SNL's "Debbie Downer: Disney World" with Lindsay Lohan Was a Chaotic Instant Classic
"The whole place was shaking," Jimmy Fallon said of the audience reaction to his classic 2004 sketch with Rachel Dratch.
In the weeks leading up to February 16's three-hour 50th anniversary celebration on NBC, the team behind Saturday Night Live has selected one sketch from every single season — 50 seasons in 50 days — to reflect the show's rich legacy across five decades. Presenting the sketch chosen to represent Season 29: "Debbie Downer: Disney World" starring Host Lindsay Lohan along with Season 29 cast members Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Kenan Thompson, Horatio Sanz, Fred Armisen and Rachel Dratch.
Even the "Happiest Place on Earth" is no match for Debbie Downer.
The bummer character, played by Rachel Dratch, was first introduced on the May 1, 2004 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Lindsay Lohan.
Debbie Downer's debut saw her and her family (played by Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Horatio Sanz, and Fred Armisen) sitting down for breakfast during a trip to Disney World — but their vacation meal is ruined, as Debbie constantly brings up depressing topics related to their conversation.
RELATED: Debbie Downer: A History of Rachel Dratch’s Iconic SNL Character
What actress play Debbie Downer?
Rachel Dratch. Dratch was an SNL cast member from 1999-2006.
Dratch first got the idea for "Debbie Downer" during a trip to Costa Rica.
"I was on a vacation and there was this communal dining table and someone was like, 'Oh, where are you from?' and I said, 'New York,' and then they said, 'Were you there for 9/11?' And everything just screeched to a grim halt," Dratch told Salon in 2015.
"Debbie Downer: Disney World" was written by Rachel Dratch and Paula Pell
"I didn’t think of it that second, but then a week later it just popped into my head, this character Debbie Downer," she recalled.
Dratch wrote the first "Debbie Downer" sketch with actress and writer Paula Pell, who wrote for SNL for almost 20 years and appears in Episode 2 of Peacock's Beyond Saturday Night docuseries.
They originally set the sketch in an office, but "it wasn’t really working, so we thought we needed to set it somewhere really happy and we put it in Disney World," Dratch told Salon.
The sketch instantly launched Debbie Downer into the pantheon of classic Saturday Night Live characters.
RELATED: Peyton Manning on Why He Was OK Pelting Kids with Footballs in SNL's "United Way"
"Debbie Downer: Disney World" was memorable in part because of Dratch's dry delivery, as well as the sad trombone-esque sound effects that punctuated each of her bits. It's also because it was one of the rare times where each cast member in a sketch broke character — so much so that at one point, Sanz uses Mickey Mouse waffles to wipe away his tears of laughter.
What is the Debbie Downer sad sound?
The sad sound effect that accompanies Debbie Downer's depressing factoids actually started out as an inside joke between Dratch and Pell.
"That was just a joke we were doing to each other, but we put it in and it did really well at the table," Dratch explained to Salon.
RELATED: "Lazy Sunday": SNL's First Viral Video Was a Major Moment in the Rise of YouTube
Jimmy Fallon and Lindsay Lohan look back at appearing in the first "Debbie Downer" sketch
The Host for the May 1, 2004 episode was Lindsay Lohan, a costar in the "Debbie Downer" sketch.
When she visited The Tonight Show in November 2024, Lohan reminisced with Jimmy Fallon about the two of them trying — and failing — to keep it together during Debbie's debut.
"You were the one who made everyone else laugh," Lohan told Fallon, blaming him for cracking up. "It was my first time on SNL. I was so nervous!"
"The whole place was shaking. The room, the whole SNL, the audience, everyone was, like, laughing," recalled Fallon.
"It set such a good tone, though, for the show, because then it's just comfortable after that," Lohan added.
Debbie Downer returned for eight more sketches, including one featuring Betty White that was cut for time. Her final appearance was on the March 7, 2020 episode hosted by Daniel Craig. *sad trombone sound*
Watch the SNL50 Anniversary Special on February 16
Don't miss the three-hour SNL50 primetime special on Sunday, February 16 from 8-11 p.m. E.T. on NBC and Peacock. The broadcast celebrates a half-century worth of sketches, cast members, Hosts, and other collaborators — it's sure to be a star-studded event.
The 50-day run-up to the special brings additional programming that takes a deep dive into the show, including Peacock's four-part docuseries premiering January 16, Beyond Saturday Night, as well as Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music, a documentary about SNL's Musical Guests that's co-directed by Questlove and Oz Rodriguez, airing on NBC January 27.
