Debbie Downer
Updated: 12/10/2025, 9:00:11 PM Wikipedia source
Debbie Downer is a fictional Saturday Night Live character who debuted in 2004 and was created and portrayed by Rachel Dratch. Dratch's character usually appears at social gatherings and interrupts the conversation to voice negative opinions and pronouncements. She is especially concerned about the rate of feline AIDS, which she repeatedly claims is the number one killer of domestic cats. Dratch came up with the idea for the original sketch during an awkward vacation interaction in Costa Rica. Evolving from the character's popularity, the name Debbie Downer eventually became an established slang phrase. The phrase refers to a pessimistic person who frequently adds bad news and negative feelings to a gathering, thus bringing down the mood of everyone around them. The word downer had been used in this meaning since at least the 1970s. A Funko Pop collectable figure of the character was released in 2025.
Infobox
Tables
| Date | Host |
| May 1, 2004 | Lindsay Lohan |
| October 2, 2004 | Ben Affleck |
| November 20, 2004 | Luke Wilson |
| February 19, 2005 | Hilary Swank |
| October 1, 2005 | Steve Carell (as Bob Bummer) |
| December 17, 2005 | Jack Black (Debbie Downer Christmas) |
| April 15, 2006 | Lindsay Lohan |
| May 8, 2010 | Betty White (unaired) |
| March 7, 2020 | Daniel Craig |
| February 16, 2025 | N/A (SNL 50th Anniversary Special) |
References
- Vanity Fairhttps://books.google.com/books?id=4FwTAQAAMAAJ
- Saturday Night Live FAQ: Everything Left to Know About Television's Longest Running Comedyhttps://books.google.com/books?id=wtGGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT178
- The Atlantichttps://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/05/remembering-every-second-of-debbie-downer-ten-years-after-her-debut/361518/
- NBChttps://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/debbie-downer-origin-snl-rachel-dratch
- dictionary.comhttps://www.dictionary.com/e/debbie-downer/
- "Pop! Debbie Downer"https://funko.com/pop-debbie-downer/83755.html
- HuffPosthttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/04/debbie-downer_n_5255129.html
- PR Newswirehttps://web.archive.org/web/20060830195947/http://sev.prnewswire.com/television/20051201/NYTH02201122005-1.html
- NBChttps://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/snl-debbie-downer-disney-origin-sketch-2004-cast
- GoldDerbyhttps://www.goldderby.com/feature/25-best-snl-sketches-25-years-1206141958/
- CBS News 8http://www.cbs8.com/story/39523353/saturday-night-lives-best-thanksgiving-sketches
- Soraya Roberts, NBC releases Betty White's un-aired 'Saturday Night Live' 'Debbie Downer' sketch, New York Daily News, (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/nbc-releases-betty-white-un-aired-saturday-night-live-debbie-downer-sketch-article-1.178492
- USA Todayhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/03/08/saturday-night-live-rachel-dratch-debbie-downer-coronavirus-wedding/4991338002/
- Rolling Stonehttps://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/snl-recap-debbie-downer-ruins-robert-de-niro-snl-toast-jimmy-fallon-drew-barrymore-1235270131/