Hello, Molly!: A Memoir by Molly Shannon & Sean Wilsey

Categories	Arts & Literature
Author	Molly Shannon & Sean Wilsey
Publisher	Ecco (April 11, 2023)
Language	English
Paperback	304 pages
Item Weight	1.15 pounds
Dimensions	6 x 1.01 x 9 inches

I. Book introduction

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.

Editorial Reviews

“Hello, Molly! paints a portrait of a resilient spirit persevering through tragedy and the cutthroat world of fame to build a fulfilling life for herself.” — Associated Press

“Molly Shannon’s memoir is filled with mischief and pathos. . . . Shannon has an uncanny knack for transgression in pursuit of higher truth. . . . Parts are as plain and strong as Hemingway, with some internal monologues that are downright Joycean. Really. It’s very sad and very, very funny. Redemptive and uplifting.” — New York Times

“[An] incredibly charming memoir…For every story of loss, of striving, and of doubling down in Hello, Molly!, there is also a determination to find joy and pleasure, to foster community, and to laugh.” — Time

“An incredible story of resilience (along with, of course, some laughs) showing how [Molly Shannon’s] upbringing influenced her remarkable career. Warm and open-hearted, this one feels like a conversation.” — Real Simple

“This memoir is life-changing. I laughed. I cried. Just like being with Molly herself.” — Amy Schumer

“I grew up fully recognizing the enormity of Molly Shannon’s onscreen abilities—her absurdity, her chaos, but also her grace and humanity. All of these characteristics are effortlessly portrayed in one of the most achingly beautiful memoirs I have ever read. Hello, Molly! is proof that through our stories, our past, our losses, and our brokenness shines light. From the highly relatable struggles of trying to break through as a comedic actress, to SNL, to negotiating self-identity after fame, Hello, Molly! at its finest is a vulnerable, brutally honest, and unrestrained glimpse at the human condition: how the flaws of our loved ones and the darkness of our past will continue to define us.” — Awkwafina

“Heart-breaking and hilarious, Hello, Molly! is the most inspiring memoir I’ve ever read. Forget what you think you know about Molly Shannon. There is a reason she is one of the greatest comic actors working today. Her story is unbelievable and told with such a charming bluntness it made me choke on my coffee more than once…It is a glimpse into the mind of a true survivor, a lesson on how one turns trauma into art, and it might just have the secret to life and happiness.” — Aubrey Plaza

“A deep and brutally honest depiction of the strong and talented woman I know, who has been able to pull the positive out of every situation and turn massive hurt into humor. Every page flows with Molly’s positive yet pragmatic philosophy of life, love, family, work, and art. Filled with touching and surprising anecdotes that teeter from the nostalgic to the truly ridiculous. I was laughing and tearing up like you’re supposed to do when you read a great book. Great comic, great actress, and great author. Truly. Love you, Molly, and am so happy to know you.” — Adam Sandler

“Exuberant, brave, wholehearted, and hilarious, this book is exactly what you hope it will be.” — Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of Good Company and The Nest

“Equal parts funny and touching, a cut above most celebrity memoirs.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Told in Shannon’s bright, irreverent voice, this memoir is equal parts touching and hilarious, a real insight into the mind of a comedic genius.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Hello, Molly! is a multi-faceted love story, a candid and touching memoir. . . . [A] beautiful father-daughter story is woven throughout the memoir, which includes many funny anecdotes about Shannon’s hard work, dedication, resilience, and sacrifice on her road to stardom. . . . Shannon’s conversationally styled narrative reflects her wholly original brand of comedy.” — Shelf Awareness

“[A] surprisingly raw and personal account…While she packs in plenty of details regarding her SNL stint, what’s most resonant is Shannon’s unflagging story of perseverance, perhaps best embodied by her beloved sketch character Mary Katherine Gallagher…Supremely inspiring, this will leave fans astonished.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Introspective, poignant, heartbreaking and hilarious, Shannon’s memoir is sensational.” — Katie Couric Media

“…while there are plenty of laughs to be found here, there’s a large dose of vulnerability as well…[An] often-absorbing recollection…becoming most thoughtful when Shannon reflects on her complex relationship with her father and her mother’s absence from her life.” — Library Journal

“(Shannon’s) vibrant reading is filled with emotion and effervescence, especially when she slides into popular characters Sally O’Malley and Mary Katherine Gallagher.” — Booklist (starred review)

About Author

Molly Shannon

Molly Helen Shannon (born September 16, 1964) is an American actress and comedian who was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2001. In 2017, she won the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film Other People.

