Seth Meyers

You know, I've heard this for years, uh, being in the Hollywood business, that for every 100 auditions, you'll book 1 job, so just keep going and keep going. And I thought, Gosh, for every 100 episodes of SmartLess, there's always one good one. So we got about three in the can. Welcome to SmartLess

Smart, wise, smart, wise, smart, wise.

Guys, guess what's coming up in a couple weeks?

we gotta mention, we gotta mention Oh, my god, the ugh,

Yeah, the Hollywood Bowl. listener, the Hollywood We're gonna be at the Bowl. Hollywood Bowl October 17th.

and not just there, like, not hanging out, actually doing That's right. a show at the Hollywood

we're gonna be on the stage. Bowl. Yeah Yeah, we're not

And if you don't have tickets yet, you need to go to smartlist.com/live, is that right?

wait, what's it? what is it? Smartlist.com/live? Oh my gosh, that's pretty easy. And and for that, they're gonna, they're gonna get a double guest. Is that right? There's two guests,

yep, and we got some fun, we got some fun surprises.

really?

Yeah, we got some fun surprises.

All for the price of one ticket Yeah, off the and breakfast table, a nice, beautiful October, October 17th, correct. right? A fall night out there under the stars.

it's gonna be gorgeous. And and you, yeah, you g- you buy a tick, and you can't, you can't put a price tag on a smile,

Oh, what a great sell.

you know?

Oh, Will, you're the best

That's wonderful.

anyway. It's gonna be a great night, hopefully, as great as this next guest coming up. Guys, let's get to the episode. You can hear me now.

there he is. Listen, listener and Wait, wait, you just

guest, I'm so sorry.

spent you spent all night on your computer in incognito mode for we don't know why, but we just I had to change know. all my settings, all Sure. my usernames. Sorry. Um, yeah. If you got hacked, it would be the most boring hack for a hacker. It would just be all baseball stats.

and list of list of, like, movie stuff,

and it, uh, I, you know, when I get all the the cookie al- alerts, you know, would you like to reject all cookies or whatnot? And I and I and I, I do, I do reject them. I know Sean, quick question you don't.

Sean, have you ever broken a yeah,

I'd be, yeah, um, but um, but God, I don't um, I even have notepad, don't have any s. I don't have any secrets. And, uh, you know, so, like, uh, my I know, my my instinct is to accept the cookies, because then I don't get ads for things that I don't need. You know, like, uh, um, you know, skin, be a good skin, skin rashes and things like that. I I, I get, I get ads for

JB, but you, you don't have secrets, but you used to be you. There was a time where you were just built on secrets.

Yeah, well, I, no, I think I was, I was I, I was do. I was doing things at a time when we didn't have, uh, phones and things I know to yeah, yeah, yeah, I to to photograph know us. And then even then, I wasn't. Do I was I was never a bad boy. It's so boring,

come on.

even my bad days were boring.

when you say bad boy, I like the idea of you, like, like in a leather jacket, and then you flip the collar up, you know, you got it, Or like, it was real.

could you imagine me ever trying to, like, mix it up with, like, a paparazzi guy that gets too close to my face? And I take a swing at him, like Sean Penn? And then I I just get could. my ass beaten, you I know know, repeatedly.

I could see, I could actually see that. Wait, have you ever owned a leather jacket? F- quickly, either of of you?

course, yeah, I. E- yeah, I have, Yeah,

but they were, they were, they were soft, soft and suede, they weren't even like, manly. lamb skin, was this mine was lamb Yeah,

skin back in the 80s, and no, no, no, I'm yeah, I saying leather jacket. Oh, yeah, local. I see, okay, I think

I had like a veal skin, uh, vest, yeah, a you know, a velcro closures on it.

uh, tonight we got a beautiful veal skin. Uh, what else? We got? Chef is preparing a beautiful veal skin.

Oh yeah, um, now, uh, Will, uh, wait. I feel like it's been a while since you've had an update on your, uh, on your love life and domestic life. no, we're On both. not Oh yeah, what's going as But, you know, on there? Always Will, how not as talk about about

you are. Sean and I's global, right? Yeah, personal life? What about

what's going on with your personal life? what's going on, Will? Will? You It's going, it's

always check?

going really well, it's going Oh, that's nice, really, really well. Yeah,

what? What's happening? what? First of Would you wanna all, both of talk about you know exactly secrets? talk

what you're doing.

about secrets? yeah, what are the Wow,

deets on that?

Both of you know exactly what's happening, and this is just I'm not gonna walk into your trap But is it and start,

you're you're happy? Let's suffice to say you're happy. I'm very happy, very, Okay, so things very happy, are going great,

things are going great. You know,

things are trending. I've H- hold on, let me lead the witness, things are trending north. Yeah, you know, the relationship is still ascendant. Yes, okay. And if that were to continue to go on the course that it's going, at the angle it is currently currently headed, uh, w- where where does that go? Uh,

well, first of all, why are you leaving? Why am I in court? Why are you leaving? What is that?

please answer the question, sir.

Permission to treat the witness as hostile?

Yeah, I mean, look, it'll be a perfect world in 5 years. What what does this relationship look like?

I can I be honest with

Please? you? If I fucking Yeah,

knew what? 5 years? I I am now at at 56, I have learned a little bit in the last 2 years, especially, to let go of whatever ideas that I think it's gonna go or it's gonna happen. I have we as we know, you get dealt so many fucking curveballs. And so I'm, I'm I'm in a place now where I'm really trying my best to just deal with what's in front of me and to try to take the next best.

I I I'm But you don't I get,

want to be fully reactive to everything in your life. You do like to be proactive in some areas, right? And be kind of have the the car moving in a particular direction, well, for

for me, that has been in the last couple years, as both of you know, trying my best to lay a great foundation. I'm I surround myself with great people, I'm I'm in a, you know, great programs with people. I've done some work on myself to try to do it in a way so that whatever does come my way, I handle it hopefully better than I have historically.

Prosecution, rest.

Hey, you know what? Let's get to our guest, huh?

Okay, Dr. Ruth Westheimer's on the show today to So good, walk Will you know what? through

He's a wizard.

Let's see. He might have a doctor Ruth, he might have an opinion on doctor Ruth. I don't know. He's got opinions on lots of stuff, and I like his opinions on most of the stuff. He lands on the right side of virtually every issue. I think I've ever had a conversation with him right? Meaning about

correct?

correct, funny, uh, eh i insightful, and and well, he's he's well educated, he's super smart. He's got 35 Emmy nominations to back it up. He's Whoa, whoa, hosted the Golden Globes, whoa. he's he's hosted the Emmys, he's produced shows. Uh, he was a cast member of SNL for 13 years. He was the co-host of Weekend Update for 8 years with my ex-wife and our old friend Amy Poehler. Seth You guys Meyers, Seth what, Seth Meyers, Seth Meyers?

Meyers.

Hello, gentlemen. This is our, Oh, hello, oh, the right Oh, Seth, wing pundits,

Seth is just digging in, he's been

the right.

taking notes.

