Stories from ‘Saturday Night Live’

A collection of Good Hang’s favorite ‘Saturday Night Live’ memories, moments, and laughs from our guests. Host: Amy PoehlerGuests: Mary Ellen Matthews, Maya Rudolph, Seth Meyers, Martin Short, Andy Samberg, Tina Fey, Jack Black, Rachel Dratch, Kristen Wiig, and Ana GasteyerExecutive producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-BermanFor Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, and supervising producer Joel LovellFor The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson and Aleya Zenieris; audio producer Kaya McMullen; social producer Bridget Geerlings; video editor Drew van Steenbergen; and booker Kat SpillaneOriginal music: Amy Miles Order ALDI on Uber Eats: https://earn.sng.link/A99vk/i2fm/okid Visible. Live in the know. https://www.visible.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by eBay Live. Here's how it goes. First, you're watching the eBay livestream telling yourself, I'm just looking. And then boom, you see a vintage Rolex go for an absolute steal. Suddenly, a rare Beanie Baby pops up. Adrenaline hits and you're bidding. You might lose that first one, but you bid again and win. And that winning rush? Incredible, because you beat everyone to it. Meanwhile, on eBay Live, you don't just watch the action, you're in it. Download the eBay app to stream and shop live. eBay Live, things people love.

• 0:38Amy Poehler?

  Hello, everyone, and welcome to a very special episode of Good Hang. You know, we have done 52 episodes. Deck of cards, baby, and it is time to celebrate. And we are going to celebrate with a few clip shows. It puts together some of our finest and most fun moments. And our first one this week is all of our SNL stories. So we have had cast members on here. We've had people who hosted, and we've had a lot of people talk about their time on SNL, the good and the bad. And so we've grabbed some of them and put them together. And you're going to hear from some amazing people. You're going to hear from people like Maya Rudolph, Seth Meyers, Martin Short,

• 1:18Amy Poehler?

  Andy Samberg, Tina Fey, Jack Black, Rachel Dratch, Kristen Wiig, Anna Gasteyer. It's going to be incredible. And we are going to start this episode with someone who worked behind the scenes, someone who was and is still the most incredible photographer, who took all the pictures of your favorite people and they are their favorite photographs. And just recently, her new book, The Art of the SNL Portrait, has come out. Mary Ellen Matthews is joining us. And let's get the skinny about what it takes to work at that crazy place. Mary Ellen, hello?

• 2:04Amy Poehler?

  This episode of Good Hang is presented by Uber Eats. Big news, Aldi is now on Uber Eats and you get 20% off your first grocery order with code NEWALDI26. So whether your fridge is empty and you're too tired to shop, or you just ran out of essential ingredients in the middle of a meal prep, don't worry. Fill your fridge in just a few taps and get 20% off your first Aldi order on Uber Eats. For orders over $60, you can save up to $20. Ends February 28, 2026. Terms apply. See app for details.

• 2:45Amy Poehler?

  Mary Ellen!

• 2:46Speaker 01

  Hi!

• 2:47Amy Poehler?

  Hi, honey!

• 2:48Speaker 01

  Hi, honey. This is, I'm so, I'm so thrilled to be here. Like, never in my wildest dreams. This is so, this is amazing.

• 2:56Amy Poehler?

  Are you kidding me? I'm so, you know, so we're like doing our clip show of all the SNL peeps that have come through. So many of them are in your book. The Art of the SNL Portrait, your book?

• 3:09Speaker 01

  I'm so excited to see it in your little paws!

• 3:14Amy Poehler?

  Tell everybody like what your job, what does your job consist of? What does the week look like?

• 3:19Speaker 01

  Um, so, we find out who's gonna be on the show like the week before, or a couple weeks before that, hopefully. And, um, and I just kinda have to come up with some ideas and talk to the stylist, talk to whoever's team it is, because it's collaborative. It's between you and I. It's between whoever it is and myself. I don't want to drive the vision just what I want to do. So, um, you know, try to include whoever it is in those decisions. And also, it's like, it's not about just doing these, you know, conceptual ones. It's just about, you know, you being you in this time and space. Because it's all, you know, it's a documentary also about the, about the time of you doing the show and what's going on in the world and...

• 4:00Amy Poehler?

  It's so true. You're right. Like, everyone has an era. That they're in.

• 4:04Speaker 01

  Yeah, for sure. And like, for instance, there was a blizzard happening, one in 2016. It was on a Saturday. Rhonda Rousey was on the show. So grabbed her between dress and air, threw her on a sled and just put her outside on 53rd Street. So things like that, if you can really like nail it down to the actual minute that it's happening is pretty special.

• 4:25Amy Poehler?

  That's cool. You want, you want the pictures to feel like live, like part of a live show.

• 4:30Speaker 01

  I mean, I wish I could do that more often, but you know, that's not, no one else wants to do that but, but me.

• 4:36Amy Poehler?

  Let's talk about Tom Broker. What does he do at the show and how do you guys work together?

• 4:39Speaker 01

  Tom is the costume designer. He designs all the costumes and the wardrobe for the entire show. And for me, I work with him on, on the photo shoots. So if, if he styles the photo shoots, if the person doesn't come with their own styling team. And if I have an idea of like, I want Amy to be in a, you know, 17, 17, 17 century Dutch masterpiece, you know, of course, that idea doesn't come till about 1:30, when, when you're going to step on set. So it's like, I'm like, Tom, you know, so sorry, this idea just came to me, but it happens, right? Sometimes, but you know. So he has an archive and he's just a genius

• 5:22Speaker 01

  to know what to pull and know exactly how to make sense of this sort of, you know, wacky idea.

• 5:27Amy Poehler?

  Well, I'll, I'll give a perfect, a perfect personal example of what it's like working with Mary Ellen. So Mary Ellen's like, I have this idea where you have an apple on your head. You're balancing an apple on your head, right? And I'm like, okay, cool. And then props gets the apple. And then Tom's like, what are you thinking? And you're like, I feel like maybe something like angelic. And I put this like kind of white dress on and it looks kind of culty. And you're like, that's cool. That's cool. And we're like, that's cool. That's cool. And then the apple goes on your head and someone's behind me holding the apple on my head. And you're like, don't worry. Well, you know, we'll paint it out. We can paint out the hand. So it looks like the apple's on the head. But then you're like, but it looks kind of cool with the creepy hand holding the apple.

• 6:04Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 6:05Amy Poehler?

  And that's a perfect example of like, All of these things are happening in real time and the creativity part is the part you're getting the most excited about.

• 6:13Speaker 01

  Hundred percent. And you know, it's like, uh, I think, who was it Quincy? I have to, I'm going to quote Quincy Jones right now and said, "Let's leave room for God when you walk into the studio because you don't know what's going to happen."

• 6:24Amy Poehler?

  Mary Ellen, anyone that's worked with you, like you're proof that if you're good at your job and you're wonderful to work with, like it should be easy. It shouldn't be hard. It shouldn't be torturous. It, you know, everyone that has worked with you comes away with their favorite pictures of themselves.

• 6:42Speaker 01

  Uh, that's so nice to hear. I mean,

• 6:44Amy Poehler?

  It's true.

• 6:45Speaker 01

  And it's a collaborative thing. I've got so many great people working with me and, um, you know, the styling goes into it, our prop department, you know, they're, uh, I can, I'll tell a funny story if you have time.

• 6:56Amy Poehler?

  Yes, please. Of course.

