'SNL's Cheri Oteri Reveals the "Best Gift" Lorne Michaels Gave Her That Completely Changed Everything

Few Saturday Night Live cast members brought the kind of unfiltered energy that Cheri Oteri delivered during her five-season run in the late 1990s. One of the most brilliant — and perhaps most underrated — performers of her era, Oteri became a fan favorite thanks to her boundless enthusiasm and commitment to eccentric, offbeat characters like the Spartan Cheerleaders’ Pep Squad leader and the pill-popping Collette Reardon. While those original creations defined her high-energy style, the role that ultimately left the biggest mark wasn’t one she ever sought out. At Lorne Michaels’ urging, Oteri reluctantly stepped into the shoes of legendary journalistBarbara Walters. What began as an impression she didn’t want to touch soon became one of her most iconic performances, and in hindsight, Oteri calls it “the best gift that Lorne [Michaels] could have given me.”