Paula Pell

Born in Joliet, Illinois, Pell wanted to be an actress from an early age. She studied acting and visual art at Orlando's Seminole Community College and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She took a job at Walt Disney World, working in the nightclubs of the resort's adults-only Pleasure Island section.Pell was a writer for Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2013. She is credited with creating some of its memorable characters, such as Debbie Downer, the Culps, Justin Timberlake's Omeletteville mascot, and the Spartan Cheerleaders, among others. She also was a producer and writer for the sitcom 30 Rock, and is credited with writing the episodes "Argus" and "Floyd". In 2006, a pilot she wrote, Thick and Thin, was picked up by NBC for 13 episodes, with Pell as executive producer, but it never aired in the United States. Pell has worked with Judd Apatow providing additional writing for the films Bridesmaids and This is 40.

As an actress, Pell appeared in several episodes of 30 Rock as the wife of Pete Hornberger and played the mother of Ron Swanson in a 2011 episode of Parks and Recreation. She has also appeared as an extra or in bit parts in dozens of SNL sketches. She voices Gadget Gal in the Hulu original series The Awesomes.

She has a small cameo in the 2013 comedy film Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. She co-created the web series Hudson Valley Ballers with fellow SNL writer and long-time friend James Anderson with whom she also co-stars. Tina Fey produced and starred in Pell's first feature screenplay, Sisters (2015). Pell also played the dream producer and Mom's Anger in the 2015 Pixar film Inside Out. From 2016–2018, she guest-starred in the TV series Love as Erika. She also played a character based on Elaine Stritch in the mockumentary musical episode "Co-op" on Documentary Now! She appeared in one episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in 2017, season 3 episode 10. She plays Helen Henry DeMarcus on the show, A.P. Bio. She also plays Aunt Mo in the Showtime series SMILF.

Pell co-starred alongside several other Saturday Night Live alumnae in the 2019 Netflix original comedy Wine Country.

On August 10, 2020, the comedy-mystery Mapleworth Murders, which she also co-wrote and executive produced, aired on Quibi. Pell was nominated at the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her performance. Between 2020 and 2021, Pell voiced several characters in the animated series Bless the Harts.

In 2021, she began starring as Gloria McManus in the Peacock comedy series Girls5eva.