• 6:56Speaker 01

  Okay. Um, so Paul Rudd was on Paul McCartney and I thought of this at the very end, you know, we were all like, you know, I couldn't, you know, he's watching the rehearsal. I'm like, you gotta come over here. We gotta get this done. And at the van, I was like, we should make you into a 60s version of Paul McCartney, the mop top.

• 7:16Amy Poehler?

  Uh huh.

• 7:17Speaker 01

  And so, you know, he's got to go on and do his rehearsals and whatnot. Um, Speedy or Sir Speedy, who is, who is, you know, the wonderful guy who, the gentleman who takes care of all the band's equipments and all logistics, he goes running down to like Chelsea Guitar, gets like the left-handed bass for the, for the Paul McCartney. Jody's doing the wig and Tom's pulling together this and we put it together during meal break and he is like, he nails this. I could show you.

• 7:45Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 7:46Speaker 01

  He nails this. I'm, I'm a mop top Paul McCartney. And it's one of my favorite.

• 7:53Amy Poehler?

  Oh my God, I remember that picture. So, uh, listeners, it's a black and white picture of Rudd looking like Paul McCartney.

• 8:02Amy Poehler?

  And this is Mary Ellen in a nutshell, which is like, I have an idea. And then everybody steps to it. It's a complete collaboration, like you said, and it looks incredible.

• 8:13Speaker 01

  And you can't ask that kind of get from people unless you know it's a good idea.

• 8:18Amy Poehler?

  Well, you took an amazing picture of Tina and I when we hosted Where We Were, Simon and Garfunkel.

• 8:23Speaker 01

  There's a great behind the scenes picture in there, by the way, at the very end, of you two laughing when we were doing that.

• 8:29Amy Poehler?

  Well, everyone should check out The Art of the SNL Portrait. Mary Ellen Matthews, the best photographer around. Mary Ellen, everyone that has worked with you adores you. And you are aging in reverse. Love you, Mary Ellen. Thank you so much for doing this and congrats again on your book.

• 8:46Speaker 01

  Yeah, I hope to see you soon, honey bunny.

• 8:48Amy Poehler?

  Okay, honey bunny, I'll see you soon. Thanks again. Bye. This episode is brought to you by Visible. This year is already in full swing, which means you're likely being pulled in a million different directions. Keep the new year, new me momentum going by switching to a new wireless plan from Visible. It's one line wireless with unlimited data and hotspot for $25 a month, taxes and fees included. You heard that right, $25 a month, same cost every month, all in Verizon's 5G network. It's the ultimate wireless hack to save money and still get great coverage and a reliable connection. Switch today to Visible today and cross wireless savings off your to do list. Terms apply. See visible.com for plan features and network management details.

• 9:34Amy Poehler?

  Thank you, Mary Ellen. Thanks for getting on. It's so good to see you. And let's get started with our show. Let's hear first from Maya Rudolph.

• 9:44Amy Poehler?

  One thing I wanted to bring up in that office was there was a cleaning lady. Rosa. Rosa that worked in the, on the 17th floor. Teeny tiny lady. Very teeny. And she had been there for a very long time. She had seen some shit. Yeah.

• 10:02Amy Poehler?

  And there was a moment when, would you tell the moment when we were in that office and Rosa came in?

• 10:08Speaker 02

  I think it was probably, usually if we were in that office during the day, because we were there so much at night, you know, they, we weren't keeping regular office hours, so there weren't great times for people to come in and clean and change the trashcans out and stuff. And so it was probably a read-through day, maybe like a Wednesday, and we were in there waiting for a table read to start, and someone was definitely crying. I think Emily might have been crying, because her desk in that office was close to the door, and so she had her back to the door, and she was talking to us about something that was really hard, and we were all so sleep deprived. And I just remember Rosa coming in, and she didn't speak very much English.

• 10:51Speaker 02

  But she saw what she always saw, which was she came in and she saw a few of us just sitting around talking to each other, deep in conversation, and Emily was crying, and she put her hand on Emily's shoulder, and she goes, "Oh, don't cry sexy."

• 11:09Speaker 02

  Do you remember that?

• 11:13Speaker 02

  I love it so much. It was like it was yesterday.

• 11:17Amy Poehler?

  Don't cry sexy.

• 11:17Speaker 02

  Don't cry sexy.

• 11:18Amy Poehler?

  And I highly recommend you say that to your friend when they're sad. It's really...

• 11:23Speaker 02

  Just a little.

• 11:24Amy Poehler?

  Don't cry sexy.

• 11:25Speaker 02

  Don't cry sexy.

• 11:30Amy Poehler?

  Do you want to tell everyone the first time you met Barack Obama and who you were dressed as?

• 11:35Speaker 02

  Yes, I would love to. The first time I met Barack Obama, when he was running for office, I was dressed as Shirley MacLaine.

• 11:43Speaker 02

  And...

• 11:45Amy Poehler?

  And then the second time you saw him, you were dressed as?

• 11:48Speaker 02

  Barack Obama.

• 11:53Speaker 02

  Yeah. It was a sketch that you were, you and Daryl were Hillary and Bill Clinton at a...

• 12:00Amy Poehler?

  Halloween party?

• 12:01Speaker 02

  Halloween party. And it was one that, and I remember Barack was new on the scene. Looking smooth.

• 12:11Speaker 02

  And, uh, and at that time, I think like Barack Obama masks were popular. You know, because it was like the new candidate. And, um, so the joke was gonna be that I come in like, "Wop, wop, I'm Barack Obama." And then he taps me on the shoulder with his mask and takes my mask off and everybody goes, "Oh, my God, it's the real Barack Obama." So we did that at dress and that was it.

• 12:35Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, he didn't do it to air.

• 12:36Speaker 02

  We did not do it at air, thank God.

• 12:38Amy Poehler?

  Why? Do we know why?

• 12:40Speaker 02

  I do. I mean, I did not have a take on Barack Obama at all. I didn't have-

• 12:46Amy Poehler?

  You know, I just remember you were-

• 12:48Speaker 02

  The way I was dressed?

• 12:49Amy Poehler?

  You were a teeny-

• 12:50Speaker 02

  Well, he's a very tall man, very tall handsome man.

• 12:55Amy Poehler?

  It's very fun and stressful to be dressed exactly like the person you're standing next to.

• 13:00Speaker 02

  It is so much fun. And I remember the first time we saw each other was when we were about to walk out on stage. So at dress rehearsal, there was like a little, little flag there and a door that's supposed to open. And I'm there waiting in my little Brooks Brothers suit. And I think we like bound my boobs and I had, um, I used to play Scott Joplin. And so I had my Scott Joplin wig on. And I was standing there and then-

• 13:23Amy Poehler?

  And people don't know, Maya has the cutest little, tiniest little legs from knee down.

• 13:28Speaker 02

  Just the knee down.

• 13:30Amy Poehler?

  Knee down, it's like a little-

• 13:31Speaker 02

  Little toothpick.

• 13:32Amy Poehler?

  Teeny tiny toothpick. Look at those little legs from knee down. So cute.

• 13:41Speaker 02

  Stretch. And yeah. I'm sexy.

• 13:47Amy Poehler?

  Teeny tiny, teeny tiny.

• 13:49Speaker 02

  Just from the knee down.

• 13:53Speaker 02

  They're like, like breakable, I think.

• 13:54Amy Poehler?

  I know, they're so little. So you had your little suit on.

