Listener Q&A #1

Pop-ups (33 · 5 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Lorne Michaels stays through the 50th

   0:28

   Lorne Michaels confirmed he will remain as SNL's producer through the show's 50th season. The hosts had been speculating about his successor, so the announcement settled the question.

   lauren has announced he's going to stay at snl through the 50th

2. Who gets mentioned most at SNL

   1:06

   Akiva says Tina Fey gets mentioned most, while Seth notes his own name appears a flattering, moderate amount. It is a light riff on who appears in SNL's mythology.

   I'd say Tina got mentioned the most.

3. Fans point here

   2:17

   2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment.

   Writing for Maya is the greatest thing in the world because you write that Lorne, you were robbed, and you spell robbed, R-O-B-B-U-D-D-U-B-A. She does it exactly that. That's awesome. But afterwards, I had dinner with… — Seth

4. Steve Higgins's dinner antics

   2:41

   Seth describes three quirks from dinner with Lorne and Higgins, including Higgins slapping his hand over a bread roll and a ventriloquist-style order of a cheese sandwich. These are the kind of bits the hosts enjoy retelling.

   he slapped my hand so hard it still hurts.

5. Andy's dramatic turn in Lee

   4:39

   Andy Samberg stars in Lee, a serious World War II film co-starring Kate Winslet, shot in Budapest. The hosts stress it is not a joke, a running way of signaling sincerity.

   it's a serious not joke movie.

6. Getting in the cage

   5:16

   Seth jokes that Andrea Riseborough has now worked with both Andy and Nicolas Cage, which he calls getting in the cage. The reference points to Mandy, a Cage film she also appeared in.

   Andrea Risborough has now accomplished something that those in the know call getting in the cage

7. ESPYs Best Play bit

   7:21

   Seth and Andy recall handing out Best Play at the ESPYs, and Seth says they should have done a bit that tops the rest. The story is a callback to their earlier award-show work.

   We gave best play to Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger for a Super Bowl winning catch.

8. Santonio Holmes's burn

   7:34

   Seth met Santonio Holmes, who recalled Andy from the ESPY Best Play award. Seth calls the reply a funny burn because it suggested he remembered Andy, unlike the usual reaction.

   And he said, I remember Andy, which is a really funny burn.

9. Rob Klein calls in with corrections

   9:16

   Former writer Rob Klein phoned in to correct Seth on two points, the Flip-Flop nickname origin and Harpoon Man being bad. He insists the short is good and places it in the Criterion ranking.

   Harpoon Man is good, and I am officially putting it in the criterion.
   Criterion

10. Colin's follow-up voice note

    11:42

    Colin Hanks left a second voice note clarifying an earlier message about Roy Rules and whether he was peeing while recording. The hosts treat the clarification as a running gag about Colin's voice work.

    I actually wasn't peeing while I sent that message about Roy Rules

11. Jon Hamm wants Life of Brian

    13:19

    Jon Hamm, a fan of the podcast, wrote to say the Brian Williams short should have been called Life of Brian. Akiva explains the early titles were just rundown placeholders and were not meant for public view.

    Jon Hamm, fan of the pod, was very disappointed that we did not call the Brian Williams short Life of Brian.

12. Fans point here

    16:06

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 95 likes.

    Hey, I know that we do need to get to some stuff. Yeah. But I need to talk about Spelling Bee. Oh, the New York Times game or the Will Forte sketch? The New York Times game. And you know why, Seth. I'd almost preferred… — Andy

13. Andy's Spelling Bee streak

    16:19

    Andy's record run of Queen Bee results in the NYT Spelling Bee becomes a major topic for the Q&A. The hosts explain the scoring and hint rules that define a clean win.

    That you went on the hottest streak that maybe anyone's ever been on with Spelling Bee.
    cleansqueaky cleanquibi

14. Archive access question

    17:22

    A listener asks how the hosts access archival SNL clips like the Talking Dog short and scripts from 2007. Seth answers that Kevin Miller, a former writer's assistant turned producer, has access to a server with all of it.

    And it is, you know, there's a server and there's a Kevin Miller.

15. Burrito noir and Mike Schur

    17:59

    Akiva says a Kelsey Grammer sketch he and Jorma loved, the burrito noir short, was wrongly credited to Adam McKay on the podcast. Mike Schur then texted to say he and Matt Piedmont wrote it and were flattered.

    It was the burrito noir one.

16. Watching old SNL sketches on Peacock

    18:32

    Peacock lets the hosts search older SNL sketches by topic, such as vampires. Jorma suggests the archive should be public, but music licensing blocks that.

    you can just type in vampires and It'll be like, these are the six vampire sketches

17. Will & Harper appear on the show

    19:11

    Harper Steel and Will Ferrell are announced as guests on Tuesday to promote their road trip documentary Will & Harper. Harper is a former SNL writer and Will is the actor, and the film holds a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

    Harper and Will are actually going to be on the show this week as well, promoting their documentary.

18. Jessica's clean-win question

    19:59

    A listener asks whether the hosts' clean wins mean they skip the word count and two-letter hints. Andy and Seth explain they check total words and score but skip community hints, and both admit to using hints when needed.