Yeah, was it? I thank you for clarifying the right side of every issue. I was like, Okay, well, hold, that means this was thrilling. Just the pre-show banter, and I, you know, again,

So bad?

anybody who listens to this show hears the pre-show banter. But I bet that again, I'm now new to the podcast game compared to you guys.

It's dead easy.

It's thrilling to find out the tech doesn't get sorted out. Oh, that's It's just, so bad, I mean, if you guys

always bad.

could hear the 3 of them try to get ready for a podcast, they've done over 300. I was googling how many episodes you were doing over the course of

Should I shut down or r- or reset? should I should I reboot Jason. At or shut one point, you down?

said, Can I hear me? You asked that of you guys, Can I hear me?

That's our new T-shirt and our swag I'm just, I can't line.

wait to tell the Lonely Island guys. It does not get easier, it does not get smoother, We're all ding dongs,

If anything, it gets harder. What my my favorite thing about when Jason, when he has to reboot and when it's not working and he can't hear the headphones is his face, cause he's in, so he's not aware of his face. So he's looking, and he's it's like my dad with the remote, and somebody has changed the input. Forget it.

and somehow we feel like if we get closer to the object that's troubling us, it'll become fixed. Just get your we're all at face closer the age now, to it. Yeah,

we're all the age now, where at certain angles, we look like, uh, 70 year old aunts, you know what I mean? And it's usually when we're trying to figure out, uh, again, a we're all. It's like, in the cheater zone, I'm there too, where just certain angles and from certain, like somehow I always and full, full aunt mode.

somehow I always seem to have my my jaw somewhat separated. And, uh, people say they take these pictures of me, Will, uh, as guilty of this, my wife, a lot taking pictures of me with my and and Jimmy K- Kimmel and and Molly. My mouth is slightly open and I'm staring off into space, or I'm laughing with my mouth sort of agape. So, yeah, it, it's sort of, uh, it's, it's a sign of old age coming in.

I think

I also, I do think I've crossed the threshold with my wife where if I see her taking out her phone to take a picture of me, it means that something's gone terribly wrong in my life.

yeah, something's not right on my face.

No, it's you just reach the point where it's not like I need pictures of my husband looking handsome or good. No, Oh, it's something yeah,

that can send to their friends and laugh at. They're so mean.

Seth dude, uh, this has been so long overdue. I feel like we talked about this last fall.

I'm so happy to be here.

I we talked about it last. I ran into you during, uh, trick or treating last fall in New York, uh, in the middle of Mayhem in the West Village.

Wait, now, how did that that's how does that go? That's just purely that's just elevator riding, correct?

it was really exciting. We had 2 great run-ins in the course of, like, 3 months. One was just West Village, packed West Village, perfect place to take your kids trick or treating in New York City. but otherwise, otherwise, Genuinely it's in a like,

it's in apartment buildings usually, though, right? I mean, you going up and down but this is people elevators?

s no, this is now people sitting on brownstone steps. And, uh, and it's they close down the streets, and it is a real great, uh, it is, community vibe.

it is.

Uh, you know, my kids, I, I, we saw, uh, Will, we saw, uh, Alec Baldwin in half a Teletubby costume, like with, like 4 of his 4 of his 6 kids, that and just kinda, like, tracks. trying to get, yeah,

And and were were you uh, Matthew guys dressed up? Broderick,

I love Matthew.

Uh, what's that? We were? I was not dressed up. Will, I don't think we were. We were, uh, yeah,

no, we were.

we wanted, we still wanted to be recognized as, uh, for our work. We weren't trying to draw attention to IP that we didn't own.

I was wearing a T-shirt, I said, Uh, I think that said, Ask me if I'm Will Arnett. Is that right? Was Yeah, that that what that was was, yeah, the wait? And then and then and then we were in, Oh, I gotta hear we were. I that was in London having dinner with with Laura Dern and Mark Chapel, and Rashida walked by RASHIDA JONES Rashida Jones, and she was like, Hey guys. And we were in the front and she goes, I'm here with Seth.

And I went back and you were sitting by yourself and I said, We're over here, and you guys came and joined us. And we had a very fun, impromptu night at a restaurant in London. guys.

it was great. It, uh, you're you're selling yourself short because you've, uh, you first came over. And I was, uh, you know, Rashida had had gone, uh, to use the restroom. So I was just looking at my phone like everybody would do, and you came over to take my order. And so I had a moment where That's funny, it was, uh, it was a, it was jarring, uh, what? And then and then lovely,

Well, because you didn't, you didn't you, you hadn't seen me since since Halloween. You're like, in that time, he's now working at the Dover in London. And and like I said, you never know what life's gonna

never know.

throw at you. yeah. Cause I said have, uh,

on Halloween, I'm like, What are you up to now? and you're like, I've got some irons in the fire. I just Like, I just say that

um, did you guys ever go through a table waiting, uh, period of your lives? Yeah,

for sure. I was at the Twisted Lizard in Chicago, which which closed in the last five years. But I was, um, yeah, that was in my early improv days, and I remember the most memorable moment was I. It was a downstairs, you took stairs down. And I remember once getting no tip and chasing a guy out and asking why he didn't leave me a tip. And he said, Because you're a bad waiter,

no, no way. yeah, he said that,

which is basically historically what that means. I, yeah, I needed to, I me needed to make him tell me well, I'll bet twice. in your defense,

you probably said, fair enough, and you were,

I was, yeah, I did not. I did not fight it after that. I was like, Oh, I, I thought it was an oversight.

It's tough to, I I mean, it's, it's tough to argue. I mean, you can, I mean, you could. Uh, theoretically, you could have said, Well, in what, in what way? Um, do you know what I mean? But at that point, is there's no point.

I think. Also, as soon as he said that, I looked back and saw about 6 or 7 things I could have done differently.

right? And now let me ask you guys this. I'm not sure if this is the most relatable part of this interview, but in in Europe, fellas, um, you're not supposed to leave a tip. Is that correct? I always get tripped up on this. It's changed, it's it's kind of was, Changed What is it now?

you do.

You do leave a tip, I was, but is it you do, like, but you don't have if you're American, to. you do, if you're am,

the hope is you you think about how much of your work has gone, uh, international, and whether or not they'll be able to. Word of mouth will be able to get out that you're a bad tipper that's and you won't get

a good calculation. tipped.

right, right. I used to be a I used to be a runner. Remember the restaurant red in LA. Remember that? Oh, it was on the corner, it was on Beverly. I was a rest, I was a runner there, and wait, was it I

in parentheses?

no, it was bright red on the outside, it was called the red. And they were they had great turkey meatloaf, but anyway, they I so I would run, I would, I would be a runner, not even a waiter. And I had the one joke ready. Every single table they would say, Uh, you know, I'd have 3 plates. I'd be like, great, blah, blah, blah. And and inevitably, I'd put it down in front of somebody and they'd go, Well, that looks fantastic.

