Leslie Jones Shares the Time Melissa McCarthy Rejected Her ‘SNL’ Skit — and What That Taught Her (Exclusive Excerpt)

Standup comedy is not for the faint of heart. But it’s not a sketch comedy either.

That’s the lesson of Leslie Jones — who spoke with PEOPLE in this week’s issue ahead of the Sept. 19 release of her new memoir Leslie Fucking Jones — says she had to learn the hard way after landing on Saturday night live as a writer back in 2014.

She was 47 years old at the time and was already working tirelessly to make a name for herself on the track. But before she became the best Emmy nominee SNL cast member, known for her hilarious antics on the show Weekend update desk, Jones still had work to do.

With five years of star-making on the show, “There were so many things I could put on [this book],” says Jones, 56, writing about her SNL given in her new memoir.

Leslie Jones, Colin Jost and Michael Che.

Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

Here’s an exclusive clip of a moment that made the cut. Jones shares early SNL an experience featuring guest host Melissa McCarthy, which served as a stepping stone on her journey from behind-the-scenes writer to performer. To listen to Leslie Jones read her memoir, click below. Content Note: Jones uses language that may not be suitable for all listeners.

LESLIE F*ING JONES, written and read by Leslie Jones, courtesy of Hachette Audio.

One of my first drafts was when I knew pitching was something I needed to work on. I wrote and presented a skit to Melissa McCarthy. It was a sketch version of a joke I was telling and nicknamed “Big Women in the House”.

Melissa McCarthy.

For the skit, Melissa and I would talk to some guy at the club: “You’re over there at this club trying to get these skinny, beautiful girls? You know, when you go to her house, she won’t have any food in her fridge, right? Me, I have a whole meatloaf and some mashed potatoes, some biscuits and beans! I have two parking spaces. You don’t have to park on the street, boo. There will be no ticket for you. Look at my TV! I got a Samsung Series 6—do you know how much essa is in it? I’ll just give you the remote — you have all the electricity in my house.”

I even made a jingle for it: “Real women have real curves, real women have real curves!” The point was that we may be bigger than skinny girls, but we’re the size of what women really are—those skinny girls are starving! It should not be size zero. But Melissa really wasn’t feeling it.

Melissa McCarthy. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Melissa McCarthy” Episode 1724 — Pictured: Melissa McCarthy during her opening monologue on May 13, 2017 — (Photo credit: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

I had the biggest lump in my throat. OMG — did I not explain well? I was horrified. The truth was that something I always kill for—being funny—I didn’t kill for in my early days on SNL. I found myself crying out of frustration and anger, and Michael Che came and talked to me.

“Do you know how many times you’re going to have to talk to people?” He said. “You’re going to need a thicker skin.”

Later that week at the SNL afterparty (which also happened to be Seth Meyers’ going away party) Melissa approached me.

Leslie Jones.

Ethan Miller/Getty

“I just want to tell you that that sketch wasn’t for me — you wrote that sketch for yourself,” she said. “That’s really your sketch – you should be doing that sketch.”

“Well, honey,” I said, “I’m not a cast member or a host. So what do I do now?”

“Well,” she said, “I’m just letting you know. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“You didn’t hurt my feelings,” I said, “but I still wanted to fight you.” Thank God she laughed at that, because I just wanted to make her laugh. And then she hugged me.

‘Leslie F*cking Jones’ by Leslie Jones.

For more on Jones’ raw new memoir and rocky road to stardom, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

Excerpt from the book Leslie Fucking Jones: A Memoir by Leslie Jones. Copyright © 2023 Leslie Jones. Reprinted by permission of Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.

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Source: HIS Education