Debbie Downer

Debbie Downer is a fictional Saturday Night Live character who debuted in 2004, and was created and portrayed by Rachel Dratch.

Evolving from the character's popularity, the name Debbie Downer eventually became an established slang phrase referring to a pessimistic person who frequently adds bad news and negative feelings to a gathering, thus bringing down the mood of everyone around them. The word downer has been used in this meaning since at least the 1970s. Dratch's character would usually appear at social gatherings and interrupt the conversation to voice negative opinions and pronouncements. She is especially concerned about the rate of feline AIDS, a subject that she would bring up on more than one occasion, saying it was the number one killer of domestic cats.