And I'd point to my shirt and I'd say, Thanks, I just got it, and, uh,

you know what a joke,

So, wait, a runner is the person that brings the plates, doesn't just runs take the order.

the food, runs the food. Yeah, I couldn't. I wasn't Uh, red surprised enough to.

in parentheses, isn't red in parentheses. Bono's like, Uh, humanitarian. Uh, yeah,

Oh, okay, there you go.

you see how old I'm getting.

it's also a nice burn on Sean. You're like, Were you the one that was, uh, the humanitarian one? Okay,

Yeah, no, uh, not at all. just a fancy Yeah, but I got yelled at restaurant? Okay, all the time, like, Uh, do you know where you're going? Do you know which table you're going? I'm like, No, I just look at the and then you had to memorize the seats where everybody was sitting, not only the 70 tables. Uh, it I'm just was hard.

I'm just curious. L- how, how, how long did you work there, Sean? About a year, Okay, and and it Whoa, was just the one joke, just one joke. Yeah, like you never, you never decided to punch it up, or just

he? No, he kept refining it.

yeah, yeah, it was good, and they never, though.

and they never gave you the promotion up a level, they kept you on.

I asked, too, to be a waiter, but I couldn't.

Ah, look at you now.

I had more stress dreams about being a waiter than I did for Yeah, there's my job this too much. Remember year. Yeah,

Squirrel? remember the PR program called Squirrel on the computer with they, which they would punch in, the waiters would punch in, their anybody? No, okay, great, and you'd slide the your card in to open on the up the thing.

on the p- on the was that squirrel POS.

in parentheses?

Uh, all right, Seth. Speaking of starting out, let's talk about how you started out. We gotta go, All we gotta go down

Cue the music.

this. Let's, yeah, cue the music. You're from New Hampshire, but we all know you're a Steelers fan, and we don't need to get into that. We know, right? that's fine, D if you wanna, that's fine, I'd love if you wanna to stop just explain yourself, for 1 second. Yeah,

I don't. I will just tell you this real quick. The yesterday, my ten-year-old son was on the phone with my 78-year-old father, talking about, uh, the Steelers' 1st preseason game. And it I genuinely wanted to just go sit in a corner and sob. It made me so happy, like, just that, cause it's just empty nonsense, no calorie conversation, but the connection is real. And it was just like my my son saying things like, I think Jeremy Bernard is probably our 3rd best receiver, and I'm like, great, mental light in here.

but now Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback again, correct?

Yes, Aaron Rodgers is is, uh, the this started and he's also with

the chief scientist, I think, isn't he?

he has, he's taken over science for most of Pittsburgh. I So think, yep,

And does he get to eat earlier because he's a senior, or or does he eat with the rest of the team?

oh, that's a good question. I believe he does. There's still certain places wait, how in Pittsburgh old is Aaron where, like, I know,

Rodgers? 43 years old And he's My mom and he just, would be that's, you know,

that's very old for a football. man, no lie, Yeah, young for podcasts,

it's true. You bet your ass

you know what? I will say, though, I connect with my dad. I'm a l- a long-suffering, uh, Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and I, my dad and I often we, you know, he's about to be 88 and we talk about the Leafs. That's our sort of point. Uh, we talk about lots of other stuff too, but that is the thing that we can talk about on a daily basis. You know, we can just sort of have a Hey, they looked terrible last night.

What's going on? All that kinda stuff, and it keeps us connected in that way. As you say, it's it's light on calories, but, uh, it's very filling. so Seth, So Seth,

why?

so wait, so Seth, so Seth, you come out, you're fighting out of New Hampshire, and you decide what is the thing. How do you? You went I, you went to Northwestern. Is that where you started writing and or performing comedy, or were you doing it before in New I was softly Hampshire?

doing in college, I'm sorry. In high school, we, I remember, we did a comedy night in high school where we sort of wrote sketches. We were doing, y- you know, uh, uh, B-minus impressions of teachers and stuff, but it was really fun. But I was I went to college to be a film major, thought I wanted to write and direct movies, and North Western has this very famous.

So many people go, I know to go there.

Yeah, and then it's, uh, meow, is this very? I think the 1st improv troupe at any college, and, uh, it's been around forever. And that was immediately what I wanted to do. I saw them my 1st week

Did you do any 2nd City while you were in Chicago,

after college. I that was my goal. I I did, I only did meow for 1 year, but that was all I wanted to do was to do, uh, 2nd City. And I had seen a lot of 2nd City. My parents went to Northwestern, they'd seen a lot of 2nd City. I remember when we went and looked at Northwestern, my dad brought me to 2nd City, and we saw young Correll, young Colbert on stage together, and so that's all I wanted to do.

So that was, uh, post college, that was waiting tables at the Twisted Lizard, and there was that weird thing of you just kinda improvised. I was doing stuff at, uh, Improv Olympic, now called IO, but waiting for that sort of biannual audition where you everybody would go in and audition for 2nd City. But that's all I was looking at was that,

and we will be right back.

and now back to the show.

so you saw those guys like Correll and those guys, wh- when you went, as you said, with your dad. And then o- once you got to Improv Olympic, a a post college, who were the people? Cause there's so many different classes, right, of people who were kind of in and around, uh, so many names we all know, right? You included, who came through that Chicago thing, who who were the people who were sort of your contemporaries at the time?

well, it's so nuts because it was genuinely, we were we were. I was present during a scene, like, I not being part of it. But it was like, Oh, this is what, like, a scene is like, where everybody you knew, you were in the right place. Because there had been this wave of people were just leaving, uh, you know, like Brian Stack and Brian McCann, like to go do Conan stuff, Dorf, uh. So they were the slightly older.

And then there was, you know, uh, and John Glaser, and then there was, you know, Tina and Amy and Horatio and Dratch, uh. So that was all the people that you would either go see at 2nd City or sometimes they would just pop in to Improv Olympic. You guys know that game, the dream where, uh, you bring somebody up and you ask about their day and then you improvise a dream about it. I remember just once being in the audience, the 1st time I talked to Amy, she was, she brought me on stage and she asked me about my day.

No way, And then that, like her cohort did, uh, basically improvised, uh, uh, you know, a sketch about, uh, my what my dream would be based on the day I had. So it was really amazing to feel, uh, very confident, not in how it was gonna turn out, but very confident this is the right place to be at this moment if you wanna be in comedy.

But did that, did the the, did the the confidence you feel about, um, well, I kinda would like to do this more than, uh, your your film, um, goals? Uh, did you, did you go all in on that, as far as what your career and and path to making a living would be? Or did, or were you studying something else simultaneously to, you know, mitigate your your risk?

You know, I got I. Immediately, my takeaway on film class was, Oh, my god, this is so scientific and I don't think I have the, you know, where, I just don't think I have the attention span for this. And and the amount of lighting and, you know, the 180 degree rule and lenses. I was like, whoa, this is a snooze. Um, and so I, I started, there was a there was a creative writing for the media sort of submajor, and I was doing that.

But, you know, half, I would say, most of those people, as soon as they graduated, went out to LA. They wrote spec scripts and they went to LA. Where, you know, Sean, you know, there's a, you know, a ton of Northwestern people out

Yeah, so many.

there. And and certainly, you know, when I graduated in the in the, you know, mid 90s, like, there was just this, you know, Northwestern mafia out there. And so there were plenty of connections. But I by the time I graduated, I wanted to improvise and do comedy more than I wanted to make or write films.

but you had no backup career aside None, from, I mean, you, you were confident that the entertainment industry was gonna be something you were gonna be able to make a living in.

no backup, correct? I got a weird, I got a weird job, uh, like a weird early tech job, right out of college, where I worked for 2 months for a friend of mine who had started a. It was the idea was it was a you would get free minutes, uh, for your, uh, phone long distance, but you would have to listen to a commercial before you placed an ad. I'm sorry, before you placed a call. It's not a bad idea, like, it's basically like, what

no way. texting Wait a second, wait, is? Wow, keep selling it, keep selling it.

