‘SNL50’: Debbie Downer Is Back, Gets Choked By Robert De Niro​on February 17, 2025 at 4:52 am

A little counterintuitive for a joyous celebration, the SNL50 anniversary special brought back Rachel Dratch‘s Debbie Downer.

While Debbie could bring down the mood anywhere she goes with her grim remarks, she also is one of Saturday Night Live characters that have taken on a life of their own, with Debbie Downer now widely used as a nickname for a pessimistic person.

In the SNL50 sketch, Debbie is a bartender at a backstage bar where Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore and Ayo Edebiri — all in a celebratory moods — come to get a drink.

Before the trio could raise their champagne glasses for a toast, Debbie informs them how even a glass of alcohol can slash life expectancy, followed by her signature closeup to a “wa-wa” sound.

She continues to interject into the trio’s conversations with comments on impending end of humanity and bid flu.

When Robert De Niro comes along, he gets a little Raging Bull-style “You talkin’ to me?” from Debbie. Turns out she just had dry eye and couldn’t figure out if he was talking to her (but a wink hints that she may have done it intentionally).

Debbies proceeds to tell De Niro, who had asked for a straw, that microplastics “taken residence in your testes.” That proves too much for the Oscar winner, who is on the verge of breaking character.

He soon finds his Raging Bull., telling Debbie, “I want to laugh and feel joy and have a sliver of hope for three goddam hours of my life. I came here to get a little frigging break from our world right now,” before reaching over the bar to choke her.

Fallon intervenes, and in the end, all toast Saturday Night Live.

Watch the video above.