• 13:57Speaker 02

  My little suit on. And it was teeny tiny. And then he came over. And here's the thing, I didn't, it was written then, I didn't have a good impression. Like, I was sort of like, "I'm Barack Obama." And, um, so I was standing there and then he came over and I said, "Well, what do you think?" And all he said to me was, "I don't wear a three-button suit."

• 14:23Amy Poehler?

  Damn.

• 14:24Speaker 02

  I still don't know what that means. It's like, it's like guy, that's like a guy knowledge thing.

• 14:31Amy Poehler?

  Sounds like flirting to me.

• 14:35Amy Poehler?

  Just kidding.

• 14:36Speaker 02

  No, I'm not. I will take that. I've gotten two tonight and I'm taking them home with me. I'm taking them into the Spank Bank tonight.

• 14:46Amy Poehler?

  And you have a lot of female friends.

• 14:47Speaker 03

  I do.

• 14:48Amy Poehler?

  Great, like a great number. I count myself as one of them. Women in your life who are your friend, who you're deeply tender to and very like, you really like, take care of us and you care about us. And you, like, I mean, you're the only, you and Shoemaker are the only men that are ever allowed, even close to, a lot of the SNL women, we gather together as a group. And just recently, we let you sit with us for 30 minutes.

• 15:14Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 15:16Amy Poehler?

  And then we said, I think, maybe it was Tina, but...

• 15:20Speaker 03

  Tina said, "Thank you for coming and also thank you for leaving."

• 15:22Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. Well, on the way there, I said, "Seth, heads up, we're meeting and I think you have about a half an hour window." And you said, "Fine, I'll take that." And then we sat down at the steakhouse and you hung, and then Tina said, "And now it's time to go."

• 15:38Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 15:38Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 15:39Speaker 03

  It was, can I point out my favorite observations about you guys as a group?

• 15:43Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 15:44Speaker 03

  You needed a second table for all your jackets and every one of you had two totes.

• 15:52Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 15:52Speaker 03

  And most of the meal, again, I think if people saw the seven women that were there, they would be like, "Oh, my God, how funny was it?" And I would say, "Mostly, they were looking through their totes."

• 16:07Speaker 03

  And at no point were less than two people looking through a tote for something.

• 16:13Amy Poehler?

  Well, yeah, because we had put it in the other tote.

• 16:15Speaker 03

  Comedy legends.

• 16:17Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 16:17Speaker 03

  Rustling through totes.

• 16:19Amy Poehler?

  And it was like, and it was a lot of, "Hand me my tote." And it was like, "Is this my tote?"

• 16:23Speaker 03

  Lot of matching totes.

• 16:24Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think we had gotten some totes.

• 16:26Speaker 03

  Matching totes and puffy coats is how I would describe it. It was, I mean, it was the SNL 50th week and it was very cold.

• 16:31Amy Poehler?

  It was.

• 16:32Speaker 03

  But it was...

• 16:33Amy Poehler?

  Also, we were all dealing with like, a lot of temperature. So, our bodies, you know, we're of a certain age. We get hot and cold really fast. So, it was a lot of putting on coats, taking off coats.

• 16:41Speaker 03

  It was a lot.

• 16:42Amy Poehler?

  And a lot of like, "Oh, my, I'm so hot!" And then taking the coat off and then handing it to you to put at the table.

• 16:46Speaker 03

  Every coat was louder than the next coat. Just when you moved the coat,

• 16:50Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm.

• 16:51Speaker 03

  It was like the sail of a schooner, which are like...

• 16:58Speaker 03

  Very hard to hear any conversation due to the rustling.

• 17:01Amy Poehler?

  Which is weird because we were shouting at each other. We do shout at each other across the table very loudly.

• 17:06Speaker 03

  Yeah. Also Paula within, Paula Pell.

• 17:09Amy Poehler?

  Yep.

• 17:09Speaker 03

  Within like five seconds had set up a home office at a third table.

• 17:12Amy Poehler?

  She, you're right. She went, she got a third table because she had to do some rewrites. It was during the show week.

• 17:18Speaker 03

  Real time rewrites on SNL 50th. She was immediately had like a laptop and also like a TV monitor.

• 17:25Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 17:25Speaker 03

  Hooked up.

• 17:26Amy Poehler?

  There's also, when we all go out, there's a ton of food panic.

• 17:29Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 17:29Amy Poehler?

  When are we going to get our food? Who ordered? What should we order? And we all fall into very specific categories about like how fast we should order and, and.

• 17:39Speaker 03

  There was a lot of talk about what you guys were going to get. And as soon as the server came over, the minute they spoke, everybody forgot everything that had been agreed upon.

• 17:48Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 17:49Speaker 03

  And, uh.

• 17:49Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 17:50Speaker 03

  Cause it went right back to square one.

• 17:51Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. And don't forget, you know, I'm a woman of a certain age. I need like 85 grams of protein a day. So we were just like, how many steaks? Do we, we need to get like 40 steaks?

• 18:01Speaker 03

  They put us in a private room where you could have a wedding. That's how big it was.

• 18:07Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. They knew what they were dealing with.

• 18:09Speaker 03

  And yet within like 10 minutes, I thought we might need a second room. The sprawl.

• 18:14Amy Poehler?

  Well, luckily in 10 minutes, we asked you to leave because it was enough time.

• 18:20Speaker 03

  It was so, it was so much, you did that putting on and taking off coats. Sometimes I think of an SNL sketch just at the table. That for whatever reason stays with me forever. Do you remember Fred did a sketch once where he was someone at a dinner party who kept taking off?

• 18:37Amy Poehler?

  A scarf?

• 18:38Speaker 03

  Putting on a scarf. Yeah.

• 18:38Amy Poehler?

  Yes. The longest scarf.

• 18:40Speaker 03

  Really long scarf. And he kept being like, oh my God, it's so hot. And he would take it off and it was like, he had to like loop it around his head and he had a practical scarf. And he looped it around his head like 10 times while everybody waited. And then he'd start telling a story. He's like, oh my God, it gets so chilly. And then just looping.

• 18:56Speaker 03

  I think about it all the time.

• 18:57Amy Poehler?

  Did it make it on air?

• 18:58Speaker 03

  No.

• 18:58Amy Poehler?

  No.

• 18:59Speaker 03

  But I can't, I think about it all the time.

• 19:01Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm.

• 19:01Speaker 03

  Also, Fred, I think Anilda was his, do you remember his stenographer, court stenographer character?

• 19:06Amy Poehler?

  Oh, yeah.

• 19:08Speaker 03

  And it was-

• 19:08Amy Poehler?

  They had a name?

• 19:09Speaker 03

  I think-

• 19:10Amy Poehler?

  His court stenographer had a name?

• 19:11Speaker 03

  I think Anilda.

• 19:12Amy Poehler?

  Anilda?

• 19:13Speaker 03

  I think, I'm not sure.

• 19:14Amy Poehler?

  Okay.

• 19:15Speaker 03

  Typed like this.

• 19:16Amy Poehler?

  Kind of a little bit like this.

• 19:17Speaker 03

  It was a lot like that. But also paused the trial a lot to look through her bag.

• 19:24Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm.

• 19:25Speaker 03

  And just would say over and over, "I can't find my chapstick." "I can't find my chapstick." I would say I don't see a scarf without thinking about the first one, or hear somebody say chapstick without thinking about the second.

• 19:35Amy Poehler?

  Fred Armisen is like, we talk about him all the time on here, like, he is truly like the funniest of the funny people, I think.

• 19:44Amy Poehler?