I'm sure you're interested, uh, but I worked for 2 months there. I was like the 7th hire, and, uh, I remember he came in one day, he's like, So, uh, nobody thinks you wanna be here, and I was like I, and I was like, You know what, I don't, and he's like, Yeah, that's kinda what we thought. But they, I will say, I had really my friend group at Northwestern, which were not all, uh, comedy or theater people.

They were all really supportive. Everybody was like, Yeah, I mean, don't you should just try that, that's all you seem to be interested But you in

know, you know, it brings up I. I was having this conversation with somebody the other day, which was like, I think, y- you know, w- ev- every once in a while, somebody will call you and say, like, Hey, my son is graduating college, or they're trying to get into entertainment. Can they call you? We've all had those calls, or as

all the time. m right, Yeah,

and so and so, you end up talking to people. And I always think, like, there's no what kind of advice can you give somebody? There's really no plan for it. It's not like law school where you say, finish law school here and then try to go and work for it. So there's not but but I I, I s. I remember the other day I was saying to somebody like, Y- you kinda can't have a backup plan, you have to be all in, it has to be.

That's the risk is is the thing. And it's because when, when you don't have anything to fall back on, it forces you to try to do whatever you can to to get a job. And y- you're not gonna hit necessarily. It's very rare that somebody hits it out of the park on their 1st job, and you're gonna take a lot of shit jobs and you're gonna do, I don't know, work background, or you're gonna do whatever it is that you're gonna do.

But you have to be all in. I think,

it is nice, though, that it, that that that pursuing the entertainment industry at its early stage does lend itself to the schedule. Whereby you can hold down a job that can pay your rent and and feed you, you know, all while waiting tables or whatever it is. That's that can be helpful.

right, yeah, but it is like that. I think when people talk about a plan B, you reali- you know, like you can have a plan D, you know, right? Which is like waiting tables. But like, when you talk about a plan B, like, what are you talking about? Because, you know, ultimately, anybody whose plan A is your plan B is gonna be so far ahead of you by the time you decide, like, that's what you wanna do.

Uh, it is, I mean, man, it is so nice to hear you say that, Will, because I the amount I feel like I am wasting everyone's time when they sit you down or get you on the phone with somebody who wants to talk about this business. And the only thing you can say is like, is if you, you have to only wanna do it like that, that's the only way. If you're on the fence about like this in med school, I'd go to med school, you know what I mean, like, 100.

I'm just,

I'm like, Yeah, don't look at me, I hops I. I pasted this thing together with with with Scotch tape and rubber bands together. Yeah, I don't know how, you know? And now, what was uh,

Seth? What was Josh doing at this? It was he was he kind of like, in a similar track.

yeah, so, uh, the exact same track. It's also Northwestern, also meow, and then I had and he's, uh, gotten

2 years, 3 years younger,

two years behind me in school. Yeah, two years exactly. And, uh, we. So then I got hired for this job in Amsterdam called Boom Chicago. So these, uh, sh- Chicago guys, Northwestern guys started basically a 2nd City type theater in Amsterdam. And, uh, that was a thing I would never have done on my own. Uh, Sean's, uh, uh, co-star, Peter Gross

Peter Gross, one of the funniest people alive. on Broadway Yeah,

in Uh, in Goodnight Oscar. He was my friend and he was, uh, we had done, uh, improv together, we were improvising, uh, in Chicago together. And he was the one who said, Hey, there's this theater in Amsterdam and they're having auditions. And I just to this day, I'm so lucky to have had a friend who was willing to take a big swing like that. Because I never would have even gone to that audition. But the fact that I had a friend who was down for that kind of adventure and we both auditioned for that, and then we both ended up moving to Amsterdam.

Uh, I was there for 2 years.

am I am I right? Did, uh, did Sudeikis go to Boom Chicago after you? Is that Yeah, so right?

Sudeikis. It was a crazy th- I mean, that was another time where I felt that thing of, like, being,

I feel like we had another guest on this show that went to Amsterdam, um, on I mean, this, anyway.

I'm maybe it could have been Sudeikis, Jordan Peele, Ike Barinholtz,

Oh, I think it was Ike. I think it was Ike. Jay It was Ike, that's right. Karn, You're right,

That it. Where it was Ike, yeah,

it was Ike.

and, uh, but it was a another time where you're like, Oh, we're, we're part of a scene, like, you just where you look around and you're like, this is the place to be right now. And the hardest part about leaving to go do it was there was this idea that you were in line in Chicago, whether you were, you weren't. You thought, like, Oh my god, you know, I'm just gonna spend 6 months getting closer to the kind of person that they'll hire for 2nd City, and then I'll be a part of that, uh, organization.

And so the the risk we all had to do was leave and go do, uh, this show in Amsterdam. But once you got there, you were performing way more than you would in Chicago, and you were living in fucking Amsterdam, and it was incredible. It was just the best and time.

be because it's about time on stage, you need to have the hours, which we're, and we're getting to, yeah, and so so, we're getting to so if the the ball. Lauren, by door,

the way, Lauren. The reason I was in London was, you know, they started SNL K. And I had dinner with Lauren, and Lauren wanted me to go over there. Just to, like it was before the show started, just to, like, sorta sit and talk to him. He goes, You know what? I think you're the right one because, you know Amsterdam, and I'm like, from 25 years ago? Like, like, I but also, Lauren, they don't even use the same money as when I lived.

but by the way, but by the way, uh, what's kind of sweet about it is is that he has these associations, he remembers that you came out of Amsterdam. Do you know what I mean?

Yeah, uh, and he, by the way, it like, I think, like, the thing, Lauren is, so he gives way too much credit to, uh, I tra- living abroad and, uh, athletes. Like the amount of people who audition for the show give, like, the flattest audition, and Lauren would be like, you know, he played college baseball, so you know, he'll get it, like, why?

but then so, Seth, so if if everything went perfectly and 1 got recruited to Second City, is is the is the next logical s, you know, home run step after Second City Saturday Night Live. Is that was, is that the trajectory?

I mean, so that was the that was the observable pipeline Gotcha, from the people that were, you know, so in, I mean, it was Jerry Miner, you know, before that was Tim Meadows, but I didn't really know him. But like Jerry Miner, uh, Horatio, Dratch, Tina, and then, uh, you just sort of thought like this, uh, Adam McKay, you know, had gone there. And so that is, I think, why everybody wanted to be at 2nd City.

And so then I spent 2 years in Amsterdam, I came back once again, my expectation was, I'll get back in line, you know, maybe it's the end of the line, but this is still what I want. And then I had, uh, this crazy stroke of good fortune, which is this, uh, woman, Ilene Cohen, who worked in the SNL talent department, came to this tiny little improv festival where my partner and I were doing a 2-person show.