Molly Shannon was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on September 16, 1964, to an Irish-American Catholic family. Her mother, Mary Margaret “Peg” (née Keating), was a teacher, and her father, James Francis Shannon, was a sales manager.[citation needed] Her maternal grandparents were born in Ireland, with her grandfather being from Cloghmore, Achill, Mayo. When Shannon was four years old, her mother, younger sister, and cousin died in a car accident while her father was driving under the influence.

Molly Shannon attended St. Dominic School in Shaker Heights for grade school, and Hawken School in Gates Mills, Ohio. She attended New York University, where she studied drama and graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1987.

Molly Shannon married artist Fritz Chesnut on May 29, 2004. They have a daughter and a son.

Sean Wilsey

Sean Wilsey, the author of a memoir, Oh the Glory of It All, and an essay collection, More Curious, is at work on a translation of Luigi Pirandello’s Uno, Nessuno e Centomila for Archipelago Books and a documentary film about 9/11, IX XI, featuring Roz Chast, Griffin Dunne, and many others (www.ixxi.nyc).

II. [Reviews] Hello, Molly!: A Memoir by Molly Shannon & Sean Wilsey

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1. LUCY Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

Listening to this audiobook felt like listening to Molly Shannon personally telling me stories about her life. In a candid and conversational manner she tells about her career, the making of her career, and most importantly her upbringing. Some stories are funny, some are shocking, and some are heartbreaking. As tragic as some of her stories are, though, the overall tone of this memoir is jovial and uplifting. Molly Shannon’s positive attitude and infectious energy definitely come through in the delivery of her stories.

What a treat to listen to Molly Shannon read her own book. No one could’ve narrated this poignant memoir the way she did. Needless to say, I highly recommend the audiobook.

2. LAURA Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

I read Hello, Molly in under 24 hours, and it was a delightful reading experience. In this memoir, Molly Shannon writes about the tragedy of losing her mother and sister in an accident and her complicated upbringing with her father. Reading about her life, we see the qualities that made Shannon into the success she is, namely, work ethic, positive attitude, and being true to her own values.

Shannon talks about her creative process and where she drew inspiration for certain characters. There are multiple references to her well-known SNL skits, and it was interesting learning about how the production of the show works. The author comes across as authentic, humble, and generous, and I enjoyed learning about her.

3. JAYNE Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

Hello, 5-star review!

“Hello, Molly!” is a heartwarming, candid, engaging, and upbeat memoir by celeb Molly Shannon.

Molly Shannon begins her memoir by recanting a horrific incident that changed her life and the life of her family.

When Molly Shannon was four years old, her mother, younger sister, and cousin died in a car accident while her father was driving under the influence of alcohol. Molly and her older sister Mary were in the car and both were hospitalized for two months.

A major portion of this book focuses on Molly’s early life and the challenges of growing up without a mother in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland.

Although Molly always had the support of her large Irish family and friends, at a very early age, Molly had to be a street smart adult and think out of the box.

I was personally impressed with Molly’s attitude, resilience, and strong work ethic.

Without any parental prodding, Molly completely “took charge” and aced the audition required to gain admission to NYU, her first-choice college.

I especially enjoyed the clever “David Mamet trickster” anecdote that she shared about scoring casting calls.

My one criticism of the book concerns the fact that major portions of her life were omitted.

There was no mention of her wedding or the fact that she gave birth to two children. Her children’s names appeared in her endearing acknowledgment at the end of the book and that is how I knew that she had children.

I understand Molly’s wish to protect her family’s privacy but I did feel that minimal information about her family belonged in her “tell-all” book.

I listened to the audiobook, read by Molly Shannon. I always love it when authors read their own memoirs and Molly Shannon did an outstanding job with the narration.

Even with my one criticism, Molly Shannon’s memoir was a 5-star read that I highly recommend.

