From ‘SNL’ to Stapleview: Chloe Troast’s move shows how far internet sketch comedy has come

Since the days of Kyle Mooney and Sasheer Zamata, the internet comedy world has felt like a feeder league for Saturday Night Live. The venerable sketch show has turned several of YouTube and TikTok’s favorite sketch comedians into not-ready-for-prime-time players, and as of season 51, that pipeline is as active as ever.

At the same time, the relationship between SNL and creators is moving in reverse. Comedic actors aren’t just moving from the small screen to 30 Rockefeller Plaza — some of them are following up their SNL stints with ambitious, digital-native projects.

The best example of this phenomenon involves Chloe Troast. The 28-year-old comic was a featured player on SNL 

during the show’s 49th season, and after moving on from that gig, she’s bringing her talents to Stapleview. The digital sketch comedy hub is launching Spilling Your Seed, a Finding Your Roots parody hosted by Troast.

Spilling Your Seed, which premiered on November 11, is created by Troast and directed by Sam Blumenfeld. In each installment, a guest learns the ridiculous truth about their supposed ancestral roots. Up first on the guest list is Ben Marshall, a current SNL cast member who is also part of the sketch group Please Don’t Destroy (which Troast has worked with in the past).

In a statement, Troast described Spilling Your Seed as a career pivot that will see her shift her focus to “genealogical research and YouTube monetization strategies.” The show “came to me one night when I asked myself, ‘where the hell do we all come from?’ and ‘what tantalizing New York comedians are free to do a half-day shoot in Queens,'” Troast said.

If Troast wants to learn more about monetization and social media content, she’s come to the right place. Stapleview, established in 2022, has shepherded some of the funniest creators out there. The sketch ensemble earned a win when one of its members — TikToker Jane Wickline — landed a spot on SNL. Season 51 will be her second season on the show, and she has already given us iconic characters like Alyssa, who is one half of The Couple You Can’t Believe Are Together.

To capitalize on its early momentum, Stapleview got to work on a full slate of original content. Troast is now contributing to that slate, and based on the earlier reviews, Spilling Your Seed viewers wish Troast on SNL.

With Spilling Your Seed, Stapleview is showing that SNL doesn’t have to be the only endpoint for a sketch comedian’s career. If Lorne Michaels is going to stack his cast with funnypeople who cut their teeth on the internet, then the Stapleviews of the world must be doing something right. Now they’re reaping the rewards of the comedy culture they helped create.