And, uh, basically, I I got to audition for SNL based off that, and that's ultimately

and did you ever? Were you in any sports that Lauren recognized? I'm Did you play I, uh, sports or no? No, okay, all right.

I want desperately wanted to, and, uh, it was not, it was not to be

talk to me about, um, how you became more interested, uh, motivated, fulfilled. I'm assuming, with the writing track as opposed to the performing track, when did that start to take hold?

well. I mean, I would love to tell you that it was my, uh, instinct, but I I think ultimately, and again, it worked out career-wise, so no regrets. Sure, do Lorne made a mistake and should have hired me as a writer for many years, but he hired me, he hired me as a cast member. And, uh, I was then, uh, I mean, again, I was just. It was a huge struggle for me to, uh, find a purchase, and it only got worse.

I mean, it was fine to be like, all right, you know, I'm not obviously, you know, Will Ferrell, Tracy Morgan, Chris Kattan, you know, the people who are in the cast are older than me. Like, nobody expected me to be better than them. But then, you know, the next wave of people that came in, you know, then it's like, Sudeikis, Hader, uh, Fred and Will, uh, Bill and Andy. And you're like, uh, oh, no, like, they're, they're like the younger cast members, but they're, uh, you know, demonstrably better at sketch comedy than I am.

And so I was sort of writing, uh, I always loved writing, but at the time I was writing to stay alive more than anything else. writing for yourself, writing And

for yourself. writing for myself. But Yeah,

Shoemaker, uh, Mike Shoemaker, the producer of the show, he was, he gave great advice, where he's like, Look, you. What you should do is you should try to think of group scenes where you can score, uh, but it's not like a Seth sketch, you know? It's a it's 5 people, and and it will get on the show, and you will, you know, have a a 5th of the laughs, but that'll be better than you, you know?

I was cause early on, I would, I would write things that were good enough to get to dress, but then I didn't have the, uh, I don't know, the charisma or s or skill to carry it. So I was getting so many things cut at dress, uh, on the you know, and again, they m it, it was a. It was a accomplishment to make it to dress, but then it just felt like a failure, right that that's, before,

that's 1st of all. It's great that you had sheon. Obviously, I wanna get into. You guys have, uh, managed to have an incredible sort of partnership, if you will, going forward. And that he gave you that advice at that time. But, uh, and I wanna get into that, but I first, I wanna know. What's your favorite sketch that got cut at dress that never made it to air? That you, on to this day, you're like, this would've killed.

Do you have one?

I don't know, I mean, I w- I remember, uh, cause we did this thing. We started doing this thing at our show called Second Chance Theater, where we would do sketches that had gotten cut at SNL and then we would mount them on late night. But they were usually like crazy Forte sketches, Nate sketches. F- Will Ferrell, we did the Gabe Kaplan Will Ferrell sketch, which I'm sure you at some point, Will had seen the dress of.

And I remember one time, Shumer was like, we should do one of yours. And I was the only thing I liked about it was it was the beginning of a holiday ad, which it was like, What do you get for a man who has everything? A 2nd penis? And then it was just, and it was always. I took it, like, basically submitted it all 3 December shows for, like, my first 5 years on the show. And, uh, never once, uh, went, it, cause it just ultimately, and I remember Shemeka's like, we should do it, and then I got a copy of it, and Shemeka read it.

He's like, I actually don't think we should even do it. So

wait, wait, wait, what? What was the thing that always made it a non-candidate? Was I just it too

think it got it immediately

graphic? was it?

beca- no, it wasn't too graphic. It was too much a sketch about a sketch where it was about how it was just the actual apparatus that the set was. Um, sidekick, was clumsy, it was about how it was like it was a clumsy strap. D the device.

Which is amazing?

And they were, and they were. I remember Parnell was the host of it, and there were 3 testimonials. And at the end, he goes, So it seems like he goes, So 1 for 1 against and 1 in the middle. They couldn't even get 3 strong testimonials.

I mean, can we, just can that's we just sideline

really funny.

and say how great Chris Parnell is? Consis-

I, he's so great.

He is world-class, this that dude, fuck me, man,

Well, there was again, when I, uh, I was so lucky to be a writer at a time on that show where just the toolbox was nuts. You know? Yeah, a, and I think, like, certainly people who, uh, wrote, uh, for Phil Hartman had that same thing. But Chris Parnell was just a metronomic, uh, delivery system for information that he would do in a way that it felt like as though there was no. Uh, it was so dry that it became, y- y- hilarious, but there was no effort, or certainly no observable effort.

That he was, like, reaching for the laugh, he would just kinda get it he he in the way he says, Ah, just

I, I, I always remember, every time I think of Parnell now, I think of that that scene. There's a scene in in 30 Rock where he plays that doctor, uh, Spaceman, and, uh, we're doing this scene. And he goes, they go, you gotta, he's gotta give somebody a shot. And then he goes, Okay, he takes the needle out, and he goes, Okay, it it revolted at the idea of giving somebody a shot, and nobody else could do it the way he did it.

It was just amazing. Um, so that's, oh man, so then you so, so, Shoemaker's like, All right, you gotta start writing, you gotta start doing this stuff. And then and then you start writing more, and then update happens. There's a there's a kind of a, um, a a swi- there there's a there's an empty chair. Tina leaves and to do 30 Rock, and and ev- and the the big thing is, who's gonna take over the seat?

yes. Well, it was the 2nd time it had happened, right, because 1st, uh, Jimmy had left. And and, you know, in my head, I always if I, if there was anybody at SNL whose path I thought I could maybe try to follow, it was Tina's right. I always saw, I was like, Oh, that's somebody who is a really good writer and also a good performer. But, uh, you know what I mean, like, she, she built her way to performer on the like strength of her writing.

And so, whereas, you know again, when, y- you know, when you're next to Will Ferrell or y- you know Amy, and there's just like this charisma coming out of their pores that, like, is not not available to you. You're like, all right, we're gonna write our way into this. With that said, when, you know, Lauren decided to go with Amy and Tina, it wasn't like I thought, uh, he had made a bad choice, you know, uh, my best chance was that Amy didn't wanna do it, you know?

So I, I wasn't like, what are they thinking? And so, but then, yeah, when it was, uh, you know, when it was Amy in an open chair, and, uh, my recollection of it was it was the end of that year. And, uh, so I had done 1 year where Lorne had promoted me to writing supervisor, so he had taken me as a cast member. And I think at this point, he was admitting his mistake. He's like, I'd love you to, you know, basically, cause Tina was gone a lot that year, working Amsterdam, on other projects.

notwithstanding, I think No, I loved it. I think you, you know, in Amsterdam, they they like clowns. Um,

you know what, though? You were so great, an update. I I remember I remember, um, when Wig and Armisen played those 2 characters where they they're singers and they c- make albums, but, of course, they're yeah, Garth and improvising. Yeah, Garth Kat, and Kat, and they're singing, you're making it up in the moment, clearly. And you, you got as big of laughs as they did, asking the dumbest, obvious questions. And it's it's hard to do that, and you, you just so excelled at that.