  Fred can do these physical things, the slightest-

• 19:47Speaker 04

  There is no one funnier than Fred.

• 19:48Amy Poehler?

  I agree.

• 19:48Speaker 04

  This is what Fred said to me at the end of the-

• 19:50Amy Poehler?

  Fred Armisen for everybody listening.

• 19:52Speaker 04

  This is what, first of all, this is visual, but every, his dressing room was beside me. So, I would pass his room and he'd be on his phone, I'd say, "Hey Fred," and he'd go-

• 20:05Speaker 04

  "See, Fred, you're not really asleep." "Oh, hi, how long have you been here?" "Fred, I just saw you on the-" And the other thing he did, which he completely convinced me was true, was when I left the stage after the good nights, he said, "Why did you call Paul McCartney Tony McCartney?"

• 20:27Speaker 04

  I said, "I wa- what?"

• 20:31Speaker 04

  "Yeah, I mean, you said, 'Oh, Tony McCartney.'"

• 20:35Speaker 04

  And because I didn't know Paul was standing beside me, I thought, "Did I?" And-

• 20:41Amy Poehler?

  You're such a funny-

• 20:43Speaker 04

  Then I told Bill Hader this, and Bill told Fred, and then Fred sent me a text like a couple days ago. "Sorry, I thought you knew that was a joke." I literally thought I said Tony McCartney.

• 20:51Amy Poehler?

  That would've been great.

• 20:52Speaker 04

  The stupidest thing in the world.

• 20:54Amy Poehler?

  Tony McCartney.

• 20:54Speaker 04

  Tony McCartney? I wish I said it, of course, you know? Not knowing Paul's name.

• 20:58Amy Poehler?

  Fred used to send me long texts about his flight schedule, like, when he was arriving, what airport, what time to get picked up, as if I was picking him up from the airport.

• 21:07Speaker 04

  Yeah, I know.

• 21:08Amy Poehler?

  He is so deeply funny. He also does a bit that I love, where if you haven't seen him for a long time at a party, and you go, "Hey Fred," he goes, "Hi, how are you?" Like, he pretends you're just a fan bothering him.

• 21:17Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 21:18Amy Poehler?

  He's so funny. He loves a bit.

• 21:20Speaker 04

  He does a million of them too, and everyone's funny.

• 21:24Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 21:26Amy Poehler?

  I mean, that's what's so funny about the stuff that we do is like, nobody remembers the 10 to 1 versions of things that were just stinkers.

• 21:36Speaker 05

  Always. Crazy stuff. Stuff where I was mad that it would get cut and then I would go back and be like, oh, my God, there's nothing here. Like, I was just running on fumes. Like, why was I so mad? It was just because like, it was literally as much as like, I exist too. I want to be on the show too.

• 21:54Amy Poehler?

  Emily Spivey and I wrote a scene one night that we thought was so funny. And it was just about these two giant, like, trucks, like, truck drivers, who would come up next to each other and keep telling the other one to honk it.

• 22:07Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 22:08Amy Poehler?

  And it was like, honk it, honk it, and just telling the other one to honk it. And we were like, oh, we were dying. And we turned it in like, you know, 8:45 a.m. And Shoemaker was like, we're not doing Honk It. And we were like, what?

• 22:23Speaker 05

  We already made t-shirts.

• 22:25Amy Poehler?

  And he was like, we can't, we can't produce Honk It. We can't get two giant, like, you know, you know, we can't get two cabs. And also, like, you guys, we were like, 35 sketches over. And like, you turn this in at 8:45 and it's like, and we were like, justice for Honk It. Like, we were still, we were so mad.

• 22:42Speaker 05

  So just to be clear, you're not gonna let us read Honk It?

• 22:50Amy Poehler?

  Okay. Okay.

• 22:51Speaker 05

  Noted.

• 22:52Amy Poehler?

  Looking forward to having an employer that supports Honk It.

• 22:56Speaker 05

  Fucking noted.

• 22:57Amy Poehler?

  Looking forward in the future to working with someone who understands Honk It and what it means to us.

• 23:03Speaker 05

  Oh, my God.

• 23:05Speaker 06

  The thing that made me laugh the hardest most recently was this clip of Bobby Moynihan from, they did these really great SNL documentaries, and it was a documentary about auditioning for SNL. And it was people, and you were in it, you were great in it. And they talked to people about the process of auditioning, and then they show them their audition back. And people get emotional, people, you know, they've never seen it or they're like, oh, my gosh, this is from 50 years ago or whatever. And they showed, they made Bobby watch his audition back. And he's doing a character that's in his audition that's just beyond inappropriate. And he's watching it, and he's watching it, and he goes, oh, no. And then he just goes, oh Bobby.

• 23:49Speaker 06

  And the way he says, oh Bobby, the way he calls himself by name is so gentle and so, it made me laugh so hard. And I, I think it should be the TikTok sound that people play. Like when you have to, you have to see a piece of comedy that you're like, okay, we did, we, we realize now that that's not okay. You just show the content and just hear Bobby, hear the voice of Bobby going, oh Bobby. And that's how you apologize for problematic content in the past. You just put the oh Bobby sound over it and it means, I see it. I'm sorry.

• 24:20Amy Poehler?

  Mm hmm.

• 24:20Speaker 06

  Let's all move forward.

• 24:21Amy Poehler?

  I know better now.

• 24:23Speaker 06

  I know better now.

• 24:24Amy Poehler?

  I do better now.

• 24:24Speaker 06

  I'm an ally who makes mistakes.

• 24:26Amy Poehler?

  Oh Bobby.

• 24:27Speaker 06

  Oh Bobby. Oh Bobby. That really made me laugh. I couldn't stop watching it.

• 24:32Amy Poehler?

  You can make that, get that audio. You should trademark that audio and make merch. Well, you could have been a cast member.

• 24:40Speaker 07

  No, I don't think I could. I don't think I could handle it week in and week out.

• 24:43Amy Poehler?

  100% disagree.

• 24:45Speaker 07

  Once every 20 years is more my speed for that gig.

• 24:50Amy Poehler?

  But you could have, I mean, did you ever audition or want to audition?

• 24:53Speaker 07

  Cause you were in. I did want to audition, but then I didn't audition. I had an idea in mind that I never went and followed through with, but um.

• 25:01Amy Poehler?

  You had, what do you mean? You had an idea?

• 25:03Speaker 07

  Well, I had, I don't want to repeat it because now it really sounds stupid in my mind. But my audition was going to be basically, I was going to be a superhero that I created. I don't remember what it was called, but it was like a combination of the Hulk and maybe it was just the Hulk. It was, I was going to come in as the Hulk and just jump around and do like this weird slow motion kind of performance art dance where I would crush things with my foot and then do like a mimed, the earth is cracking. It was not, I was not going to get in and I knew that. But I had practiced it in the mirror in my living room a few times, but I never pulled the trigger.

• 25:43Amy Poehler?

  You didn't?

• 25:44Speaker 07

  No.

• 25:45Amy Poehler?

  How come? Like, did you get an audition and you just didn't do it? Or you like, it's, I'm, I'm fascinated by because. Also, I'm interested in that story because that is a little bit of sabotage.

• 25:56Speaker 07

  Yeah.

• 25:57Amy Poehler?

  Maybe there was a party that didn't want to be on it.

• 25:59Speaker 07

  Well, that's the constant, uh, uh, battle is the fear of failure.

• 26:04Amy Poehler?

  Totally.

