The Jon Hamm Episode

Pop-ups (32 · 3 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Fans point here

   0:42

   2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 5 likes.

   Pay never. It's the Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast. Yeah! I think Keev's about to join us, and so let's get out the business that Keev doesn't want to talk about.

2. The 2,500th spelling bee

   1:07

   The hosts discuss the first 'S' appearing in the spelling bee, which coincided with its 2,500th edition. The NYT Spelling Bee is a recurring part of the crew's word-game culture.

   It was the 2,500th spelling bee.

3. The Yorm cut demand

   1:39

   Listeners kept asking to 'release the Yorm cut' after Jorma's partially recorded Ross Trent episode. Seth jokes that the audio would not be enjoyable.

   people yelling, release the Yorm cut.

4. Ross Trent might be Criterion

   8:41

   The hosts debate whether the Ross Trent episode qualifies for the Criterion ranking, citing its specificity and the fact that Rihanna enjoyed the sketch.

   do you guys think that this is a criterion collection episode
   Criterion

5. Fans point here

   19:30

   4 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 25 likes.

   So, you know, look, Fartface and Fall are two of the most memorable sketches that did not play at all, right? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, Fartface, did Fartface play badly? Because I will say playing it for my 10-year-old son… — Seth

6. Fartface died at dress rehearsal

   19:59

   Fartface reportedly bombed at dress rehearsal yet made it to air. Josh Brolin then told the writers to 'shut these fuckers up' before the broadcast.

   Fartface died so much that it died at dress and somehow made it to air.

7. Brolin's crowd-hyping line

   20:48

   Right before the Fartface sketch aired, Josh Brolin reportedly said 'let's shut these fuckers up,' a line the hosts treat as a legendary pep talk.

   Brolin said to Forte and Hayter right before they did the sketch at air, let's shut these fuckers up.

8. Fall Foliage's second-half slot

   23:59

   Fall Foliage is another office sketch placed in the second half of the show, which the hosts argue worked against it.

   now it's just a different part of an office.

9. Noah Baumbach's guest-writer week

   26:25

   Akiva recalls Noah Baumbach came in as a guest writer and director that week and filmed a short called New York Underground. Past guest directors included Andy Warhol and PTA.

   this was the week that Noah Baumbach came by just to do one of those guest director, guest writer weeks.

10. Gun holstered origin

    27:04

    The phrase 'gun holstered' is Akiva's opposite of 'shots fired,' used after something peaceful and uncontroversial. Here it marks his praise of Baumbach and PTA.

    Yeah. Shots fired.
    gun holstered

11. The Mad Men costume week

    27:26

    Jon Hamm arrives and the cast dresses as Mad Men characters, a costume week the hosts say was never repeated. Andy admits he dressed badly, having not yet watched the show.

    We all know him as Don Draper. Everybody dresses up as a madman character.

12. Andy's bad Mad Men costume

    27:39

    Andy recounts dressing as a Mad Men character without having watched the show, wearing a baggy button-up and polka dot tie.

    I hadn't seen Mad Men yet and did a bad job of dressing up as Mad Men.

13. Trick or Treat credited to Simon and Mulaney writers

    28:30

    The hosts note the Golden Era writing talent behind this episode, including Simon and Mulaney credited on the Jon Hamm monologue. Seth frames the episode as a peak of the era.

    Simon and Mulaney wrote the ham monologue. And then, trick or treat, Jeff Montgomery, the first appearance of Jeff Montgomery.
    an golden era

14. Jeff Montgomery: a pedophile sketch that threads the needle

    30:05

    Trick or Treat is described as a sketch about a registered sex offender knocking on doors, which the hosts argue succeeds where similar premises fail. The Jost, Forte and Solomon writing team is credited.

    It's a pedophile sketch, but this one absolutely threads that needle.

15. Jeff Montgomery's 'bitch bitch' opener

    31:34

    The sketch opens with an immediately absurd exchange about Kit Kat bars and toffee, setting an insane tone from the first line.

    Hey, don't call me a bitch. You're the bitch bitch. What? Right off the bat. Immediately insane.

16. Deadpan 'I'm a sex offender' Halloween costume

    32:44

    Forte's character reveals his Halloween costume is being a registered sex offender, the sketch's central comedic conceit delivered deadpan.

    Deadpan Will, I'm a sex offender.

17. Late line added between dress and air

    33:56

    Seth reads the script notes showing a line was added between dress rehearsal and air, which turned out to improve the sketch without breaking anything.

    This is a rare case of they just added this line that gets a big laugh between dress and air. So nothing was broken.

18. Fans point here

    40:08

    3 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 24 likes.

