Former Saturday Night Live cast member Chloe Troast is opening up about her experience meeting pop superstar Taylor Swift.
“I got to chat with Taylor when she came to the show, and it really solidified how normal a person she is,” Troast, 28, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, October 3, at the Farewell Party at the Virgin Hotels New York City. “That’s what’s made me really delighted listening to her music and stuff now, I came through it that way and being like, ‘Wow, it’s so crazy that someone you can just have a normal conversation with is also this incredible, universal icon.’ It’s weird to think they’re the same person.”
Troast said she “only really started” listening to Swift in recent years and before meeting the star in 2023.
“She is the most successful person of our generation. I love that she’s a woman who speaks her mind and writes what she wants to write,” Troast explained. “It makes me believe in just following your gut and doing what you want to do — and hopefully seeing amazing success from there.”
The Farewell Party at the Virgin Hotels New York City was hosted by SNL alum Punkie Johnson for departing cast members Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Emil Wakim and Devon Walker, who were all in attendance.
Troast, who left SNL in 2024 after one season on the show, said she attended the event to support her friends.
“I love everyone listed on the event. They’re all just my buddies. Punkie is the best,” Troast told Us. “Punkie put this all together. Mostly, I want to see people who are really busy. I want to say ‘Hi,’ ask what they’re doing, and tell them I love them and I miss them.”
Troast told Us that a piece of advice she received from veteran comedian and TV host Conan O’Brien a couple of years ago has really stayed with her, especially with the mounting pressure on late night comedy now.
“I think he comes at comedy through joy and not through antagonism. He really does things that [make] him laugh,” Troast said. “He told me that if you lose your joy, you’ll lose your funny. So I’ve really remained steadfast in that: chasing the joy in comedy and doing whatever makes me laugh. That was something he reminded me of a lot.”
As far as the future of comedy, Troast told Us that she’s unsure if it will be “safer” to tell jokes, or if that’s even the point, but that the art form has persisted through even the most tumultuous of times.
“Comedy has always been around, even in times of extreme turmoil — which could be now, some might say. It’s always been used as a way of separating yourself from the real world and being able to laugh and feel joy even in times when there’s a lot of heartbreak in the world,” Troast said. “I don’t know if there should ever really be safety in comedy. Comedy is always going to be touchy. It’s always going to hurt people in weird ways and delight people in other ways. Sometimes it hurts people’s feelings, and sometimes people aren’t cool with it. That’s part of the job description, in a way. I don’t think you can come out unscathed.”
