How Kathryn Hahn’s spontaneous poncho spin became an iconic comedy moment?
Credit: Pexels
In the vast pantheon of television fashion—Carrie Bradshaw’s tutu, Moira Rose’s wig wall, and whatever was happening on Tiger King—few items have achieved the comedic reverence of Kathryn Hahn’s plastic poncho in Parks and Recreation. Yes, that iconic moment when political shark Jen Barkley glided through a child-infested house like a glossy Batman, armed only with a dollar store poncho and an attitude that screamed “No sticky fingers on my blazer today, Satan!”
Recently, Hahn joined Amy Poehler on her podcast Good Hang, where they unpacked the legendary “poncho” moment from the Season 7 episode Pie-Mary. And like all great origin stories—from Spider-Man to the ShamWow guy—this one started with a simple motivation: “I just wanted to make you guys laugh.”
That’s it. No high-concept method acting. No metaphor about societal protection. Just a classic case of “my coworkers are giggling and I’m about to go full jazz hands.”
“I wore a plastic poncho so that I wouldn’t get any sticky fingers or crap all over me,” Hahn explained, summing up both her character’s aversion to children and America’s collective feeling toward indoor birthday parties.
Imagine him on Amy's podcast with Kathryn Hahn, remaking the Poncho scene? I'd lose it. https://t.co/SOm6Ia7M12 pic.twitter.com/7ZwQ3MWGyh
— Bruna 🍁 (@BrunaFe44229836) April 20, 2025
Then, like any true artist staring into the abyss of improv, Hahn spun. Literally. A child ran by with a paintbrush, chaos ensued, and Hahn—in a move that belongs in the Smithsonian—did a dramatic turn, flared her poncho, and proudly declared: “Poncho! Poncho!”
No script. No plan. Just a woman and her emergency tarp, creating history.
Poehler likened the look to Batman’s cape, though we’d argue it had more of a Fashion Week meets FEMA vibe. “If someone’s gonna break, it’s this professional right here,” Hahn said, gesturing to herself like a woman who’s both defeated and delighted by her own comedy shenanigans.
Of course, Hahn’s “survival technique” on set has always been “go harder, or ruin the take with laughter.” Which, ironically, often causes everyone else to break. Poehler herself admitted that Hahn’s joyful chaos often pushed scenes to the brink of collapse—in the best possible way. The podcast promo even leaned into that same chaotic charm, with both women giggling through flubbed takes like two drama club kids who snuck into a studio after hours.
For context, Hahn appeared in ten episodes of Parks and Rec. When asked to guess the number, she boldly offered, “Between 7 and 13,” a range that includes the correct answer and also most of the alphabet. Poehler responded with the kind of support reserved for friends who just remembered their own birthdays—cheering like they’d solved a cold case, followed by a laugh-snort combo that could only come from years of shared ridiculousness.
It’s hard to overstate how Kathryn Hahn—now a Disney+ sorceress (Agatha All Along), an Apple TV+ mogul (The Studio), and forever the MVP of every chaotic comedy ensemble (Bad Moms, Step Brothers, We’re the Millers)—still finds joy in a simple plastic poncho and a goal to make her friends laugh until they snort.
And that’s the true power of comedy’s most celebrated piece of rain gear: it wasn’t haute couture, it wasn’t planned, but in the right hands—and with the right spin—it became legend.