I thought it was hilarious,

thank you. It is, uh, to this day, they always would, they would ask to sing another song, and they would say, Please, Mr. Miners, they kept calling me Mr. Miners, and my my wife will still say, will refer to me as Mr. Miners when she wants me to do I I something.

know knowing how well, knowing how well you guys all knew each other, and knowing how legitimately you were authentically delighted by so many of those players. Watching other people come up, uh, you and Amy doing update was phenomenal in and of itself. But watching how delighted you would be when, like, f- uh, Fred would come out, or or or Wig, and watching you be le- legit like, you know, when people say, like, always, are they faking, laughing, like, No No, Seth can't control himself, cause Fred is killing him right now, right?

and they're killing each other.

and just Fred, well, Fred and Wig and, uh, Bobby Moynihan. They

So funny.

also just never, by the way, never tanked dress. They just always saved, like 3 moves for air, which is I oh, that's good, would never have the confidence to not give, uh, like, press so hard to dress. Whereas they're like, I've got it, like, I'm D, I'm not gonna do it all now. It was interesting, though, because, uh, when Amy left, um, you know, and I was doing it alone. My initial instinct, which is a bad one, cause all update guests are doing a bad job executing what you, the anchor, tell the audience they're gonna do.

Like, for example, like, uh, Stefan, the city correspondent, was a terrible city correspondent, right? And so my, and my, uh, 1st instinct as an actor was to be frustrated and mad. And again, uh, not to continue to, uh, give him the credit he deserves. But Shemekers was like, I think the audience doesn't like that, you don't like them, you know? He was basically like, I think just, I think you should try to play this as as sort of patient and delighted.

And it was such a good note, because, of course, that, you know, s uh, to to to sort of confirm what you're saying, Will, like, I was delighted. So, like, why hide it from the audience? Like, it just seemed like, uh, you know, this cause again, I think maybe just from, like, I don't know what it was like, what comedy you watched growing up? But, like, there's that straight man thing of like, now, you hold on here, I, you are supposed to be talking about this, you know?

Uh, and that's just like, not joyful to do or watch.

we'll be right back.

And back to the show.

When Amy left, uh, and and s uh, cause she chose our son over you when she when Archie He's a fine was born, he's young man, and a hundred.

and you know what, he's I was gonna a fine young man, say, and I'm I'm finally willing to concede the right choice it's almost was

18 years, but, uh, and he's, by the way, he's still asleep, he's in the other, he's in his room right now, he's still asleep. Yeah, yeah, but but when, when, when you were now on the desk by yourself, uh, w- w- what was that like, that 1st time? Do you remember that 1st show being out there?

well, uh, b- I mean, because the 1st time was crazy, cause, uh, didn't wasn't Archie born on a leap friggin day?

well, well, of course. Yeah, of course. No, you did that, you did that night by yourself.

that, I think Saturday morning, I woke up from a a text from Amy being like, So,

She was in labor. Saturday

you're on your own. morning, Yeah, yeah, yeah. She was like, You're on your own, and, uh, I. But it was crazy, and it was also not the most confident I've ever felt. Lorne was, No, I don't know if he was Lorne had a lot of ideas of like, but what if you did it with this person just for tonight? Only? And, uh, and I'm not, I will say, I'm not someone who, uh, advocates particularly well, uh, for myself, uh.

But that was, I remember just saying, I really, I think if you don't let me do it alone tonight, you're the it will just look like you don't think I can do it alone.

And and the eyes were on you guys had had an amazing fall because it was the presidential race that year. It had been you guys were every week crushing it.

well, I think maybe the l- I mean, the la, probably just based on, uh, I remember, uh, you know, her silhouette. It must've been her last update before Archie was the the wrap to Sarah Palin, right? So that's so it is also, I mean, I do, I get that Lauren is like, So here's the thing. You going on alone without the woman who just hardcore rapped to Sarah Palin, like 9 1/2 months pregnant, like, I think he was looking out for me, like, genuinely, like, I don't think it.

W- He was probably like, let's just try to, like, have give you a little help out there. But I think ultimately, what we and what ultimately my era of, uh, solo hosting update was was we would just do a lot of features. You know what I mean, like, 4 jokes, Fred, 4

I will, I will tell jokes, you something, I'll tell you something really cool too, which it will not. But I I think it's cool is we, of course, you know this very well, cause you were texting in contact to Amy and Archie and I, and he was, uh, watched that episode live

oh, that's cool.

from the hospital.

that's cool. That was the Yeah,

1st show Archie ever saw.

It was, it was incredible, man, it was, uh, and and it was very emotional for her, and for you guys, and for us, and for me, and and Maya saying that song, uh, yeah, Kenan all of it.

and and Maya, Tt and Mario, which was a 1st time with you, Jason. Uh, that was TT and Mario he doesn't with the um, remember. he doesn't uh, Soul Singers. remember. He I'm gonna

doesn't remember.

help him. You and Amy, uh, you're on like a bearskin rug in front of, uh, we're selling, yes,

we're selling like a cake cake On the show, cake. Oh,

on the show, not the time you guys went away to Tahoe.

oh, you almost stepped in it. I did not lead you down a helpful path. Um, that was, uh, they. We sing those songs all the time, uh, which is, they were very short, very inappropriate soul songs. They were kinda like an Ashford and Simpson. And one of the songs, the entirety of one of the songs, was Let me put it in a little bit, just a tad. Yeah, just a tad, They were very short songs,

oh, yeah. And then, like

just a tad.

a s, like, like, like a smash zoom with the camera, just a tad, like, right in on their face. Yeah, shaky, I remember that, yeah,

shaky camera. That was, uh, I gotta so, Tt see that, and Mario were were, uh, sang, uh, sang a song to Archie.

to Archie. Yeah, it was amazing. that's so Um, so so, but then you go, so then now you're on your own and he and you end up. And however, y- you got it off the ground really well, it is, you know, behind the scenes. Lauren, you, as you said, was maybe a little bit nervous and whatever, and we'll, we'll see. But you end up now in a way, do you think that that prepared you for ultimately doing late night?

Because you kind of grew in confidence, you you handled it so well. The the audience never sensed that, and I don't think that. And and there's no o- obviously, y- you and Amy were great together, but you, you really owned that era of doing it yourself, and you took that into late night. Do you f- do you feel like that experience helped you?

I think it, I th- I mean, I think it helped people see me as somebody who could do late night. Which is ultimately, like, the bigger problem as far as the jobs we want is you need the people who give those jobs out to see it, right? And, uh, so that was, uh, great, but again, I had and no no eyes on one wants to go it. 1st. Yeah, and, uh, and it w- By the way, I owe great credit to the fact that it worked for that Jimmy made it work, uh, late night.

Because I think, you know, ultimately, the complete lack of originality in, um, network thinking led them to, like, what if the the other update guy? Was did Um,

did Conan precede Fallon?

yeah, but it was, yeah, it was Conan and and Jimmy, and then, uh, and then it was Jay, Conan and Jimmy, and then it was just Jay and me. It was a lot of, it was a it was a fun time.

