Whether you're making bank on residuals like the Friends cast or a couple of hundred bucks a year after having one line in a movie like Titanic, no matter what, you’d want that money to be sent to you and not someone else. However, in Sarah Sherman’s case, her Saturday Night Live residual checks were being sent to the estate of Gilda Radner, and both her and Lorne Michaels' reactions to the mix-up were sweet and on brand.
Now, Sarah Sherman has been on Saturday Night Live since 2021, and while not confirmed, I wouldn’t be shocked to see her return for Season 51, which will air on the 2025 TV schedule this fall. So, with four seasons under her belt and a fifth one potentially on the way, she gets residual checks for her work. However, for a little while, they weren’t actually being sent to her, as she explained on Vulture’s Good One podcast:
I got a giant envelope in the mail with a handwritten letter that was like, ‘Hey, I’m Gilda Radner’s brother, weird thing happened where I’ve been receiving all of your residuals checks for the past few months.’ And he sent it to me, [and was like] ‘By the way, you’re really great on the show.'
Now, a situation like Tom Hollander getting Tom Holland’s Marvel box office bonus makes sense, because their names are almost the same. However, Gilda Radner’s estate getting Sarah Sherman’s residual checks is mind-boggling.
While the two comedians have very similar energies, their names are nowhere near similar (although R and S are next to each other in the alphabet), and Radner left the show in 1980, which was 41 years before Sherman started in 2021.
However, this also feels like an almost divine moment. Sherman seemingly loved it too, and she got very emotional about it all, as she explained:
I started hysterically sobbing, obviously. Because I’m like, ‘Okay, God’s speaking to me right now.’ The fact that my SAG residuals checks—shoutout, union—had been sent to Gilda Radner’s estate?
It truly is a “crazy coincidence,” as the comedian later described, and her freak-out was 100% warranted. However, Lorne Michaels' response to it all makes it even better.
For context, this whole story was revealed because Sherman was asked about what it’s like to text Lorne Michaels. She noted that he uses “an economy of words” and she dosen’t, so his response to her freaking out about Radner was on-brand, as the comedian explained:
I was sobbing. I texted Lorne, I was like, ‘Oh my God, my checks have been sent to Gilda Radner’s estate! Isn’t this like a crazy coincidence? I feel like this is a miracle, or I feel like a spirit is talking.’ Obviously, that’s a schizophrenic text message, and Lorne was like, ‘That’s sweet.’
Lorne Michaels is known for his short, occasionally cryptic, and blunt responses. So, the fact that he only sent Sherman a two-word text is not surprising; it’s actually very on brand. I love that too! While he didn’t say much, his point was clear, and it’s sweet that he thought this whole situation was “sweet.”
Now, as questions about Michaels retiring loom and SNL prepares to enter its 51st season, it’s lovely to hear stories that highlight his relationships with cast members who were on the show on day one and the stars who work at Studio 8H today.
While I still can’t understand why Sherman’s checks were being sent to Radner, there’s no question that this is an incredible situation. Between her getting to interact with the family of an SNL icon and Michaels' on-brand response, it’s a wonderful story to tell, and one I’ll be thinking about as I wait to watch Season 51 this fall on NBC or with a Peacock subscription.
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