Sarah Sherman says Paul McCartney reached for her mullet tails, asked if her hair was real or a wig and then turned the moment into a joke. The exchange happened on the Saturday Night Live set after the season 51 finale on May 16, and Sherman says McCartney even knew her name when he came up to her at goodnights.
She talked about it on May 30 at the Las Culturistas Culture Awards in Los Angeles, where she said she answered him, “It’s real, Paul,” before telling him, “Paul McCartney, I love you, you’re amazing. Like, McCartney II is my favorite album ever, and ‘Temporary Secretary’ is my favorite song.” Sherman said McCartney shot back, “I love adulation. Adulate me. Adulate me.”
The detail matters because it is a rare firsthand account of a cast member meeting one of the most recognizable musicians alive, and Sherman framed it as a thrill rather than a brush-off. She said, “Yeah, it was awesome. It was awesome,” and added, “I’m sorry I’m complimenting you so much.”
That warmth is what gives the story its snap. McCartney’s question about whether the mullet was real could have landed as a tease, but Sherman did not describe it that way. She said, “He said, ‘Sarah,’ and he knew my name, brag. He pulled on my mullet tails,” then added, “And I liked it!”
The encounter has already made the rounds more than once. Sherman had previously discussed it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in a clip she shared on TikTok, suggesting the story struck her as funny enough to revisit. For now, the bigger answer is already in her own telling: Paul McCartney noticed her, pulled her hair, and got a fan response in return.