• 26:04Speaker 07

  Sometimes you're up for the battle and sometimes you're just like, uh, pass.

• 26:08Amy Poehler?

  Um, okay. Do you remember, um, uh, Boys Night Out?

• 26:12Speaker 07

  Yes.

• 26:13Amy Poehler?

  Do you remember?

• 26:14Speaker 07

  The sketch that didn't make it on SNL when I was there with you.

• 26:17Amy Poehler?

  Yes, Emily Spivey and I wrote a sketch called Boys Night Out and it was Jack waiting for the boys to arrive and, and he, they never showed up and just kept ordering more wings. But there was a song, do you remember the song to it?

• 26:27Speaker 07

  Boys Night Out, uh, Boys Night Out. Now we're really rocking and the chicks are all a squawking 'cause I'm talking about a Boys Night Out. You never forget a song like that.

• 26:43Amy Poehler?

  Thank you so much. That's all I needed to hear.

• 26:50Speaker 08

  I'm pro football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins and I lived for a long time with something I did not know the name of, major depressive disorder. I carried sadness and anger because I thought I could handle it alone, but I couldn't. Now I want to make sure others know that that support is out there. If you're experiencing similar symptoms, talk to a healthcare professional. Visit MDDAllies.com to watch my story.

• 27:15Speaker 09

  Paid partnership with Johnson & Johnson. Brian Dawkins has not prescribed Caplyta lumateperone.

• 27:20Speaker 10

  This little light of mine, in the dark, found a hopeful sign.

• 27:27Speaker 11

  I needed more from my antidepressant, so my doctor added Caplyta lumateperone. Proven to provide greater relief from depression symptoms than an antidepressant alone. Building on my progress without starting over. Caplyta is for adults with major depressive disorder when used with an antidepressant and is available by prescription only. Individual results may vary. In clinical trials, weight gain was not common.

• 27:47Speaker 09

  Elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. Caplyta is not approved for dementia-related psychosis. Call your doctor about new or sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts right away. Antidepressants may increase these risks. Report fever, confusion, stiff muscles, which may be life-threatening. Or uncontrolled muscle movements, which may be permanent. High cholesterol and weight gain may occur, as can high blood sugar, which may be fatal. Monitoring is recommended. Common side effects are sleepiness, dizziness, nausea, dry mouth, feeling tired, and diarrhea. These aren't all the side effects.

• 28:14Speaker 11

  Ask your doctor about Caplyta. Learn more at caplyta.com or call 888-252-4824.

• 28:20Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by American Airlines. You'd think sitting on a plane with just a couple of hours between you and your vacation would be reward enough, but American Airlines said, what if we gave them even more? With the American Airlines Advantage Program, you earn miles not only when you fly, but with thousands of your favorite brands, and then redeem those miles for flights, upgrades, and experiences worldwide. That, and Advantage members also enjoy earlier boarding and free high-speed Wi-Fi in-flight. Join for free and start earning towards your next adventure at aa.com/amy. This episode is brought to you by Subaru. There's something about being on the road that has a way of leading to those unexpectedly

• 29:05Amy Poehler?

  memorable little moments. And in the all-new 2026 Subaru Hybrid, it's like the destination isn't even important, it's the drive, baby. And let me tell you, I'm in that car and I feel like a million bucks. Quiet ride, comfortable, love my Subaru, can't get enough. With up to 581 miles in the Subaru Forester Hybrid, and even more, 597 in the Crosstrek Hybrid, you can go further between stops and stay in the moment longer. Visit subaru.com/hybrid to learn more. The Subaru Forester Hybrid and Crosstrek Hybrid, love goes the extra mile.

• 29:43Speaker 12

  Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease symptoms don't pause for the moments that matter. That's why understanding your treatment options matters. Discover what's possible with Trinphaya. Guselkumap. Trinphaya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Serious allergic reactions, increased risk of infections, or lower ability to fight them and liver problems may occur. Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, or need a vaccine. Talk to your doctor and explore what's possible, or call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more about Trinphaya, and visit trinphyradio.com.

• 30:31Amy Poehler?

  Do you remember the first scene on SNL that like you got were getting laughs and you thought like it's working like that felt like

• 30:38Speaker 13

  No. Um, gosh, I don't remember the first because I remember the first few times I got on like I wasn't even I like left my body. So I don't remember like this is going really well. I was just like, I'm on like that kind of thing.

• 30:53Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 30:54Speaker 13

  Well, the first very first show I wasn't in like the, you know, season premiere, whatever.

• 31:02Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 31:03Speaker 13

  And like you've told all your friends like I'm on and everyone's watching it but your scene gets cut like it does. And then the next week, the same thing happened. Scene got cut. So it was like the third week.

• 31:12Amy Poehler?

  Who was the host, do you remember?

• 31:14Speaker 13

  The one that I got on was, uh, I should know this. Oh, my God. Well, I know the first one was Jerry Seinfeld, then it was Norm MacDonald, and then it was, and does not compute. Oh, my God, I don't remember.

• 31:25Amy Poehler?

  Well, it's funny. The brain remembers trauma. So you remember the two shows that you weren't on.

• 31:31Speaker 13

  Dana Carvey? I'm gonna have to go look.

• 31:35Amy Poehler?

  They're gonna do those three guys in a row. What year was it, Dratchy?

• 31:38Speaker 13

  It was 1999, third episode.

• 31:40Amy Poehler?

  Okay, this will be a fun game.

• 31:42Speaker 13

  Dana Carvey?

• 31:43Amy Poehler?

  Okay, I'm gonna and I'm gonna have you guess the musical guest because that's always fun, too.

• 31:46Speaker 13

  Oh, my God, see?

• 31:47Amy Poehler?

  So 1999, I don't remember anything.

• 31:50Speaker 13

  No.

• 31:51Amy Poehler?

  1999 SNL hosts. And don't worry, we're gonna keep all the same.

• 31:56Speaker 13

  But let me tell you one cool thing, though. Let me tell. I just heard that. Wait, let me tell you one cool thing, though.

• 32:01Amy Poehler?

  Please.

• 32:02Speaker 13

  Please. Um, the very first musical guest was David Bowie.

• 32:09Amy Poehler?

  Oh.

• 32:10Speaker 13

  And when I was, I've told this before, but when I was getting my photo taken for like the very first opening credits, like it was on the stage, you know, like in 8H, and David Bowie was, it was Thursday, he was rehearsing with the band. So like I'm getting my picture taken and he's right over there singing Rebel Rebel.

• 32:27Amy Poehler?

  Oh.

• 32:28Speaker 13

  I mean, I have chills every time I think about that because that was just like, I mean, I don't even have words for like the surrealness.

• 32:37Amy Poehler?

  That's a very, that's like to have a soundtrack of that moment for your life and it's David Bowie playing live.

• 32:43Speaker 13

  It's David Bowie, icon, yeah. So I remember that.

• 32:46Amy Poehler?

  Should we tell the Black Crow story?

• 32:48Speaker 13

  Okay, so one time, so I don't do drugs at all.

• 32:57Speaker 13

  So that one time, the Black Crows were the musical guest. And someone in the Instagram came up to me, he's like, hey, do you want?

• 33:08Speaker 13

  That's my drug off her voice. Hey, do you want, um, whatever you call it.

• 33:15Amy Poehler?

  Joint?

• 33:16Speaker 13

  Not a joint, but just like a hit off a joint.

• 33:18Amy Poehler?

  I see.