4. DEBRA Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

Wonderful Memoir. Great Read!!!

I knew Molly when she was first starting out in L.A. She always had such a positive attitude and her talent was so evident then. I had no idea of all the obstacles she had to overcome in order to be successful in her personal life and as an actress. Reading her story and her journey brought so many tears to my eyes, but also many laugh out loud moments. Molly is one determined girl! Every bit of success she has attained, she fully deserves. I highly recommend this book.

5. ALAN BERKOWITZ Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

She had a rough start in life. Its an excellent memoir.

I loved this page-turner by one of my favorite comedians. I was shocked to learn about the loss of her Mother at such a young age. Very entertaining memoir. Molly’s Father was a very interesting and unique individual from whom Molly no doubt inherited some of his spunk. He raised his children by himself after his wife’s death leaving him with 2 young daughters. She had quite a childhood as she was left to her own devices much of the time, but it helped her rather than harmed her, which is interesting. She is very resilient. Very upbeat entertaining book. She really did a great job.

6. TIGER ESSEX Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

Written in The Author’s Own Voice

One of my favorite genres is memoirs, and many contemporary memoirs have that “ghost written” feel, Molly Shannon’s memoir sounds as if she is sitting across the living room and is excitingly telling you her life stories. There is tragically, a few events that shaped her life’s work, but ultimately this is an uplifting book, mainly because of Molly’s incredible ability to remain upbeat and incredibly empathetic.

Not a tell-all Hollywood/SNL gossip story. But it is filled with stories that demonstrate just how difficult it can be to break into show business. An easy read, and yet somehow profound.

7. GAIL Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

Gotta say, I did not have “You will be bowled over by Molly Shannon’s memoir” on my 2022 bingo card. And yet, here I am, telling you how much I FIVE-STAR loved this read.

If you have even an ounce of interest in picking this title up, but your familiarity with Molly centers mostly on your knowledge of her impressive run on Saturday Night Live**, then do NOT read any more reviews or press she’s done for this book. Seriously, don’t even Google her!

I say this because I want you (like me) to have the experience of being fully stunned by the first 10 minutes of this book (…. or however many pages that turns out to be; I don’t know, because I listened to this on audio, which is absolutely how I recommend you experience this one.)

Molly’s life is a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and she’s such a first-class storyteller that she had me hooked from the get go. Having read this, I can now say how much I admire her resiliency (as an actor, but, more importantly, as a person). I also very much loved her stories from her time at SNL as well as the tender way she talked about the dysfunctional yet dear relationship she had with her dad.

For those of you who have read this, I wish I could talk with you in person about some of my favorite stories from the book. (For me, the highlights reel includes: her dad cleaning the house on speed! that time she snuck onto a flight to NYC as a child! her Gary Coleman encounter! the David Mamet scheme! and the origin story of Mary Katherine Gallagher!)

If you’re in the mood for a book that will make you laugh, make you feel more grateful to be alive, and might even leave you with tears streaming down your face in its final few minutes, this memoir (with its bag of dramatic twists!) is the book for you.

**Molly Shannon’s years on SNL—1995 to 2001—coincided with my years in junior high/high school. When I say I was obsessed with SNL at this age, I mean I.WAS.OBSESSED. (My best friend and I had the “Superstar” tees we bought from Spencer’s to prove it. Ha!) From Molly to Will Ferrell to Cheri Oteri to Ana Gasteyer, every cast member from that era was beloved. So, it was a nice gift of nostalgia to read this book, to remember how much Molly’s fearless comedy added to the show, and to reflect back on allll those happy Saturday nights I spent glued to the TV with my best friends by my side.

8. LISA Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

Saturday Night Live’s Molly Shannon is famous for her funny characters, sketches and slapstick comedy. But this Cincinatti born actress and comedian has written an incredibly funny, inspiring memoir. It is quite the homage to her late parents, especially her dad.

As we discover in the first chapter, Molly’s life was turned upside down when at the age of only four, her mother, younger sister and cousin were killed in a car accident in which her father fell asleep at the wheel. Waking up in the hospital no one wanted to tell her what happened and all she kept saying was she wanted her mom. Her life and her sister Mary’s changed forever after the tragedy.

