Will Forte

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Hi, everyone.

Welcome to another episode of Good Hang.

Very excited to introduce our guest today.

It is Will Forte.

Will, amazing actor, performer, writer, and

my good friend who started at SNL pretty much the same time as me.

So we get into those early years today.

We talk about his amazing SNL audition.

We talk about how he became incredible at Donkey Kong.

And we also talk about the four seasons, the great news show that he's on Netflix currently with Tina Faye.

And speaking of Tina Fey, we are asking Tina to join us and give us a question to ask our guest, Will Forte.

And Tina is a friend of the pod.

This is her third appearance.

And technically, we probably need to start paying her.

Tina, hi.

Petty, can you hear me?

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What do you say?

And I am the one who was a really good name.

Who are you looking at?

That's Teddy.

Teddy.

I wish Teddy just responded to her, his?

His.

name, Teddy.

Hey, Teddy.

Oh, I wish you could smell him.

Smells terrible, Betty.

We were just saying that you are the official best friend of the pod because this is the third time you have been on the pod.

Thank you for being here.

I want a three-timers jacket.

Yeah, just like SNL.

We'll give you like a really heavy, ill-fitting robe.

A really unflattering jacket

you have to wear every time.

We're talking to you in New York and we're

talking to the great Will Forte today.

Yes.

Congratulations, by the way, on your show.

I love it.

Thank you for watching it.

We're going to be plugging it while he's here, but

the Four Seasons out on Netflix.

Apparently streaming on Netflix.

Yep.

Right, Teddy.

Right, Teddy?

And then there's a dog version for Teddy and other dogs.

The dog version is a lot darker.

What has it been like working with someone that you've known for so long?

And what's good about it?

It's what it's so easy to work with Will.

And

I've said like, you know, when you work with people at SNL, it's, you just know them by osmosis because you just stay up all night with them so many times.

You, you eat like a meat, cold meatball off the table next to them, even if you're not.

working directly together that much because Will and I didn't really write together or, you know,

like, I don't think we, I don't think I've never had dinner with like just Will, like, but it's just all osmosis.

And so I just was very comfortable with him.

I feel like we had a shorthand.

I feel like

I was never worried that he would be mad at me or not like me.

You know, it's like just easy.

Yeah.

And, and I knew he is a super hard worker because he is the hardest worker.

Like he'll work himself to death.

I just found out today that he

did 20,000 steps a day,

every day for the year 2024.

20,000, yeah, at least.

And he would wear his, he would wear it almost like a court ankle bracelet.

He would wear it under his costume when we were filming and he would talk about how he got, he got 20,000 steps and he would like get up at five o'clock in the morning before he came to the shoot to get the first 10,000.

Yeah.

He also, one thing I know, I learned about him is He,

and I know his family and friends do love him, so I don't know why he is this way, but I feel like he is so responsive to any words of praise.

If you say, like, Will, you did a great job in that.

He's like, he's like a plant that nobody watered for a week.

He's like, thank you so much.

He's so grateful.

I'm like, I know your wife is nice to you, but he just really, I think his love language is words of affirmation.

Oh, that's so good.

Telling him he's doing a great job on the podcast and watch.

his face light up.

He's going to light up.

It's so true because, I mean, and it's so easy to talk about how great he is because he is so, not only is he so funny and a great writer and a really nice person, but he

he

could have been in another world like a finance bro, like he's or a job.

So interesting, Amy, because that was the main question I thought to ask him is I would like to know.

if he had not ended up in comedy, because I know anecdotally from talking to him that he had a lot of weird jobs.

You know, he was like, and he had like, it's almost like he's immortal because he describes chunks of his life.

I'm like, that's too many chunks.

Like, what do you mean that one time you went up to Alaska and were a salmon fisherman?

Like, what do you mean?

So he's had all kinds of jobs.

And I wonder, if he had not ended up a comedy writer and then a performer, what would he have been?

What would have become of him?

Great.

