Ashley Padilla repeatedly told Diane Keaton not to come to her Groundlings shows. Padilla was still trying to establish herself as a comedian, and she worried that having one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors in the audience would end with Keaton getting mobbed.
Keaton came anyway. Padilla recalled on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang that her employer promised she would “lay low,” then showed up wearing what Padilla remembers as “the biggest tutu” and a large hat.
Padilla imitated Keaton squeezing past audience members while the tutu brushed against them, repeatedly saying, “Excuse me.” Once seated, Keaton laughed enthusiastically through every sketch. Poehler listened to the story and called her Padilla’s “fairy godmother,” adding that Keaton had apparently dressed like one too.
The memory came during a wider conversation about the years before Padilla’s Saturday Night Live breakthrough and the influence Keaton had on her life and work. Keaton died on Oct. 11, 2025, at age 79.
Padilla’s Job With Keaton Started as a Small Gig
Padilla moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy and was supporting herself through improv school by working as a restaurant server. PEOPLE reported that one of her early jobs at Keaton’s Brentwood home involved handing out party favors for a night. Keaton’s assistant asked her to return and help clean up the following day, and Padilla gradually began taking on errands and driving Keaton’s son, Duke.
On Good Hang, Padilla explained that the initial connection came through her mother’s friend’s sister, who was Keaton’s main assistant. The work expanded as Padilla made herself available for more jobs around the house.
Padilla was not deeply familiar with Keaton’s filmography when they met. She remembered knowing her mainly as the mother from The Family Stone and said she had not seen Annie Hall or The Godfather. Keaton eventually sent her home to watch the movies.
Padilla later took over Keaton’s Instagram and became increasingly involved in videos, scripts and other creative projects. What had begun as occasional work gradually occupied much more of her life.
Keaton’s ‘Childlike Wonder’ Changed How Padilla Saw Things
Padilla said Keaton’s influence extended beyond specific jobs or career advice. Parade highlighted another part of the Good Hang conversation in which Padilla described Keaton as retaining a childlike sense of wonder well into her 70s.
Spending so much time around Keaton made Padilla notice how easily that quality could disappear with age. She said Keaton got her to pay attention to ordinary things with the curiosity of a child and made her realize that some of that instinct had been fading in herself.
Padilla told Poehler that Keaton’s ability to hold onto that curiosity was what made the quality unusual. Being around her helped Padilla recover some of it and changed the way she noticed things around her.
Keaton Trusted Padilla With ‘Fashion First’
Padilla and Keaton also shared an interest in collage and images. They initially explored the possibility of creating a collage book together, but publishers were not interested in the project.
While researching that idea, Padilla realized Keaton had never devoted an entire book to her own clothing and personal style. She assembled images of Keaton’s outfits and brought them to her with a different proposal. Keaton liked it, and the idea developed into Fashion First.
Keaton then trusted Padilla to help design the book despite Padilla having no previous experience making one. Padilla remembered pointing that out to her, only for Keaton to effectively tell her she would figure it out.
Rizzoli published the 304-page Fashion First on Sept. 3, 2024. The book traces Keaton’s style from homemade childhood clothes through her 1960s and 1970s looks, red carpet outfits, street style and later fashion experiments, with a foreword by Ralph Lauren.
Padilla Was Ready to Quit Comedy Before ‘SNL’
Poehler suggested Keaton had helped give Padilla the confidence to pursue SNL, but Padilla clarified that a lack of encouragement was not the problem. Other people believed in her too. Her frustration came from spending years working without seeing the professional breakthrough she wanted.
“I was going to quit,” Padilla said. “I was tired.”
Keaton nevertheless gave Padilla an unusually close view of someone with a strongly defined creative identity. In an earlier Entertainment Weekly interview, Padilla said she learned from being around someone who was funny and had a clear vision. She credited Keaton with teaching her the importance of knowing herself and knowing what she liked.
Keaton’s trust also extended to work Padilla had never done before. Padilla said she was able to take on the book project because Keaton believed she could do it and wanted her to succeed.
Keaton Knew Padilla Was Moving to New York Before She Said It
Padilla eventually reached an SNL showcase and was hired for Season 50 in 2024. When she called Keaton after getting the job, she recalled that Keaton skipped the normal greeting and immediately told her, “You’re moving to New York.”
Padilla also used an impression of Keaton during her SNL audition. She told Poehler that impressions were not something she considered a natural strength, so she chose someone she had spent enough time around to know intimately.
The audition helped lead to the breakthrough Padilla had spent years pursuing. She joined SNL in 2024 and remained with the series through the following season.
Padilla is among the returning cast members for Season 52, which premieres Sept. 26. The new season marks her third with the show.