Ashley Padilla

Ashley Padilla is an American comedian and actress best known for her work as a cast member on the sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live (SNL), which she joined in 2024 for its 50th season.

Padilla was born on May 27, 1993, and grew up as the second-oldest of four siblings. She spent her early childhood in Oakland, California, where she attended Montclair Elementary School until moving to Livermore, California, at age ten to live closer to her grandparents. She was raised by a single mother who worked at Adobe, while her grandmother worked as a teacher's aide and her grandfather was employed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. During her youth, Padilla developed an interest in comedy, creating amateur comedy videos with an uncle and participating in a school production of The Emperor's New Clothes.

While attending Livermore High School, Padilla worked at a local movie theater to assist her family. She graduated high school in 2011 and briefly attended community college before taking a job at Sephora at age 17. For several years, she earned income providing event hair and makeup services alongside her sister. Drawing comedic influence from performers like Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, and Kristen Wiig, Padilla decided to pursue a comedy career and relocated to Los Angeles in 2014 at age 20.

In Los Angeles, Padilla worked as a waitress and initially took improv classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade. In her early twenties, she was employed as a personal assistant to actress Diane Keaton, assisting with Keaton's book Fashion First. Padilla subsequently became a member of The Groundlings Main Stage Company, where she performed sketch comedy and briefly overlapped with comedian Chloe Fineman.

After securing talent manager Naomi Odenkirk, Padilla booked guest roles on television series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and the revival of Night Court. In 2024, after ten years in Los Angeles, she created a live sketch show titled Party of Three for the "Netflix Is a Joke" comedy festival. The show led to an audition for Saturday Night Live, resulting in her being hired by showrunner Lorne Michaels and the show's production team.

Following her debut on Saturday Night Live, Padilla received critical notice, including praise from The New York Times in April 2026 for her comedic timing. In June 2026, she was cast alongside Emma Stone and Chris Pine in the romantic comedy film The Catch, directed by Dave McCary and scheduled for release in May 2027. Offscreen, Padilla resides in the West Village neighborhood of New York City and is a fan of survivalist reality shows like Survivor and Extracted.