Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

Written by Molly Shannon and Sean Wilsey

Narrated by Molly Shannon

A New York Times bestseller

A candid, compulsively readable, hilarious, and heartbreaking memoir of resilience and redemption by comedic genius Molly Shannon

At age four, Molly Shannon’s world was shattered when she lost her mother, baby sister, and cousin in a car accident with her father at the wheel. Held together by her tender and complicated relationship with her grieving father, Molly was raised in a permissive household where her gift for improvising and role-playing blossomed alongside the fearlessness that would lead her to become a celebrated actress.

From there, Molly ventured into the wider world of New York and Los Angeles show business, where she created her own opportunities and developed her daring and empathetic comedy. Filled with behind-the-scenes stories involving everyone from Whitney Houston to Adam Sandler to Monica Lewinsky, many told for the first time here, Hello, Molly! spans Molly’s time on Saturday Night Live—where she starred alongside Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Cheri Oteri, Tracy Morgan, and Jimmy Fallon, among many others. At the same time, it explores with humor and candor her struggle to come to terms with the legacy of her father, a man who both fostered her gifts and drive and was left with the impossible task of raising his kids alone after the loss of her mother.

Witty, winning, and told with tremendous energy and heart, Hello, Molly!, written with Sean Wilsey, sheds new and revelatory light on the life and work of one of our most talented and free-spirited performers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063056268

Molly Shannon

MOLLY SHANNON is an actress and comedian. She spent six seasons as a member of the repertory company on Saturday Night Live, primarily known for the eclectic characters she created, such as Mary Katherine Gallagher and Sally O’Malley. In 2000, she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. In 2013, Molly received her second Emmy nomi­nation for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in Enlightened and again in 2018 for her portrayal of Val in NBC’s award-winning comedy Will & Grace. In 2017, she was awarded the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the highly acclaimed drama Other People, written and directed by SNL head writer Chris Kelly. She was most recently seen in the Academy Award–nominated crime drama Promising Young Woman and will soon reprise her lauded performance on the critically acclaimed comedy The Other Two. Molly was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She earned a BFA in drama from New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. She currently lives in California with her husband and two children.

Reviews for Hello, Molly!

[Lupita Carrillo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have never loved an audiobook more listening to it was such a joy. Mollys story is heartbreaking and full with so much love. I definitely recommend

[tmariekat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly Inspirational!
I found Molly‘s upbeat, positive attitude regarding every single thing in her life to be quite engaging! In spite of many hardships, she found a way to be grateful for the challenges and every single thing in her life all while remaining grounded in her true nature, and trusting herself.

[M. Bronzan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Molly, you are a bright ray of sunshine. Thank you for sharing your story and all the fun, sadness, and beautiful truths you gleaned along the way. An insightful path of compassion and greater appreciation for each person’s challenges, regrets and moving forward… always with hope and your arms open wide. Thank you… so much.

[Vanessa Knouse · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting insight into her life. A lot of YEEESH moments at her character. ??

[Beth Grai · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved listening to Molly tell her own story. You know it came from her heart. Bravo!

[Hector Ordonez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a great read! I’ve always loved her and identified myself with her. Not sure why… now I know.

[Shemri Harris · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’ve always liked Molly Shannon. Night at the Roxbury Serendipity, Never Been Kissed some of my favorite movies ? ? then of course Saturday Night Live “Superstar” Mary Katherine Gallagher, Sally O’Malley and many others. Learning how those characters came about was so fun!
I enjoyed the audiobook version so much!! Hearing her story in her own words was so entertaining!
I also have the book which I enjoyed looking at all of the photos from her life, but I highly recommend also listening to the audio!
So many funny and sad stories one of my favorite was the plane ride to NYC!! ✈️ (that could never happen today) ?
Life isn’t all fun people go through real traumas and it’s how you continue on in life!
Making the best of every situation, even catastrophes into fun things is such a great outlook on life.
I enjoyed this audio ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Dani · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Did not expect this to be one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to but this book is seriously good and worth the listen. I love come up stories and it was fascinating to hear Molly's story of when she was young and starting out in Hollywood. I did not know her mom died at a young age and that her dad struggled with alcoholism and that Molly raised herself to be strongly independent. I loved to learn about her background which was surprising as I did not have much interest in the topic to begin with. As someone who grew up watching Molly's era on SNL, I found it fascinating to learn about some of the goings on behind the scenes, honestly I just wish it were longer. I would read another book on Molly's life in a heartbeat! Well written and of course hilarious. Lots more to Molly than just Superstar. Great listen.

[Kjames8250 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved every bit of this! Molly’s positive attitude is contagious. I love that she relied on her Midwestern, hard working values to get her where she is today. Truly a SUPERSTAR!

[Mary McCoy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! Molly's life and stories are just as incredible as she is.

[Diego Martinez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very touching and sweet. Highly recommend. Molly is a true delight.

[Julie Tatum · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Outstanding. Molly is an inspiration in many ways! Highly recommend.

[Däsha Miller Millson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Written with so much heart, honesty, and laughter. Highly recommend!

[Denise Foran McKee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Funny ,intriguing, sad and entertaining. Quick listen and didn't want it to end

[Elpida S · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great journey! Thank you Molly for taking us with you.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Any fan of SNL in the 90s will appreciate this fun memoir (but, be warned, it starts off very sad).

[alanna1122 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There is a lot to love about Molly Shannon's memoir. She has had a life full of tragedy and difficulties but really persevered in spite of all that. She is funny and tells great stories. She definitely is a little skewed from the mainstream in her thinking sometimes, but I was mostly charmed and inspired by her.