When it comes to comedy, Cheri Oteri is an icon.
The actress, comedian, and presenter became a household name when she joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 1995. With every skit, from being a Spartan Cheerleader to her impersonation of Barbara Walters, she left an indelible mark on the show and comedy itself. And she continued redefining women in comedy with her roles in movies like Scary Movie as Gail Hailstorm, Liar Liar with Jim Carrey, and a multitude of animated roles.
Now in 2025, she’s returning to familiar territory. Firstly, and what a lot of fans are excited for is Scary Movie 6. For fans of the Scream movies, they have their Gale Weathers in Courtney Cox. But as someone who watched Scary Movie first and Scream second, Gail Hailstorm left an impression that was outmatched. And with the Wayans brothers, Anna Faris, Regina Hall, and Oteri herself returning, fans are excited for more of this anchor and what she’s up to.
When we spoke with Oteri, this interviewer told her that she was my Gail. Her reaction was one of delight. “Oh I love that. That is so cute and funny.” With her having just finished filming Scary Movie 6, she reminisced a little bit about the time she spent on set. Because even back then, she had no idea how much fun it would be or how well it would be received by fans.
“When I first did [Scary Movie], I had no idea how much fun I was going to have and how wonderful it was going to turn out to be,” Oteri said, “Keenon Ivory Wayans, his directing was so wonderful because he’s an actor. And he just let me go. He was wonderful in that way.” The Wayans brother directed the first 3 Scary Movie films.
Oteri went on to then give an example of how much she enjoyed her time working with Wayans. “Kenny, my cameraman. When the movie started, he had no lines. But we kept rehearsing with each other. And I’m like, “Say this, say this.” And Keenan kept it all in. I really wish that they would have brought him back again.”
Basically, Oteri had a blast returning to such a beloved role. “It was so much fun. And I loved Anna Faris and you know Dave Sheridan (Duffy) and Marlon Wayans (Shorty). And you know Marlon is just like Keenan in the way where, because he’s an actor, he’s like, “Go ahead, go play. What feels right to you. And that’s such a pleasure for any actor to do.”
Another ‘returning to her roots moment’ comes in working on NBC’s comedy series Happy’s Place. Recently she played Health Inspector Monica on the same network where she spent 98 episodes on for SNL. And for her, it cemented the fact that there is something so special about this show. (We review it here weekly, so we totally agree.)
“This sounds corny, but it truly is Happy’s Place,” Oteri said before explaining why. “I mean, seriously. I have never met a group of people, every single one of them, in front of the camera and behind, that were so kind, supportive of one another, appreciative to be there.” It helped too that this was a short drive. So it felt like the perfect spot in town.
Her character reunites with Rex Linn’s Emmett. And it throws Happy’s Place Season 2 Episode 5 for a bit of loop because Reba McEntire’s Bobbie is caught unawares. Maybe even gets a little jealous herself. But Oteri’s Monica isn’t here to split up the new romance between Bobbie and Emmett. She’s there to do her job. Just so happens that she gets to reunite with an old friend.
“Rex was so warm and wonderful that it was easy,” Oteri said before breaking down their funny reunion scene. “I felt so comfortable to be whatever, like, I wanted to do it creatively. And [Happy’s Place] is very supportive of that. So when I came over, when I was walking over to him talking like a baby like, “You get over here.” I just decided to do that. And we were all laughing because I think sometimes when you haven’t seen somebody in a long time, a weirdo will be like, “You get over here. No, you get over here.”
And even though it was just a guest spot for Oteri, she would go back in a heartbeat. Because it’s shows like Happy’s Place that aren’t the same run of the mill comedy. They teach, they connect, and they thrive in a world that feels a bit stale. Oteri said to that, “I was never into sarcastic comedy. And people that are like, you know, just too cool for school. I love when you can kind of maybe get a message across, but you’re not too preachy.”
That’s Happy’s Place. “[This show] isn’t preachy at all. It just is very human and thoughtful. And they’re dealing with emotions that sometimes are hard, but they’re real. And there’s enough humor around it to have that perfect dichotomy of humor and warmth and thoughtfulness.”
For Cheri Oteri, it’s comedy like this that feels like “a full course meal.” And who are we to argue with a comedy icon like her.
Happy’s Place airs Fridays on NBC.