But the how many years have you done the Late Show? like, 12,

Oh, yeah, it started in 2014, so, yeah, it's February, it'll be 12 years. No, February, it'll be 13 years. Uh, it's That's amazing, nuts, but it was, I will say, a lot of the update stuff, actually, I think, worked against, uh, figuring out the show. Because of, you know, one thing was so much of update was about me and the best cast, one of the best casts in the history of SNL. And then you're just like, now it's you, without any of that, and

but but maybe without the cast. But and we go back to Shoemaker, a guy who had worked closely with you in the writing, pro first of all, had encouraged you, and then you guys really partnered, and you guys went and did it together. You had a really great, solid, uh, you guys knew each other. That's a that's such a cheat because often I think when you start late night, not not that I know, you're, you're really, you're, you're, you're hoping it works out, you're hoping the dynamic works out.

You guys had years of working together.

we had a shorthand. We had a agreement about what I was good at and what I hadn't been good at. And we had also been there together. While I had tried all the stuff that had had not worked, about, like, I'm gonna be a regular sketch cast player on SNL, and, uh, we'd kinda watch that, uh, fail to, you know, bear any fruit. And so, but the the thing that frustrates me so much, and I say this with love.

I remember Lauren said it'll take you 18 months to figure it out, and I had the confidence to be like, Nah, it'll take me 18 months. And then 18 months into the show is when I was like, I'm gonna stop doing a standing monologue and I'm gonna start the show at the desk. And I remember I didn't even realize it had been 18 months, but the minute I did that, I'm like, Oh, this is it? And then I'm like, Oh, fuck, like, I was right,

then so, but on on SNL were you? How much of the of the weren't y- you were leading the writing process? were you not? were you s? were you head writer, either in name or in in in practicality?

I was head writer. I was I was head writer for, uh, uh, basically the the can the end of my run on the show, like I the was update and head writer. And I will say to this day, like, probably the the title, if if it's not too silly to be proud of titles, the thing I'm proudest of is the fact that I was the head writer in SNL. yeah, cause Um, it should be and uh, but again, like, it's you mostly, uh, you know, the hardest or the most Utah, I was, is b- bringing notes from Lauren to the writing staff, like I worked, that writing staff would've been fine, uh, without me.

They were just absolute top to bottom bangers. It was an incredible group of people.

You then, basically, by by, obviously, by default and title, m become head head writer on your own show. Um, and how, uh, compare those those two, um, workloads, uh, positions, levels of responsibility?

So it's actually, uh, Alex Baez, who was the head writer at Weekend Update, was the one person I poached, uh, when I left, and the one person as soon as I got the job. The 1st thing, uh, Lorne said was, You can't have Baez, like even Lorne knew how good he was. He's, he's the greatest living joke writer, he's incredible, and so he's our head writer. And the job, the I still do a ton of writing on my show, but I only rewrite.

Like, so much of my time at SNL was that, like, open on, you know, like the worst part of writing, just blank page. And like, uh, I remember Jost in his office, like, had a he like to this day. I'll go in, cause it's my old office, and he has the names of all the cast, like, just printed, just like, and that thing of, like, sometimes you just wanna look at names and hope that, like, just anything to get you started.

Right? Of, like, who, like, who who does what? Um, and uh, and so it is. It is lovely to have, uh, transitioned to into a part of my career where I'm, r- uh, rewriting more than writing gotcha, because, uh, just, I mean, I went, I think I went back and hosted in 2017. I'd only been gone 3 years and I had this, you know, grand plan. I'm like, I'm gonna get back. I'm gonna crack my knuckles, write a couple of old old school sketches.

And I just, it felt like somebody trying to. It was remember when Mark Spitz came back and tried to swim in the Olympics? And you saw, like, a picture of him, and you're like, he still looks good, and then he just got in the pool and you're like, Oh, no, that's no, like, that's, that's how hilarious. it felt.

the hours have got to be similar or, uh, better or worse

no, it's this is unbelievable. My hours now compared to the S. I don't know is better or worse, how, so right now it's the best. I don't know how I could have had a family with SNL hours in the way that I do now. I mean, we tape our show at 4 in the afternoon and we don't do a postmortem again. Shoemaker, his thing was like, Look, we, if there's something you're mad about tomorrow, let's have a meeting.

But if you go home, I bet you'll come in tomorrow and be more concerned about tonight's show. And you'll realize that great note, the thing you're mad about, everybody noticed that it went wrong and nobody will want it to go wrong again. And and ultimately, let's save ourselves, you know, 90

That's so interesting. minutes. that's

Because, again, you just churning em out one after the other. And, uh, and not in a bad way, I don't mean that in a negative way, but it does really force you to, um, look to the future and just try to slowly bring but it is up.

daily, right, except, uh, uh, It is, uh, um, uh, instead of weekly, um, even though the daily workload on SNL, from from my limited view of it, um, it does seem pretty rigorous. Um, I would imagine on your show currently, it it is much more involved.

it's I mean, again, I I get there 1st thing in the morning, and, um, I, I'm working the whole day. Like, there's no, there's no downtime, but it's not boring because it's all, you know, you're all churning towards this really exciting, uh, release. And and you know, the the, uh, adrenaline rush of walking out into a studio where, you know, 180 people are there to watch That's it.

so cool.

do you feel? Do you feel like you have to consciously? Because of because it is so, uh, it is daily, and and you do deal with s, you know, topical, uh, things. Do you feel the need to, like, fuck, I? I? I gotta plow through every newspaper this morning, I need to, I Not need to be up on really, I every no.

I sometimes feel like I get my news from the 1st draft of the news that they. Uh, and I'm like, that's also fine. I mean, like, you know again, like, it's not like I'm not, uh, looking at social media and scrolling through Twitter and seeing, like, what's happening in the world. So I'm not like caught flat-footed, but I don't, you know, I on Sunday, do I, uh, you know, think it's important to watch, you know, a lot of the, you know, Sunday news shows?

Um, yeah, but like, I'm not, I don't feel like I'm some, you know, uh, uh, insatiable news junkie, uh, for the purpose of my show, um, which is which is nice.

You can always just call Bateman, you could just call Bateman.

I'll plug in.

do you ever get, do you ever get tired of it, though? I mean, do you ever get, like, I you need a break don't I, from,

you know, uh, we're on, you know, uh, we're we're talking during a hiatus. I think maybe when this airs, we'll, we'll be back on. I can't wait to be back on. Like, genuinely, I love, uh, the people I work with. I I also it, you know it, it's a very, hopefully, it's a cathartic show to watch, and it's very cathartic to do so. I my mental health is a lot, uh, more, uh, locked in, uh, when I have the show as a way to sort of like, um, you know, anxiety down.

what do you look forward to doing? Sorry, Willie, on the when you guys are powered down during the summer, what is the thing you look most forward to doing with the family each year? Is it is it just is it like, is it travel, is it doing nothing, is it just playing house?

We're, you know, we got, we got, we got beach kids. Uh, I got a father-in-law with a boat. Highly recommend having a father-in-law with a boat. Uh, just a little, just a little motor boat, just, uh, you know, but, uh, that's a that's a good, uh, good w- good thing to do with I your kids. Um, got you but in general, they're, uh, they're also, you know, they're, uh, 10, 8, and, um, my daughter's almost 5.