    Jessica asks, so when Seth and Andy say they got queen bee clean with no hints

    Goes back to Queen Bee, Ep. 8, 18:30, Seth: By the way, I also got, he didn't tell me to check my phone, but he also got Queen Bee on the spelling bee, which he texted me right before this started.

    cleanQueen Beequibi

19. Queen Bee versus genius

    20:49

    Andy admits he solved most puzzles without looking at hints about 10 times a year, which is the feeling of a queen bee rather than just genius. The hosts use this to define clean wins in the game.

    In those moments, you feel like, frankly, a genius.
    Queen Beeclean

20. Who is the snorter?

    21:25

    Jordan asks who snorts while laughing on the show. Seth says Andy is a great old-school snorter, and Jorma admits he has never heard it himself.

    Who's the snorter? Sandberg. I think it's me, yeah.
    snorm

21. I Wish It Would Have Rained

    22:32

    Jorma says the expensive short I Wish It Would Have Rained got them no trouble, but Lauren's sarcastic reaction made him feel bad. Andy adds they were pushed into making it and then shamed, and the hosts promise to cover it later.

    We didn't get in trouble for it, but I got a very sarcastic response from Lauren after we made it.

22. Censor fight over jizz in my pants

    23:11

    Akiva recalls a last-minute censor battle over a song with bad words, which required NBC chief Jeff Zucker's approval. He says their Los Angeles-based censor got angry when he asked to speak to her boss.

    they had to call Jeff Zucker who ran the network to get approval for it to air.

23. Lazy Sunday and The Office

    26:15

    Akiva knew about Lazy Sunday because Shura asked for the instrumental, and Andy recalls the group slowly realizing The Office was a friendly parody.

    I knew about Lazy Sunday because Shura asked for the instrumental.

24. Water bottle sketch identified

    30:26

    After a listener's question about an unrecalled water cooler sketch, Kevin sent a link and Akiva found the Dane Cook and Forte sketch on Dailymotion.

    It's on a random website right now, Dailymotion.

25. Fans point here

    31:42

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 5 likes.

    But Albert wrote, when did the audible cheers from the audience begin when the SNL digital short card would appear? Oh, that's a good question. First one. People are like, ooh. I don't think I know the answer to that.… — Seth

26. Fans point here

    34:48

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 95 likes.

    Somebody wrote, how does SNL pick extras for skit shorts in the first scene of people getting punched? My favorite short. Thank you, Kelly. Someone's peepaw gets their clock cleaned. That was an old guy first. That… — Seth

27. Background actors cast for live show

    35:09

    The live-show background actors are typically booked by a talent department person, and the same faces recur across political sketches.

    I think whoever's casting extras for SNL has their trusted people

28. Seth's Minneapolis Greatest Day story

    38:46

    Seth recalls the Minneapolis day that led into the Bash Brothers story: the day after shooting Lobby Baby, with a boat trip and a live Lonely Island show at the Armory.

    One of the greatest days of my life. I've always said this. Greatest day of my life.

29. Jose Canseco joins the live show

    39:27

    The real Jose Canseco came on stage with the group at the Minneapolis Armory, a second appearance after an earlier Summerfest stage moment.

    Jose Canseco came. The real Jose Canseco. Fuck yeah.
    Andy Samberg’s Mind Squad

30. Steroids joke backstage

    40:09

    Jorma asked Canseco his secret to looking great; Canseco answered 'steroids' as a joke, which left Seth laughing hard.

    What's your secret? And Jose Canseco says, steroids. Yeah. It's all those steroids, man.

31. Akiva's Mark McGuire impression on stage

    42:18

    Andy and Akiva performed in matching jerseys while Canseco paced behind them with a bat, and the crowd's attention shifted to him, a bit the hosts compare to a wrestling move.

    It's very much like a world wrestling move, but also an SNL move.

32. Yes, I eat pork rhyme origin

    42:51

    Akiva's Mark McGuire character line 'Yes, I eat pork because it's tasty on my fork' was written by Andy, and it is cited as a favorite rhyme.

    Yeah, Andy actually wrote that for me. But yes, I eat pork.

33. Bash Brothers edited for under $200k

    44:08

    The Bash Brothers special was made largely on favors and labor love, with Mike Diva editing and visual effects, costing far less than a typical TV episode.

    We made that thing for, by TV standards, nothing.

34. Netflix budget and no sequel

    44:36

    Andy and Akiva note the Bash Brothers special's budget was far below Netflix's pay, which the hosts say makes it unreproducible.

    It's not reproducible and it's probably not a big deal.

35. Writer hiring through auditions

    45:42

    Writers are hired through packets or auditions, with Mulaney, Lutz and Sudeikis cited as examples of audition paths.

    Mulaney was somebody who auditioned but was hired as a writer.

36. Fans point here

    46:45

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 10 likes.

    Yeah, he had a really funny audition. All right, Matt wrote, after watching Hot Rod, I wrote to my member of parliament. So where does that mean he's from, Andy, member of parliament? Foggy London town. I wrote to my…

37. Foggy London town callback

    46:54

    Andy's phrase 'Foggy London town' returns from earlier episodes, used to reference the UK setting of the member of parliament question.

    Foggy London town.

    Goes back to Foggy London Town, Ep. 19, 1:25: Foggy London town. That's what they call it.

    Foggy London Town

38. Failed follow-the-hosts pattern

    47:20

    Akiva notes a recurring theme: fans who followed the hosts' example ended up failing, from the ACT to the election.

    It's kind of a theme of people following something we did and then failing miserably at it