At 60, the SNL legend is thriving—with a daily routine that includes turmeric, tamarind, a cold plunge, and hikes that double as therapy.
Molly Shannon Shares How She Stays Physical—While Also Caring for Her Body
Published on Jun. 03, 2025
Molly Shannon has never been one to hold back—onstage or in life. Whether she was hurling herself into chairs as Mary Katherine Gallagher or high-kicking her way through Superstar, the Saturday Night Live alum built a career—and a legacy—on fearless physical comedy. What we didn’t always see behind the laughs? The wear and tear it caused.
Now, at 60, Shannon is just as vibrant—but with a wellness routine that’s evolved right alongside her. Think fewer french fries, a lot more saunas, and a new supplement she swears by for joint support. She recently partnered with Proactive Support from the Makers of TYLENOL, a turmeric-and-tamarind-powered supplement designed to support joint mobility as you age.
Ahead, Shannon opens up to The Healthy by Reader’s Digest about her health must-haves and how she fits it all in between parenting and movie sets, like the upcoming Bobby Farrelly movie Driver’s Ed. She still trains like an athlete—even if she’s not crashing through walls anymore.
The Healthy by Reader’s Digest: Molly, we’ve seen you do cartwheels on SNL and dance through every room in Superstar. Has staying physically active always been a part of your life, or has your wellness routine evolved over the years?
Molly Shannon: Exercising daily has always been very important to me. I did a lot of physical comedy on Saturday Night Live for years and am still a very physical performer. For my characters, I’m always thinking about how they move and walk—it’s a big thing that clicks me into character. Years of throwing my body on stage really took a toll on my knees.
Now, I take a very proactive approach to my daily routine to keep my body healthy and improve my joint comfort and flexibility. I use Proactive Support from the Makers of TYLENOL, a brand I love and trust—and that my family loves and trusts. It’s great because it has turmeric and tamarind in it. It’s a new drug-free supplement that’s helped improve my joint comfort and flexibility. The tamarind and turmeric blend improves joint comfort in as little as five days, supporting mobility and flexibility. It’s funny, too, because turmeric is the one thing my doctor in [Los Angeles] takes daily!
The Healthy: Turmeric and tamarind are known for their anti-inflammatory powers. How do you incorporate supplements like these into your day-to-day?
Molly Shannon: I take one Proactive Support from TYLENOL capsule in the morning with my smoothie—and stretch every day. I have little stretches that I got from my physical therapist—just a 3-minute routine I keep on my phone. I feel like it really helps me. I do that before my everyday exercise, whether it’s hiking for two hours, swimming, or running. I alternate between the three, but I exercise every single day because it makes me feel good and helps me sleep well!
The Healthy: The physicality of comedy often gets overlooked. From pratfalls to playing wild characters, how have you taken care of your body after decades of giving it your all for a laugh?
Molly Shannon: Listen, throwing yourself around a stage for years is not gentle on the body. I was doing full-body pratfalls as Mary Katherine Gallagher—loved doing those sketches—but they also wrecked my knees. Now I treat my body with the same care I give my characters. I did big stunts, threw myself into chairs, flew off the stage. The stuntmen thought I was wild and crazy, but they considered me a full athlete. They also said I upped the game for many stuntwomen, because they thought, If I could do that, then stuntwomen would have to do what I did—and more!
The Healthy: How has your approach to movement and exercise changed as you’ve gotten older—and what activities do you actually look forward to now?
Molly Shannon: I’ve really learned the key to staying your best is to take a proactive approach to wellness. I exercise and stretch every day now, alongside taking Proactive Support from TYLENOL to support my joint health. In the past, I would only stretch right before I performed, but now I stretch every single day for a few minutes. I exercise every day, too, because it makes me feel so good and helps me sleep better. I wasn’t as into steam and saunas, infrared saunas, or cold plunges as I am now. Now, that’s part of my at-least-weekly routine.
I also eat healthier! Back when I was on Saturday Night Live, I would have a chicken salad sandwich and french fries for lunch. Now, I’ll have a smoothie and a healthy dinner. So overall, I’ve changed my eating habits, daily exercise, and stretching.
The Healthy: Between parenting, performing, and promoting your latest projects, like Driver’s Ed, how do you carve out time for yourself and protect your energy?
Molly Shannon: I would say hiking. That’s one of the main things I do because I can do it by myself, and it’s so nice just to be quiet—or go hiking with my dog, listen to a podcast, or sometimes not listen to anything. Just quiet meditation. I really like bilateral stimulation—it relaxes your brain. Sometimes it’s like meditation and you can solve problems. Sometimes I’ll return an email while walking or hiking, or take a phone call. I love it. It’s a great way to think about your day or what you have to do. I do that as much as I can. I try to do it every day, but sometimes I don’t have two hours. At minimum, I try to get in 30 minutes of exercise, even if I have a busy day. Running, swimming, or both. And hiking takes a bit longer because I have to drive to a trail.
The Healthy: Have you had any “aha” moments around aging or wellness recently—something you wish your younger self knew?
Molly Shannon: Incorporating exercise into your life and having a good wellness routine makes you happier—because it makes you feel good and more relaxed. It makes me a better mother! It makes me feel calmer and happier. So it’s a great thing—and I sleep so well after exercise. I have a lot of energy! I have to exercise hard to get tired because I have so much energy. It’s become a part of my daily routine. I was never so strict about it, but now I am. And it’s good to be grateful for your health.
The Healthy: You’ve had such a joyful and unique career. What moments stand out to you as personal highlights—and what’s something we might be surprised to learn about how you prepped for them physically?
Molly Shannon: I just had the SNL 50th anniversary—that was so much fun! I was actually a little nervous. It’s funny because I thought, Maybe they’re gonna ask me to do Sally O’Malley, or a character like that, so I stretched a lot beforehand to make sure I was ready and in good shape. I approach comedy like an athlete because I’m so physical. So I make sure I’m in very good shape and can move well when required to do physical comedy.
Sometimes I get nervous before I do talk shows, though, so I do a lot of bilateral stimulation. You can do some tapping on your shoulders, right and left, to relax. It’s a very quick thing to do if you need to calm yourself down. Whether it’s tapping your thighs, your shoulders—just tapping. EMDR [Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing]. I love that kind of stuff. As I said before, hiking also activates the right and left brain—that’s why it relaxes you. You know, whenever you’re feeling a little stressed and don’t know the answer to something, if you walk in a figure eight, it’s going to activate the right and left brain, too. So you can think about something you’re trying to solve while walking in a figure eight. I love doing brain activities that help me relax and calm down.
The Healthy: Lastly, what’s next for you? Any new roles, writing, or wellness rituals on the horizon?
Molly Shannon: Well, I have some movies coming up! Balls Up, that Peter Farrelly directed. Then I have Bobby Farrelly’s movie Driver’s Ed, starring Sam Nivola and a great cast. And then I’m in this movie called People We Meet on Vacation. There are probably some I’m missing, but those are three that I have coming out soon.
For more wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy by Reader’s Digest newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