I think, you know,

if.

in another era, if he had lived in another era, I feel like he would have been a really popular 70s game show host who then like killed a bunch of nurses.

And then they would, like Mark Harmon, would have played him in a movie.

Yep.

That makes sense.

But yeah, like what would his life be like if he had gone a different route?

And I'm going to talk to him just a little bit about some of his characters because I feel like they just are so

intriguing.

Like they just kind of came with him.

And SNL.

He had so many that he brought.

But do you remember his audition?

I kind of do because I remember he did,

I think he did Tim Calhoun, the really quiet guy running for office.

He's really quiet.

And he did that kind of infamous silver face paint guy.

Yeah.

His comedy is

so truly unique.

His voice, when you think of like Magruber and the Falconer and all these, and like all the kind of, you know, the dancing football coach and the Halloween sketch where he's the guy who has to tell everybody he's a registered sex offender his his or like the time he brought his lovely mom onto weekend update and just like

like was like gonna tribute her but it was just like when you die like you know i'm gonna be supposed to say whatever

he has such a weird sense of humor i wonder what comedy things shaped him because I don't think it's the same stuff as everybody else, you know, but like what, like what combination of comedy

and real life childhood trauma

made this, made his comedy this?

There's like a mischievous streak in him.

Yes.

I felt it a little bit in some of the scenes when you guys were throwing stuff at each other.

Oh, yeah.

Like there was a little bit, I was like, that is a little forte.

Yes, he hits me with a cup.

And yes, and I look genuinely really mad.

And but also he was like the obedient part of him was like so happy that he hit me with the cup on the first try.

He likes anything that's close to sports.

All right.

Thank you, Betty, for this time.

Love you.

See you soon.

Bye.

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Okay, I'll officially start.

We are with Will Forte.

We are with Orville Willis Forte the fourth.

The fourth, yes.

You're the fourth Orville.

I'm always pissed if somebody doesn't say the fourth.

I know.

Sometimes people say the third, and it's like, that's my

mouth wants to say Orville Wilbur Forte, but it's not.

It's Willis.

Oddly, I accept that.

I'm totally fine with Wilbur just because there's something fun about it.

But the fourth is just, that's disrespectful if you get the fourth wrong.

They named me the fourth, like, for a reason.

Well, tell me who, because I love, you told me this very early on when we met, the names of all of, because you go by Will, but you did not go by Will as a kid, right?

You went by.

I was Billy as a kid, but then it was, I was born in 1970.

So when I started going to school, I started hearing about Billie Jean King and people were like, you have a girl's name.

And that was like a big deal.

Like, so, so I

was like, I am not Billy.

I am

Will.

Will.

And that's how, that's how yeah, I think I just demanded a name change at like five or six years old.

Okay, but then you went by Will, then your dad went by.

Dad was rebel.

Yeah.

Because he was born up by you.

He was Weston, Massachusetts.

So he's from Yankee territory, but he was born in New Orleans.

His dad was stationed down in rebel territory

during World War II.

I don't think it was still, I mean, yeah.

So he he went by, as a joke, they called him Rebel.

And he went by Reb, right?

He still goes by Reb.

Reb.

He still goes by Reb.

He's still around.

Still skis.

80, almost 82, 82 in about three weeks, and he still skis.

I'm here to say both your parents, just attractive people.

I just saw Patty, your mom, and Reb at the Four Seasons premiere.

Your dad is a handsome silver fox.

He's, it's, he's kind of a white fox now.

Yeah, he's a white fox.

He's blending into the snow.

Patty looks incredible.

Right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

She's about to turn 82 also.

And she,

if somebody, there are people who think she's in her like mid-60s.

Yeah.

She's like incredible skin.

Yeah.

You have very good jeans.

Yeah.

Will forte.

I was so excited to have you come today because

I feel like all of us in

we like all went to the same comedy high school or something.

Like we all graduated

at the same time at a from a place.

And I feel like when we all see each other,

it just feels like we,

like, in fact, I was talking, Tina was talking about this.

