Actress Reveals Arrest in Cayman Islands: Rachel Sennott Tells All on ‘The Tonight Show’

Rachel Sennott recently shared a harrowing tale of her arrest in the Cayman Islands during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The 28-year-old actress, who portrays Rosie Shuster in the upcoming film Saturday Night, recounted her unexpected brush with the law.

Sennott began her story by admitting, “I got arrested. I got so, well arrested back from the trip, arrested. I was arrested for CBD in the Cayman Islands, which is embarrassing. It’s actually sad. It’s like you want to be arrested for something cool, you want to be arrested for like protesting, shoplifting, something awesome. To be arrested for like CBD is like, this is a little pathetic.”

The comedian’s troubles began at the airport when security officers flagged her for inspection. Sennott humorously described the thorough search of her belongings: “She’s going through the bag. She’s like opening my tampon. She’s like reading my journal.”

The situation escalated when the officers discovered a CBD product in her bag. “She finds my mom grass,” Sennott explained, “It’s like Liquid Death of weed. Like, it’s fake weed. It’s CBD, basically, but it’s made to look like weed.”

Despite Sennott’s attempts to explain that she had purchased the product at Erewhon, a high-end grocery store, the authorities were unconvinced. The actress found herself arrested, with her phone and passport confiscated. In a moment of quick thinking, Sennott managed to send a brief text to her entertainment lawyers: “I’m in jail. That’s it. Nothing else. Then I turn my phone off. I hand it to them.”

The situation was further complicated by the fact that Sennott was traveling alone and had no contacts in the Cayman Islands. She humorously recounted spending time with her arresting officers, who, upon learning of her profession, began looking up clips from her work.

“They’re pulling up clips from Bottoms, they’re like, ‘This isn’t for us.’ I mean obviously it’s not for you. You’re a border patrol officer. This is for teenage lesbians,” Sennott quipped.

The resolution to Sennott’s predicament came from an unexpected source: her 23-year-old assistant, Claire. Sennott praised her assistant’s quick thinking: “Claire thinks I’ve been kidnapped. Because I always reply to my texts. So Claire calls the embassy. She goes, Rachel Sennett’s been kidnapped. They go, who is that? She’s like, have you ever seen Bottoms?”

Throughout her retelling, Sennott maintained a sense of humor about the ordeal, even lamenting that she couldn’t obtain a copy of her mugshot. “I asked for it. They wouldn’t send it. Just imagine, I look incredible. I’m just looking so cool. Definitely no tears streaming down my face,” she joked.

The actress’s appearance on The Tonight Show coincided with the promotion of her latest project, Saturday Night, a biographical comedy-drama directed by Jason Reitman. The film, which is currently playing in theaters, depicts the chaotic 90 minutes leading up to the debut episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. Sennott plays Rosie Shuster, a writer and the first wife of SNL creator Lorne Michaels.

In preparing for her role, Sennott had the opportunity to speak with the real Rosie Shuster. She shared insights from their conversation, noting Shuster’s calm demeanor under pressure. “She’s so smart, funny, and cool in the face of chaos. And, I talked to her, and I sort of went in from my perspective, which is, like, having a panic attack, I was like, ‘Were you freaking out? Did you want to go home?’ She was like, ‘No, we knew it was a big deal.’ But she was so calm and cool.”

The film, which premiered on the 49th anniversary of SNL’s debut, is the result of extensive research by Reitman and collaborator Gill Kenan, who interviewed cast and crew members from the show’s premiere season. Sennott’s career has been on a steady rise since her breakout role in Shiva Baby in 2020. She has since starred in several critically acclaimed comedies, including Bodies Bodies Bodies, Bottoms, and a supporting role in the HBO series The Idol.