Live from New York… It’s Ashlee Brown!

Published 9:00 am Monday, October 29, 2018

Everyone needs to have a good laugh every now and then, but Ashlee Brown was in need of one more than most. 

A native of Danville, Ga., graduate of West Laurens High School, and current Georgia Military College student, Brown has faced some extremely trying times in her almost 30 years on this earth. In 2007, just before she graduated high school, her brother Gabe passed away after an ATV accident at their home. He was only 12 at the time. Brown went off to start college at Georgia Southern University, but she understandably could not get her mind in the right place to be successful. Four years later, with her brother’s death still weighing heavily on the family, Brown’s mother committed suicide, which brought on another low point in the young woman’s life. 

Brown’s life reached a crossroads. She could either remain engrossed in these horrifying life experiences and let them define her, or she could fight. Although she did not find her way there immediately, her life eventually found its way onto the right path. Comedy helped serve as Brown’s guide on her way back to the light, and one of the most prestigious television programs of all time was her escape. Saturday Night Live is in its 44th season of satirizing politicians, celebrities, and anything happening in pop culture. The weekly sketch comedy program gave Brown something to look forward to each weekend. Who was the cast going to poke fun at this week? Who are they going to have portray this famous person? Is this week’s celebrity guest host actually funny? Something crazy happened in the world on Thursday, will the writers be able to put a skit together about it that quickly? 

“Humor for me has been the main vein in my body,” Brown said. “It’s the only thing that’s gotten me up every morning. It’s what’s pushed me to continue living, and it’s what has made me thrive in such adversity … I’ve really used humor to try and overcome obstacles.”

As someone whose dream job it is to become a writer on SNL and a huge fan of the show, Brown, of course, wanted to see the spectacle firsthand. But getting a ticket to Saturday Night Live isn’t as simple as paying up and earning a spot. NBC used to do a lottery to determine who would earn a seat to watch the cast members take the stage on one of America’s most iconic sets. A couple years ago the process was changed from simply putting one’s name into a hat to having fans submit an essay detailing why they want to be part of the live studio audience. The submission window lasts throughout August, and Brown tried her hand once again at earning tickets to comedy’s mecca. She put hands to keyboard, drawing from her own life experience and comparing it to a tough decision the SNL showrunners had to make in the wake of an American tragedy. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, executives had to choose whether it was right to put a show on that week, and their decision was ultimately that the show must go on.

“They did so, so that America had something, even in the gloomiest moments, to change everyone’s attention through humor,” Brown said. “That, to me, meant a lot because that’s what I’ve had to do with my life.”

Brown hit submit and waited about a month to hear back. A little more than a month ago, she received word that her essay had earned tickets for her and a friend to attend not just any old live taping of Saturday Night Live, but the Season 44 premiere that aired the night of Sept. 29. And Brown wasn’t just one of the 300 people in attendance, she was one of only 38 to be given floor seats. Brown was told that the odds of that happening were roughly in line with being struck by lightning while being accepted to Harvard. There, she sat on the front row with some of her favorite actors and comedians having to say, “excuse me” to squeeze by her in the tight quarters. SNL is known for going all-out for its season premieres and finales each year, and this one was no different. Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Jonah Hill and Kim Kardashian were all part of the show with Adam Driver, who plays new Star Wars baddie Kylo Ren, serving as host and controversial artist Kanye West as the musical guest. 

“I could see the sweat on Leslie Jones’ face as she was nervous to open the season premiere. It was a once in a lifetime experience,” said Brown.

In what she calls the “defining positive moment of her life” Brown couldn’t help but feel a little emotional in thinking about the difficult journey that culminated in that instant. 

“As I sat there I could hear my mom on one side and my brother on the other saying, ‘This is why you kept going. This is why you kept laughing. This is why you kept pushing,’” she said. “As someone who loves to write and reach people through my words, it really couldn’t get any better. Nothing tops the feeling of knowing that had I chosen to give up all those years ago when my mom committed suicide or my little brother died I would have never had that moment.”

Brown is set to graduate from GMC with her associate’s degree soon before transferring over to Georgia College where she plans to major in broadcast journalism.