, yeah.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
I did a lot of my best stuff at the Groundlings.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
It's like, how do we condense this into a five minutes? And I also sent in a packet and watched a lot of the show.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
Yes.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
I told my manager, I said, you know, I think I'm going to call it quits at the Groundlings.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
I don't feel like I'm contributing anymore.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
Like, I
Zach BaronHOST
Are you allowed to talk about what you do in that moment? What are you showcasing? What are you showing them?
Ashley PadillaGUEST
Yeah, yeah.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
I did a lot of my best stuff at the Groundlings.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
It's like, how do we condense this into a five minutes? And I also sent in a packet and watched a lot of the show.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
Yeah, yeah.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
I did a lot of my best stuff at the Groundlings.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
It's like, how do we condense this into a five minutes? And I also sent in a packet and watched a lot of the show.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
I just kept watching a lot of their pre-tapes and just studied it and made a packet based on that.
28 MINS LATER
Zach BaronHOST
Because it's very performance dependent, right? Totally.
Zach BaronHOST
So, like, is it funny on the page?
Ashley PadillaGUEST
Either I've heard Melissa McCarthy talk about this or I've heard people talk about Melissa McCarthy at the Groundlings.
Ashley PadillaGUEST
And I related to it so much, which is like, she used to have sketches where on the page you're like, what the hell? If you turned it in, it would be like, uh, no.
Robert BannonHOST
his film.
Robert BannonHOST
But you come, John, from the Groundlings to Saturday Night Live to characters.
Robert BannonHOST
So what is your process to find a character, especially like this guy? Did you sit and think about it, study? You talked about that you find a voice.
Robert BannonHOST
How has it evolved over time from when you were young, little John Lovitz? in a diaper doing impressions.
Jon LovitzGUEST
I don't know.
Jon LovitzGUEST
And all of a sudden you can just do the guy and improvise.
Jon LovitzGUEST
Cause I learned the groundlings, you know, The Groundlings was great because improv, you have to do emotions.
Jon LovitzGUEST
One part of an improv is just throwing, coming up with the, adding information through an emotional change.
Eve PlumbGUEST
Yeah.
Eve PlumbGUEST
And that came out of doing studying at the Groundlings.
Eve PlumbGUEST
So that that's given me confidence in comedy.
Eve PlumbGUEST
And so that's that's great.
MilesHOST
Which I think is very, very funny.
DrewHOST
I'm pretty sure, yeah, he was a member of the Groundlings.
DrewHOST
He's a big comedy dude.
DrewHOST
He did a bunch of TV stuff in the 80s.
Matt DonnellyHOST
Were you in a group, because Penn saw a sketch show where they played Penn and Teller backstage and it was Penn not talking and Teller doing all the talking or whatever? That
Penn JilletteHOST
was the Groundlings.
Penn JilletteHOST
That's
Matt DonnellyHOST
the Groundlings, yeah.
Matt DonnellyHOST
Oh, okay.
Kari ColemanGUEST
Yeah, I took class with them when I first moved out to LA.
Penn JilletteHOST
And yeah, I got to know the woman that played Penn in that.
Penn JilletteHOST
That was her go-to.
Susan Lambert HatemHOST
Then she
Sharon JohnsonHOST
landed in L.A. and joined the Groundlings, the famed improv troupe.
Sharon JohnsonHOST
KHJ was rebooting its horror show after its previous host, Sinister Seymour, and they needed a new face.
Sharon JohnsonHOST
Her audition was a goofy valley girl character she'd been working on at the Groundlings.
Sharon JohnsonHOST
She mocked the script in character and got the job.
Susan Lambert HatemHOST
Elvira's look was iconic and still is today.
Libby DeLeonHOST
And honestly, it was so fun.
Libby DeLeonHOST
I had done the Groundlings, did UCB.
Libby DeLeonHOST
Improv is just a lifelong skill.
Libby DeLeonHOST
It's so helpful.
7 MINS LATER
Libby DeLeonHOST
There was a lot of M&A happening within entertainment.
Libby DeLeonHOST
So things were just constantly shifting and people felt the uncertainty.
Libby DeLeonHOST
So my very, very first client was the Groundlings Theater.
Libby DeLeonHOST
It's an improv theater.
Anjelah Johnson-ReyesHOST
Well, what made you want to take the class?
Kevin SullivanGUEST
So I did Groundlings.
Kevin SullivanGUEST
I did improv.
Kevin SullivanGUEST
And then I had a teacher that really didn't like me.
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