In a revealing segment on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Ashley Padilla shared the backstory of her humorous bad haircut sketch from Saturday Night Live, which turned out to be inspired by a real-life mishap she experienced years ago. Padilla, who became a cast member of SNL in 2024, recounted how her own hair disaster led to the creation of the sketch, where she pretended to like an absurd new haircut.
During her appearance, Padilla unveiled an old photo of herself, smiling and bald, illustrating the drastic change she made on her own. “I buzzed my head by accident,” she admitted, laughing at the memory. The sketch’s premise of pretending to enjoy a less-than-flattering hairstyle resonated deeply with her real experience of cutting her hair far shorter than intended.
Meyers, a former SNL cast member himself, pressed Padilla for more details about how this haircut disaster occurred. She revealed her inspiration for wanting a cropped look similar to that of actress Zoë Kravitz. Padilla desired a hairstyle that was “tight to my head,” so she decided to take matters into her own hands by purchasing a buzzer from Amazon.
However, she quickly discovered her lack of experience with hair clippers. “I didn’t know that there are levels,” she confessed, adding humorously, “You could have told me.” Faced with an unexpected buzz cut, Padilla decided to embrace the look, confidently claiming, “This is on purpose!” She recalled strutting around, accessorized with earrings, despite her unconventional hairstyle that left her feeling a bit outlandish.
In addition to discussing her haircut fiasco, Padilla also reflected on her personal life, paying tribute to the late actress Diane Keaton, for whom she had worked as an assistant just prior to landing her role on SNL. Keaton passed away on October 11 at the age of 79.
Saturday Night Live continues to air weekly on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock, showcasing a mix of original sketches and comedic performances.
