Ashley Tisdale Says Her ‘Mean Girls’ Audition Ad-Lib Made It Into the Original Movie

A writing credit is probably a bit much, but a little acknowledgement might be due to Ashley Tisdale, who said she ad-libbed a line during her audition for the original Mean Girls that wound up in the final cut of the movie. 

On Watch What Happens Live Tuesday, Tisdale was asked about going out for the role of Karen Smith, the lovable airhead eventually played by Amanda Seyfried. The actress said she screen-tested for the film alongside Blake Lively and didn’t remember much about the audition except one part. 

“I just remember I ad-libbed — because I always like at an audition to steal a scene — and I ad-libbed one line and they put it in the movie,” Tisdale recalled. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God, are you kidding me!’ I should’ve gotten a writers credit — just kidding.” 

Impressively, host Andy Cohen did not immediately follow up and ask Tisdale what line she ad-libbed. But he at least remembered (or was reminded) to ask that very pertinent question during the WWHL After Show. 

Tisdale, however, couldn’t recall: “I was literally 16 years old,” Tisdale recalled with a laugh. “I just remember, in my brain, that that happened.” 

Considering Karen does have some of the absolute best lines in the original Mean Girls (“Yeah, but he’s my first cousin,” “I can put my whole fist in my mouth, want to see?” “I’m sorry I laughed at you that time you got diarrhea at Barnes & Noble,” etc. etc.), it does seem important to get to the bottom of this story. As such, Rolling Stone has done its solemn and dignified journalistic duty and reached out to a rep for Mean Girls screenwriter and mastermind Tina Fey in the hopes that she can confirm and/or remember the line.