    Hey, could you pop me over to Seth's Corner real quick? Seth's Corner, you're all invited. Seth's Corner, it's happening right now. Take it away, Seth. I read a couple of things. — Seth

19. Obama 'Safe and Musical' cold open rehearsal

    41:43

    Seth recalls rehearsing the Obama cold open with Fred Armisen as Obama and Maya Rudolph as Michelle, with Andy as Rahm Emanuel and Akiva as Nancy Pelosi. The sketch was shot the night Amy Poehler had her baby.

    One detail here is not in the transcript.

    And it was that night Amy had her baby, because this was late Friday.

20. Cold open makeup and quick changes after update

    43:20

    Jorma asks whether big cold opens with heavy makeup make the rest of the show exciting. The cast explains that quick changes are usually scheduled after Weekend Update so departments have time to prepare.

    it's often after update because the departments have a lot of time to get ready.

21. John Ham born at Latanzi

    43:44

    Seth describes the moment he came up with the Jon Hamm's Jon Hamm idea: leaving the bathroom at Latanzi, a restaurant where SNL hosts dine, and telling Andy the pitch.

    I remember the exact moment I came up with Jon Hamm's Jon Hamm.
    an golden era

22. Latanzi: the secret host dinner spot

    44:20

    Latanzi is the restaurant where Lorne takes the hosts every Tuesday night. Akiva notes it was low-key and secret when the writers worked there, before paparazzi showed up.

    It was a cool restaurant because nobody knew about it.

23. Andy's first Latanzi dinner the night he was hired

    44:33

    Andy recalls that his first visit to Latanzi was the night he found out he was hired, and that is where he met Conan O'Brien.

    the first time I went was the night I found out I got hired.

24. Jon Hamm's Jon Hamm: the ham you can eat in the bathroom

    45:05

    The sketch's premise was originally pitched by Seth in the bathroom at Latanzi: a product, a ham you can eat in the bathroom. Andy told him to write it up.

    Jon Hamm's Jon Hamm, the ham you can eat in the bathroom.

25. Andy confesses he hadn't seen Mad Men yet

    45:40

    Andy admits he had not watched Mad Men when the sketch aired, later calling it one of the best shows ever made after watching it during COVID.

    everyone loves Mad Men except me because I hadn't seen it.

26. Ham product tagline and johnhamsjohnham.com

    46:00

    Seth recalls the sketch's fake product tagline and website, johnhamsjohnham.com, a deliberately dumb writing choice he had nearly forgotten.

    if it feels like a slice of ham, don't wipe your ass with it.

27. A-Holes: Mad Men crossover with Elisabeth Moss and John Slattery

    47:17

    A-Holes was a period-piece crossover with Mad Men. Elisabeth Moss and John Slattery play themselves, with Moss stepping in when Amy Poehler was out after having a baby.

    And both Elizabeth Moss and John Slattery play themselves.

28. West Wing and Peggy as Bartlett's daughter

    48:07

    Andy notes that after watching West Wing, Peggy's role was revealed as Bartlett's daughter, a connection he watched in reverse order during COVID.

    So I was like, whoa, Peggy is Bartlett's daughter? That was it.

29. John Slattery Venetian blinds bit cut

    48:28

    A joke to add John Slattery as Venetian blinds for a toilet was tried and cut, because nobody calls Venetian blinds slatteries. Slattery himself knew it was getting cut.

    That didn't work because nobody calls Venetian blind slatteries.

30. Vincent Price Halloween special and James Mason rewrite

    48:55

    Hamm was originally set to play JFK at dress rehearsal, then Lorne asked him to switch to a James Mason role between dress and air, requiring a rewrite and a live first-time impression.

    Lorne asked him to play James Mason, and we had to rewrite it for James Mason.

31. Hamm's first live James Mason impression

    49:04

    Akiva recalls the cast being impressed that Hamm did a James Mason impression live for the first time, seen as a step beyond a dream host and a sign he would be asked back.

    his first time doing it, doing it live on air.

32. Jorma's arm reminder: 'Andy's handsome'

    50:09

    Jorma explains he wrote names on his arm so he could tell the hosts apart on Zoom, and Andy's entry reads 'Andy's handsome,' which the hosts riff on.

    I read it on my arm, guys, so I could tell you guys apart.

33. Rasta Man digital short title confusion

    51:18

    Akiva points out that the rundown labeled the Ras Trent sketch as Rasta Man, a title the hosts say they would never use, so the mislabeling seems to be a game of telephone.

    Ross Trent was called digital short colon Rasta Man. We would never say Rasta Man.

34. Jorma's 'wear a fucking suit' bit

    52:55

    Seth recalls scolding himself for wearing jeans on the bottom during an update and notes his talk show now has no suit at all, a callback to his earlier style.

    ugh, wear a fucking suit. You piece of shit.

35. Five-in-a-row host streak

    54:28

    Seth notes that Hathaway, Brolin, Hamm, Affleck and Rudd hosted consecutively, with Rudd on his fifth time, a strong run for host quality.

    find me five better SNL hosts in a row. Ever.