• 33:19Speaker 13

  And I was, I don't know, I got tried a couple times, it's never really worked, I've never really dug it. And then I was like, okay, sure. So I took like one puff off of this Black Crows, am I gonna get sued? The Black Crows pot.

• 33:35Amy Poehler?

  You took a hit off the Black Crows pot?

• 33:38Speaker 13

  I took a hit off the Black Crows pot. And my cousin was visiting me, my cousin Zach, and I came back to the table and I was like, oh, I guess this is like, I'm really high right now. And I was so embarrassed because like, it was my little cousin.

• 33:57Speaker 13

  And I never, ever, ever get high. And then I came back and I was kind of like, I don't really remember if I told him or not.

• 34:05Amy Poehler?

  Oh, he didn't, he might not have even known.

• 34:07Speaker 13

  I don't even know, but um, that was my one like.

• 34:10Amy Poehler?

  I remember you telling me you couldn't get up from your chair.

• 34:12Speaker 13

  Oh, I don't remember that, but it's possible, it's possible.

• 34:15Amy Poehler?

  That you were kind of stuck.

• 34:15Speaker 13

  I was just like, really like, anyway. And that's why I don't do drugs.

• 34:22Amy Poehler?

  I mean.

• 34:23Speaker 13

  No, I'm just not into that feeling, I guess, but.

• 34:25Amy Poehler?

  No, you're not into that feeling.

• 34:26Speaker 13

  Only if it's from the Black Crows. And then, yes, Chris, Chris Robinson, call me, call me.

• 34:37Amy Poehler?

  And then when you were at SNL, like, I feel like we got, I was thinking today about all the stuff we got to do together. And we got to do a lot of dumb.

• 34:46Speaker 13

  So fun.

• 34:47Amy Poehler?

  So fun stuff.

• 34:47Speaker 13

  Oh, my gosh.

• 34:48Amy Poehler?

  And, but, you know, and I was thinking, it was like, I mean, in many ways, I wish we had, I wish we had more time together when I was more experienced there because I was new and kind of stressed. And I felt like I loosened up more and figured out how to like, just have more fun as, as I got older there.

• 35:07Speaker 13

  Yeah, yeah.

• 35:09Amy Poehler?

  But we did get to do some fun stuff together.

• 35:11Speaker 13

  First of all, you were in the original Debbie Downer, and that was so fun. I mean, just to be laughing there with you.

• 35:18Amy Poehler?

  Well, you bring this up, and, you know, I ask this question to people on this podcast, and I truly feel like it is because of Debbie Downer that I ask this question. Again, I owe you a lot of money. And thank you for, thank you for building this podcast with me.

• 35:32Amy Poehler?

  But Debbie Downer, I've said it many times before, was and is the thing that I go to, also maybe now replaced by the clip.

• 35:41Speaker 13

  The clip.

• 35:41Amy Poehler?

  The clip of this podcast.

• 35:42Speaker 13

  I watch the clip a lot of times. And I just wanted to clarify, I don't go like, watch my work. Like, I don't go watch, like, a movie I did, because I just like to have it in my head. But that, it's like I said, it was like, seeing your biggest crack up.

• 35:56Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 35:57Speaker 13

  And it's just like, I have to laugh every time I watch it.

• 35:59Amy Poehler?

  Me too. And Debbie Downer was like that for me during very dark times, because it was the combination of us all having fun, you, your, like, the way in which you were physically trying to hold it together, like, the way, like, the laugh was like, um, something you were trying to hold in, combined with the zoom in. And the sound effect.

• 36:28Speaker 13

  And we've watched it so many times, like, Emily Spivey knows every single, she's like, this is the part where your lip starts quivering, because there's one part at the very beginning I'm going, get, get, get, get, get, get.

• 36:38Speaker 13

  And then there's the part where something falls backstage, and I look away, like, how I start over there, like, we know every single moment.

• 36:44Amy Poehler?

  It is, it's like this Pruder film, like, frame by frame.

• 36:48Speaker 13

  Yes.

• 36:48Amy Poehler?

  And it proves, it just, it got me, it's such a serotonin boost. Before we move on, talk to us about the, like, who did you write Debbie Downer with? And how did it start?

• 36:59Speaker 13

  Like, the origin of it?

• 37:00Amy Poehler?

  Yes, the origin of, people will want to know.

• 37:02Speaker 13

  So, um, well, it really started because I went on a vacation by myself.

• 37:10Speaker 13

  That had been suggested to me by a therapist.

• 37:14Speaker 13

  And I often leave that detail out. But since I'm on this one-on-one Amy interview. No, I said it like once or twice, but usually I leave that part out for the masses. But, um, no, uh, not like this. Number one podcast masses.

• 37:30Speaker 13

  But no, she was, she just like, she kept saying like, take a trip for herself. And I was like, why? Like, I don't want to do that. I could go with friends. Like, I don't want. And I just kind of took it as like, doctor's orders. Like, I just sort of like, I'm doing this. And I like self-propelled myself to the jungles of Costa Rica.

• 37:52Speaker 13

  No, but I wanted to pick somewhere that it wasn't going to be like honeymooners. And like, I wanted to pick somewhere that was like, ma- just like, I don't know. Somewhere kind of remote, I guess. So it was like very remote. It was in the Osa Peninsula. You had to take like the big plane, then you take the smaller plane. Then you take the two-hour Jeep drive. I mean, I was going deep out of society.

• 38:13Speaker 13

  And each time, they were like, it was like Barbara Patti one. Well, no, so I picked this, it was like this eco lodge thing. So I went there and, um, and then it was just like a, it was, so there was like these commun- it wasn't like a lot of people there. And it was actually really cool. Like, and I did meet really cool people. And, um, I met these two sisters that like, they were older, but they're like my age right now. But, um, I mean, the age I'm now. And they were sort of like, they sort of told me like the rudimentary, uh, fundamentals of what is later known as the secret. Like, did I tell you? When I was on this trip. People should know, Dratch knew the secret before anyone knew the secret. And I learned it from the jungles of Costa Rica, from two white ladies that were from Colorado.

• 38:56Speaker 13

  But anyway, so, so, so they, like, they were just weird, you know, because you're like chatting. And I gotta say, like, hats off to the suggestion, because I never would have talked to strangers if I was with friends. Right. You know? Right. So I'm like having this conversation and these women were telling me about like, you know, basically like what's the law of attraction, I guess. But they put it like, you know, if you, if you think on- Positive things, positive. And if you're focusing on lack, you'll attract lack, basically. But then, it almost like, the whole thing got like sealed, because then, we were on this like, you know, you could do like, nature walks, or whatever, and we were on this like, walk on the beach, like with the little like, it wasn't like a group, it was like, whoever's here and wants to go on this thing.

• 39:37Speaker 13

  And this woman was saying like, there were these like, beautiful birds overhead, these like, scarlet macaws. And this like, way up in the sky, and this woman goes, "I want a feather to bring home for my daughter." And I swear, like, 20 seconds later, from like, way, way up high, this feather starts to just go, bloop, bloop, bloop, like falls down, we all like, kind of see it, like, bloop, bloop, bloop, and it lands like, right at her feet. Whoa. Amy doesn't believe in any of this stuff. I do, that's cool. That's cool, that's cool. I believe in manifesting. That was cool, though. So then I was just like, sold. I'll join your cult.

• 40:17Speaker 13

  No, but then, okay, this isn't anything about Debbie Downer, this is just other stuff on that trip. But anyway, but then, the Debbie Downer story is, that when later, it was like, sitting at dinner, like you're with randos that are there, and people just making chit chat, and someone said like, "Where are you from?" And I said, "New York." And then they said like, "Oh, were you there for 9/11?"