Just good company right now, like, um, such good for the 1st time ages, where I'm, I'm really like, you know what, you're all a lot less boring. yeah, and they're Yeah,

much more self-sufficient at that age, right? yeah, well, Yeah,

that's the curse, right? Like, the minute they're not boring, they like, are, they're like, Hey, I'm I'm meeting other people. I'm like, Oh,

I know you watch, I know you watch a lot, y- you. Historically, you've watched a lot of films, you watch a lot of shows like you. You enjoy, uh, absorbing, uh, all sorts of art, if you will. What are the thing? what? what's the thing that? And and you watch a lot of sports, you say you don't play, but you you do, you watch a ton of sports. What's the thing? what is the thing that you do?

Do, uh, are you watching Below Deck, like JB and me? Are you anything like WEDDOWS that?

BAY That was my the last Widow's peak? live oh, your, that's con- show that great, I really that is great. somebody loved.

watches that.

Matthew Reece is great. That dude's awesome.

Really good, uh, a very good dude. That's the last thing I feel like I

Do you ever watch documentaries like true crime documentaries?

not with much, uh, consistency. No,

and then what is the go-to sport? Is it's football? it's Steelers football,

it depends on. I will say, like, y- if you have, uh, if your baseball team is any good, it's very fun in the summer to care about baseball. But I would say, like

and what is your team? Sox?

the Red Sox, and then also J- my dad's from Pittsburgh, so the Pirates to a smaller degree, and then, but the Steelers 100%. And, uh, and I that I do feel like I'm gearing up for that emotional roller coaster. Um, not in a way that I mean, I'm excited.

is are anybody f- I like, are you guys fans of sports teams outside of where you grew up? Um, well, you I'm in a liberal didn't grow up in school. I, y- you didn't

grow up in Boston. Ch- Uh, Seth, right?

well, New Hampshire is it it, you know, we got the Boston sports channels,

you're fucking right next to it, dude.

right next door. Although I tell a story like, uh, being, I was at a charity event once, and and, uh, Wahlberg, I won't say which one, but like, uh, he was like, Are you from Boston? And I said, Oh, I'm from New Hampshire, and he said, Uh, so no. I was like, that is the perfect sort of provincial rudeness of someone who, like, gets the Boston Globe. I'm like, I'm within the window of the Boston Globe getting delivered.

Home delivery, yes.

Well, could you imagine ever being called the the New England Red Sox? I mean, that that would give you an excuse then, right?

But they don't Yeah, the New England Patriots do it, but it is it's so funny because, like, I again, uh, you know, I got my start in Chicago. Chicago totally owns me, my dad's from Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh totally owns me, Boston just kinda in the middle.

Never the Cubs.

You know what I mean? And never the I've

Cubs?

They're pretty agnostic. Never the Cubs,

Never the never the White Sox, no? And never the Bears. Just kidding. No. I Okay.

Just didn't care.

See?

I had a I had a true love, and I didn't need more.

Sure. Sure. Uh, what do you think? I I've already asked this all the time, what do you think?

Is gonna happen in the Middle East?

Well, don't get me started, listen, the straight I think, The straight one loses Open, okay? By the way, in case you didn't know, I just It's open

Heard it, yeah. For business, so we're

It's wide open.

Controlling it.

And, by the way, it doesn't matter how far we're, uh, recording this based on when it comes out, it's gonna It's still Stay open.

Open. It's never been closed.

Uh, what what are what are the what last thing, what are the next 5 years for you? W- if you had to look 'cause we were talking about, like, what do you wanna do in in the preamble in our Coffee chat, uh, as JB calls it, what wh- wh- where do you see it going? What do you what do you wanna Look, I Do? What do you Mean, I don't Wanna do?

Know, uh, I would love to say in 5 years from now, I'm still doing late night, I I have no I'm not tired of it at all, I really, really enjoy it. But, you know, I I do think more than maybe even the the things I learned at SNL helped me figure out late night, like, I think, like, what I've done at late night will be stuff that will help me figure out a great many things, and ultimately, the problem or the fear I had leaving SNL was like, Oh, I'm so worried my next job's gonna be boring.

And this one isn't, so, I think the the key is just to find something where you're just not bored.

Well, I don't think you have to worry, you you you've got a, uh, you're you're a great comedy mind, you're a great mind, uh, people love watching you, including me, you're super, super funny, You're a And whatever you do,

Wonderful talent set. Yeah, you're gonna find

So, this was so much You've got and you've Fun, I loved Got no Plan This, guys.

B, and you've got no Plan B, that's No Plan The good news.

B, not even all these years later, not So Plan B.

So you're gonna be just fine, yeah. Yeah, and, hey, We'll Jason, I know I Bye.

Know you couldn't, but I can hear you.

Thank you. Thank you. And I You see me.

I can hear you.

And you see me.

Yeah, I can see you too.

Um, we love you, Seth Meyers. Yes, love you, Sadly, love you

Seth, thank you for coming, Back. You guys, it's a Dude. Delight.

Thank you for doing this.

Uh, alright, guys, I'll see you soon.

Thanks, Seth.

Alright, bye.

Bye, Seth, thank you.

Uh, the great Seth Meyers, he is so He's so great. You Good.

Know, you can tell he's a great writer and a great, um, Person of comedy just because of his natural wit, like, he's so funny

So witty. Naturally, just speaking, So witty.

You know?

Why I love he's so conversational in, uh, in his show, on his show, and and s and, like, as you said, and so Yeah, so Witty. And and Fast. Like, Yeah.

Crazy fast.

And fast facile. Yeah, I mean, eh, Facile.

We've all done his show, right? We've all been on his show, and he's j- eh, I don't know how you do that every single day where you're just on on, and he's so natural at it. Anyway, he's one of the best.

Yeah, he's super smooth, uh, always so kind and gregarious, and he's just a, uh

So smart, so smart.

Yeah. He's a he is a perfect host, for sure.

It really is, God.

And and I feel not is that is that the first time he's been on the show?

Yeah, isn't that crazy?

What is the deal?

That's the first time he's I don't I don't know, Know, I don't Right?

Know, and then I ran into him last year, we've been trying to put th- this together for almost a year, uh, just with dates and stuff, and, uh 'cause I was like, How did we how did we not

Yeah, I mean, he was he's I know? Definitely

Oh, boy. You know, he's definitely Oh, boy, oh, Why do I Boy, why why See why Did I start Do I see you

Smiling?

Coming from around the corner every time? Like, he chokes the puppy, I think he literally grabs the microphone Sean, what And gets an idea.

Is he? Sean, what is Well, I He? What Just wanna say Are you? He was he What are you Wasn't to he Doing?

Wasn't on today, um, by accident, he was on today Wait, no, he wasn't on today

Still rolling?

God, well Jesus, H.

He was on today 'cause he was purposefully on today, he wasn't on b- by accident Uh, I I I mean,

Don't will. Let's be middle. I Will you got anything?

Mean, no, I don't know, you

Wait a minute.

Know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sean, but I Bye. Don't. BAE, bye.

There we go. Bye. Bye.

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