SNL star and Diane Keaton's former assistant Ashley Padilla pays emotional tribute to mentor

There are Hollywood legends, and then there are human beings so full of quirk and kindness that their legend feels almost accidental. Diane Keaton was one of the latter. This week, Saturday Night Live’s rising comic Ashley Padilla reminded the world of that fact in a raw, heartfelt tribute to her former boss and mentor.

Ashley Padilla remembers her mentor Diane Keaton

Before she was making sketches go viral, Ashley was fetching coffee, fixing call sheets, and learning how to live artfully in the orbit of a woman who made contradictions look chic. Diane, with her fedoras and unflappable eccentricity, was both icon and teacher—an Oscar winner who treated her assistant like a creative equal. “You changed my life,” Ashley wrote after the actress’s death, a line so simple it felt like gospel to anyone who’s ever had their spark lit by a mentor.

The industry has long adored Diane for her oddball glamour and sharp comedic rhythm, but Ashley’s remembrance pulled the curtain back on something softer: the quiet generosity that powered it all. She shared memories of Diane urging her to “never edit your weird,” a mantra that’s now practically Padilla’s brand on SNL. It’s a reminder that the best mentorships don’t just pass the torch—they set the next one ablaze.

In the show’s closing moments this week, SNL honoured Diane with a black-and-white still of her trademark grin. No words, no soundtrack. Just Diane being Diane—effortlessly singular. It was television’s version of a moment of silence, and fittingly understated.

Diane may be gone, but her spirit persists - a little messy, a lot stylish, and always laughing at life’s absurdities; through Ashley and every young creative she unknowingly emboldened. If there’s an afterlife, you just know Diane is rearranging the furniture and insisting everyone wear something beige but fabulous.

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