• 40:40Speaker 13

  And it was like, three years after 9/11. It wasn't like, it just happened. It was kind of, and then I was kind of like, uh, yeah, and then, like, it's kind of like, just like in Debbie Downer, you had to like, get the conversation back, because it was like, vacation times. Right. And then like, about a week later, after I got home, I was like, out listening to some band, which isn't something I usually do, but I think that's kind of interesting, because like, doing something you don't usually do, and then your brain is kind of like, I don't know, you're not on your usual channels, I guess. Yeah. But then, I just had that idea of this, kind of based on that, like, so, like, a Debbie Downer popped into my head. Yes. And then... Which, this is kind of just talking creativity.

• 41:23Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 41:24Speaker 13

  I found at SNL, you couldn't just go in there and like, okay, let's think of a scene. Like, it had to be like moments like that, like. And to me, that only happened like once or twice a year, which is why like, you might sit there at home and be like, why isn't there like, like SNL, man? But it's like thinking of really original characters that kind of like hit on something. It's not something you can like steer the ship on. It's like, to me, like, it has to like vibe out with you.

• 41:51Amy Poehler?

  Yes, you have to be like, you have to, to your point, you have to like, keep the channel open and be like, find the muse and like, let it find you. It just can't be like churned out.

• 42:00Speaker 13

  Exactly.

• 42:00Amy Poehler?

  And how, and then what do you do?

• 42:02Speaker 13

  Then I took it to Paula Pell, who we wrote with often and is hilarious. And everyone knows Paula now because I love Paula's like out there more in front of the camera. But, um, but anyway, and then we were on writing night, we were trying to write it. We set it in an office and it just kind of wasn't really flowing. We, it just wasn't really jiving. And then we were like, maybe we need to put her somewhere really happy. So then we thought of Disney World, of course, happiest place on earth. And then, and then while we were writing it, like when, like, of course Paula was cracking me up with these one liners and everything. And then we started just going like, like just for ourselves. And then we were like, what if we put that in the scene?

• 42:37Amy Poehler?

  Oh.

• 42:38Speaker 13

  With the actual trombone sound. So then for read through, we had, I don't remember if we had like the live person or someone just had done it. But then at read through, like it killed, but then you never know, because sometimes something can kill at the table. And then when we were in dress rehearsal, Jimmy and Horatio were kind of laughing. And I was thinking like, you guys, like, I feel like this could work, like.

• 42:57Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 42:58Speaker 13

  Keep it together, guys. And then like on air, I just flubbed one of the lines. And then I didn't even know, I guess I was like so nervous.

• 43:05Amy Poehler?

  Sure.

• 43:06Speaker 13

  And then we all started laughing.

• 43:08Amy Poehler?

  You, but thankfully you just like, like, like the good Pisces fish, like you just like, you went along for the, like, it was, it's so joyous watching it because it is just the com, it's like what real live TV is supposed to feel like. Okay, well, you've talked about this and I've heard you talk about it and it really made me laugh. For the first sketch you were in at SNL was-

• 43:32Speaker 14

  Oh, yeah. When you, right?

• 43:35Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 43:36Speaker 14

  Were pregnant in the butt.

• 43:38Amy Poehler?

  My character was pregnant.

• 43:40Speaker 14

  Your character. But it's funny because back it up even to like-

• 43:45Amy Poehler?

  My first pitch.

• 43:47Speaker 14

  Because that was JB's move.

• 43:49Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 43:49Speaker 14

  The great writer and performer JB's move.

• 43:51Amy Poehler?

  The great everything.

• 43:52Speaker 14

  Yeah.

• 43:53Amy Poehler?

  The best pitcher.

• 43:54Speaker 14

  Incredible. And he pitched this thing where you were pregnant in the butt and everyone was laughing. And I didn't know that like he just does like funny pitches.

• 44:01Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 44:02Speaker 14

  And he wrote it?

• 44:03Amy Poehler?

  I think-

• 44:04Speaker 14

  And it got on-

• 44:04Amy Poehler?

  And he often, JB, I think you often pitch stuff that maybe you weren't gonna write.

• 44:09Speaker 14

  Yes. Oh, no, I always pitched stuff I wasn't gonna write.

• 44:11Amy Poehler?

  Same. That was kind of the thing. On Monday night, you would be like, um, and you'd just kind of bullshit your way to get a laugh. And then you'd be like, okay, now I really have to buckle down. But I think because the response was so funny, JB was like, I should-

• 44:22Speaker 14

  I gotta write this? That's the other thing. And you're like, I wasn't really gonna write that thing.

• 44:26Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 44:26Speaker 14

  It was my very first sketch.

• 44:30Speaker 14

  Jason Lee.

• 44:31Amy Poehler?

  Jason Lee was the host.

• 44:32Speaker 14

  Foo Fighters.

• 44:33Amy Poehler?

  Yes. Foo Fighters.

• 44:35Speaker 14

  Foo Fighters. I did say that.

• 44:37Amy Poehler?

  Foo Fighters? Ah!

• 44:40Speaker 14

  I'm so happy that was my first sketch.

• 44:43Amy Poehler?

  That was your first sketch. And do you remember the first like, I mean, the first character? You have so many, but do you remember the first one that was a recurring that you thought, was it Target Lady? Like where you felt like, oh, I'm gonna get to do this again? Like I have some kind of-

• 44:56Speaker 14

  I don't know.

• 44:57Amy Poehler?

  I know. Was it A-holes with Sidakis?

• 44:59Speaker 14

  It might. It was either A-holes or Target Lady. Yeah.

• 45:02Amy Poehler?

  I mean, for people who don't remember, you know, Kristen has done so many characters. I mean, we could talk about them all day, but there was Target Lady, who was of course very, very excited about things getting approved.

• 45:15Speaker 14

  Yes.

• 45:16Amy Poehler?

  And had an incredible haircut. Great wigs.

• 45:18Speaker 14

  Yeah, thank you.

• 45:19Amy Poehler?

  Incredible wig. And then another great wig and another character was A-holes, which is Sidakis, Jason Sidakis. And you guys were kind of like, just like the worst people to show up anywhere.

• 45:29Speaker 14

  Yeah. Yeah.

• 45:30Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. And you did a great move where you would play with your hair and chew gum.

• 45:36Speaker 14

  Real simple.

• 45:39Amy Poehler?

  There's so many funny characters that I want to talk about, but I won't embarrass you by going through them. But I've said this to you before. My favorite character is the surprise lady.

• 45:49Speaker 14

  Thanks. That's one of my favorites.

• 45:51Amy Poehler?

  I love her. I love her for a million reasons. I love her because the way you play her is so funny. I love her wig, fantastic wig. Always in a turtleneck.

• 46:00Speaker 14

  Always. Well, she had died in it.

• 46:03Amy Poehler?

  She had died in it. That's right. That's right. Did you? Did you?

• 46:09Speaker 14

  I think it was in the script that we pulled it over. Yes.

• 46:15Speaker 14

  And when I say that was one of my favorites, that comes from doing it.

• 46:19Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 46:20Speaker 14

  Like, I like being in a sketch where there's a lot of people and there are moments where everyone is looking around, like, what is going on? I love that moment.

• 46:33Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 46:34Speaker 14

  I love a cut to Keenan just...

• 46:38Amy Poehler?

