Oteri grew higher in the Philadelphia suburbia of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania (also a hometown of SNL writer/performer Tina Fey). Moving to Los Angeles at age 25, she worked at A&M Records for four years and eventually joined the famed comedy troupe The Groundlings. It was there that she was found by SNL & was hired around 1995 as part of a 100%-just released cast brought within to save a indicate when the fateful 1994 season. Oteri would in time form the third of the then-supposed "SNL female power trio" that as well involved Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer and which was responsible, along with Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond and others, for bringing SNL out of its slump.

She was known for swimming chirpy, upbeat, typically hyper characters including cheerleader-wannabe Arianna, crabbed gran Rita DelVecchio, & a pill-addicted Collette Reardon. Her dead-in impression of Barbara Walters also bolstered her fame.

Oteri left SNL inside 2000. Since so she has appeared within many moving-picture show including Scary Movie and Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, and as well on the television indicate Curb Your Enthusiasm.