As Molly, her older sister and father tried to adjust to the new family dynamics, their father, who never really recovered psychologically or physically from the accident was at a loss as to how to move on. He turned to drinking and Molly became his best friend. He would get jealous if Molly wanted to go out with her friends and she would have to prepare herself when she knew she had to tell him she would be going out. He did not understand why she would want to go out when they could have fun together. There were times when anger would get the best of her father and he would lash out screaming. Molly and her sister became adept at knowing what mood he was in just by the way he would enter their apartment.

But, for all her father’s faults, he was her biggest fan. She feels her creativity came from the crazy situations her father would get them into and then get them out of. From the moment she decided to become an actress, he pushed her to pursue a career, telling her never to take no for an answer and just keep pushing herself because he knew she could do it.

So that is just what Molly did. After graduating from college in New York, Molly headed to Los Angeles where she began waiting tables and trying to find work and an agent. It was there that she began the creation of Mary Catherine Gallager, a young Catholic schoolgirl who was prone to anxiety and clumsiness. The tagline “Superstar” is actually a nod to a childhood friend. She even had her own one woman show which she would invite all the guests from the restaurant, (and even homeless people) as well.

She and one of her male friends actually had a hustle where they would claim to be calling from playwright David Mamet’s office late on Friday afternoons recommending each other to the casting offices and setting up appointments for each other. They would each have to get five meetings before they could call it a day. Talk about persistence and genius!

But then she was finally cast on Saturday Night Live where she worked with Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and Cheri Oteri. And she became a “superstar”! That portion of the book is filled with wonderfully funny stories about how certain sketches came to fruition and all the back-stage drama that comes along with working with different personalities on a weekly basis. Throughout this time her biggest cheerleader was her dad who was still dealing with heartbreaking conflicts but was a favorite friend to all the cast at SNL.

As you read and understand Molly’s tragedies and triumphs, you also get the feeling after all these years that perhaps Molly is also healing herself and putting all the heartbreak behind. One theme throughout the book is her hope that upon reading, women who want to break into the business can learn that they must be more persistent and stronger and wiser as well as think outside the box when it comes to getting their foot in a door.

Hello, Molly is a fantastic memoir filled with heartwarming stories, some funny and some horribly sad, but certainly gives the reader a perspective into Shannon’s upbeat personality, her wisdom and her charm.

Thank you #NetGalley #HarperCollins #MollyShannon #HelloMolly for the advanced copy.

9. CATHERINE Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

You might pick up this book expecting it to be a laugh riot, which it is, but only some sections. Molly’s childhood was somewhat sad and this book delves deeply into that. It’s a fascinating book. After I finished it, I went back and watched several of her SNL skits. I definitely didn’t appreciate her enough, she is a powerhouse!!

I highly recommend the audiobook version since Molly narrates it herself and it’s a joy to hear her expressive voice. Five stars for Molly! Superstar!

10. KERRY DUNN Review Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

“Sometimes I could hardly perform in a sketch with Will because I would just start laughing. And I think it’s a good sign when someone laughs during a sketch. It shows that you’re open, you’re really listening, and your instrument is relaxed. The audience likes it, too. It gives them a license to laugh. And they feel in on something happening live.”⁣
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Is there anything better than when the actors break on SNL? It’s my favorite thing about the show. ⁣
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This memoir was NOT WHAT I EXPECTED in the best way. It wasn’t even on my radar and besides her time on SNL and her films, I knew nothing personal about Molly Shannon. But my husband bought it for me for my birthday so I cracked it open right away. I expected your typical comedic memoir, but it opens with a gut wrenching tragedy and I was bawling by page five. ⁣
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Then at the end I was bawling again! This memoir was so surprising and heartfelt and yes, FUNNY, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a profound testament to FAMILY, both blood and chosen, and holding those you love close because you never know how much time you have. Be grateful to be alive. Have fun. Be silly. Be yourself. Follow your dreams. ⁣
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Molly’s life has been filled with tragedy and trials but also laughter and love. She has had some wild times and she will tell you all about it. And you should listen. This book is wonderful.

III. [Quote] Hello, Molly!: A Memoir by Molly Shannon & Sean Wilsey

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