  Like, we gotta get out of here. Like, this lady is nuts.

• 46:42Speaker 14

  It's my favorite thing.

• 46:42Amy Poehler?

  That actually would be a really good way to sum up a lot of your characters.

• 46:45Speaker 14

  Oh, yeah. And most of my sketches, if you go back and look, like, no, you gotta cut to people being weirded out by me to remind the audience that.

• 46:54Amy Poehler?

  But why I love the surprise lady so much is because there's a lot of wig in it, I think, because she is nervous but excited. And she loves a party. And she cannot wait to deliver that good news. She can't wait. And the physicality of her and the way... So funny. God, I just watch clips of it all the time.

• 47:21Speaker 14

  I love it.

• 47:22Amy Poehler?

  Yes. I love it so much. It's so funny and stupid. Funny and stupid.

• 47:28Speaker 14

  Yes.

• 47:28Amy Poehler?

  Which is the best.

• 47:29Speaker 14

  Which we know is the highest praise in comedy.

• 47:31Amy Poehler?

  Agree. Like, the more people go, "Ugh."

• 47:35Speaker 14

  "Oh, that's so dumb."

• 47:36Amy Poehler?

  "That's so dumb." And you're like, "Yay, I did it."

• 47:42Amy Poehler?

  For people that didn't see the SNL 50th music special, which was amazing, there was like sketches in between acts and a lot of musical sketches. And Bobby and Marty came out and crushed. That was not an easy audience. It was an audience of truly every single person was either performing or a performer, or like it was a cynical audience.

• 48:06Speaker 15

  Yeah.

• 48:07Amy Poehler?

  You guys crushed. What was that feeling to do that that night?

• 48:13Speaker 15

  It was so fun, for lack of a better word. Like, it was so... There was something, you know, as you go back to these reunions and you bring all of your kind of history and baggage and whatever with you. Again, kind of speaking to your point of the fact that this is all just so embarrassing. Because first of all, like, it's Radio City Music Hall. It's 6,000 seats. I mean, it's a huge epic space.

• 48:42Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 48:43Speaker 15

  We followed Lauryn Hill.

• 48:45Amy Poehler?

  Sure. That's who you want to follow.

• 48:48Speaker 15

  So, you have to understand that in the wings,

• 48:50Amy Poehler?

  That's right.

• 48:51Speaker 15

  there are like thousands of cool music people. I mean, like, my dressing room was next to Jack White and his band. And I'm dressed as Bobby Mohan Culp, okay? I've got the giant glasses and my like striped dress. And Will's got his bald paint and his, you know, we're rehearsing in the keyboards. So, already, we're like the losers in the wings. Do you know what I mean?

• 49:14Amy Poehler?

  I mean, the winners for me, but yes.

• 49:15Speaker 15

  It was fantastic.

• 49:16Amy Poehler?

  I mean, actually, you're like, you've got the violin and you've got the eye patch.

• 49:19Speaker 15

  100%. And so, we're already just like, what is happening? What is happening? Why are we here? And who invited us? You know, and then we just started to giggle because we... We... It was so cute because we... Doing the sketch and doing that, we just, it was very easy to imagine how excited Bobby and Marty, the people would have been to be at Radio City.

• 49:42Amy Poehler?

  And what was it like back, what was it like back then? Did you see Jack White? Who else are you seeing?

• 49:47Speaker 15

  Mayhem, I mean mayhem, like posses and people with like, you know, music people. So they got like-

• 49:51Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, they're so cool.

• 49:52Speaker 15

  Big, cool hair and glasses and like Lauryn Hill's a fur coat and an Afro and like, everybody's got like floral pants that come up to here and there's posses and you know, weed everywhere, you know, Chris Martin's in the corner, like cool people, actual cool people who just looked right past us. Like they were, they did not know that we used to be on Saturday Night Live. They were just like, who brought granny and gramps? Like just right past us.

• 50:17Amy Poehler?

  That actually probably was fun.

• 50:19Speaker 15

  It was so fun.

• 50:20Amy Poehler?

  That's fun.

• 50:21Speaker 15

  And then going, and then we like, you know, going out there and all that stuff just suddenly worked so-

• 50:26Amy Poehler?

  You're right. Now that I'm remembering Lauryn Hill had a surprise incredible performance.

• 50:30Speaker 15

  Insane.

• 50:31Amy Poehler?

  And then it was just-

• 50:33Speaker 15

  There's like smoke and like-

• 50:35Amy Poehler?

  And then it was like, ah, ah, ah.

• 50:37Speaker 15

  Test, test, test.

• 50:39Amy Poehler?

  And you guys cried and that's what I mean is that is a-

• 50:42Speaker 15

  I knew it was streaming and I also knew, I mean, it was really funny because we were like, just, and all of their stuff was about how they'd come to New York for an ophthalmology appointment, you know, did they were just lucky to slip in and just everything about it was so fun. And so we're sitting there and yeah, and I did have the feeling, I was like, this is streaming. Cause one thing about SNL for me, again, I don't know if you've ever had this, but it's a little bit of an A student girl, you know, nerd girl thing. I was always, my greatest regret about this show, not that you would go back in time, is that I couldn't, I never like settled into it and enjoyed it because I was always so aware of the time and of running, somebody, running down the clock, somebody else's sketch is going to get cut. Like I was always, and when we were there, it was such a, you know, like explosive surfeit

• 51:24Speaker 15

  of talent that there were always three sketches a night that might not make it, you know? So I always felt like I had to like, keep it moving, keep it moving. So I was suddenly very aware that it was streaming and that I was not going to be rushed. And I was like, I'm gonna be Bobby Mott. The funniest thing in the world to me is this woman and this man, these, these choir teachers getting people to settle. Cause there's just nothing funnier than high school teachers to settle.

• 51:51Amy Poehler?

  So that's what they did is they just kept telling people to settle.

• 51:53Speaker 15

  I need you to settle.

• 51:55Speaker 15

  I need quiet in the back. Hand goes up, mouth goes shut. Hand goes up, mouth goes shut. Just this idea, I was like, I'm gonna keep going until they settle. I'm not gonna worry about it. And if I had been at 8H, we never would have done that. Right. Very good point. But we just, we took a full, probably 45 seconds to, you know, get people to pipe it. David Spade, pipe down. That's right. You guys called him out by name. I don't want to hear it, Pierce Brosnan.

• 52:22Speaker 15

  So stupid.

• 52:25Amy Poehler?

  You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paperkite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane, Kaia McMullin, and Aleia Zaniris. For Paperkite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.

• 52:51Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by Allstate. Checking Allstate first could save you hundreds on car insurance. Not checking which group chat you're typing in before hitting send? Next thing you know, you sent a scalding hot take about the restaurant to the group with the person who picked it. Yikes. Yeah, checking first is a good idea, so check Allstate first for an auto quote. It could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate. Potential savings vary, subject to terms, conditions, and availability. Allstate North American Insurance Company and Affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. This episode is brought to you by Sephora. Holiday gifting can be a tough gig. You're frantically searching, second guessing everything, and accidentally buying your dad eye cream he's never gonna use. Thankfully, Sephora is here to save us from ourselves. Whether

• 53:35Amy Poehler?

  you're shopping for a total beauty guru, or someone whose whole routine is hand soap, Sephora has the perfect gift for everyone on your list. And if you're still lost, don't panic. Their beauty advisors can guide you to safety. This holiday season, we all Sephora. Shop gifts at Sephora and give something beautiful.