Like, it just feels like we all, through osmosis, just got to spend so many hours together.

Yes.

Like we really spent a huge hour.

I would even say it's more than a high school experience.

It's like a family.

Yeah.

Like a real family.

And

that 50th really

showed it too, because there'd be a lot of people that you didn't meet that you felt like you knew.

And it was just such a like a warm homecoming with those people that like you've heard of them,

they've heard of you.

And it's just like, oh my God, I'm finally meeting you.

It was, but, but I mean, for somebody you went through it with for as long as we did, yeah, that, that, you guys are all family.

I know.

And did you meet anybody for the first time at the 50th that you had never met?

Like that you had never.

Yes, Melanie Hutzel, Adam Driver, I had never met, and he was so sweet.

And Nathan Lane was there, just people like that.

So it was just a delight.

And then the capper was like right after we go through this long rehearsal.

We had noticed Paul McCartney just hanging out in the bleachers.

And

somebody said, you sticking around?

Because Paul McCartney is doing sound check right now.

So we're like.

Fantastic.

So I just hung around and called my wife and my daughter, whose birthday, it was her fourth birthday.

So I said, get Zoe out of bed right now.

Get over here.

She's like, she's, because she was taking a nap.

So I said, get her up, get her up.

I was so mean.

I was like, get down here right now.

Slap her.

Or I'm leaving you.

I'm leaving this family.

So she

runs her down.

And I have this just priceless video of like her watching Paul McCartney singing.

It was the very end of like, you know, the whole Golden Slumbers medley.

Is Zoe the daughter that had that ate the ice cream for the first time yes she's uh

this daughter right here oh she's this one there's cecilia right there and there's zoe

for listeners will forte just lifted up his pants and showed us socks that has his daughter's faces on them where did you get those socks my wife gets them for me like every every Christmas, every Father's Day, every birthday.

It's all I want.

I would say 90% of my socks have somebody special's face on them.

I'm walking on

my family all the time.

You have two daughters, four and what?

Four and two and a half.

Well.

They're so cute.

Yeah, I started late.

My wife got me when I first,

when I first

was, I think it was before the first one was born.

She got a sweatshirt that she had made that said dad or grandpa.

Question mark.

Just so great.

And definitely most people would probably go, grandpa.

No, for sure.

Anyway,

as an older dad.

How dare you?

You've lived a lot of lives.

Like you have a lot of versions of you before we met at SNL.

You

were, I mean, you were in, you were in finance before you worked in comedy.

Yeah, but I was barely in, I was like, it was a, I was an intern and it was what my dad did.

So it was, I, I, it, it was a big deal to me back then because it's what I thought I was going to do just because my dad did it.

So I always thought, oh, I'll follow in his footsteps.

And then as I was doing it, I was like, oh, this doesn't feel right.

Yeah.

Maybe it's just because, you know, I was working for this guy and he was a nice guy, but it's like, you know, it was

the, the thing that I was doing was kind of boring.

I would just like call people on his behalf.

And then, right when I'd get them on the line, I would send them over to him.

So I wouldn't have to like do the scary and exciting part of like trying to sell a product to this guy.

Yeah.

It's just like, get the person on the phone,

hold for this guy.

Out of his, out of, I don't want to say his name, just he's a nice guy, but I like, I just, I've, I've said it in the past.

I'm like, oh, I, I don't know if he wants to be part of my stories, but he's, he was great.

But at a certain point, he's, he said, his name's Brett.

He's a nice guy.

I don't think he'd care.

No, he won't care.

Yeah.

But he, at a certain point, he said, you know what?

I want you to, I'm going to put you through the series seven

and

you'll come over and be part of my team, like the junior guy in my team or something, something like that.

And I just, it was at that point that I was like,

oh, I know myself.

And if I, if I agree to this, I will

never leave.

Like, I wouldn't, I I wouldn't go, like, oh, this, my attitude would be: this guy went out on a limb, took a chance on me.

I'm not going to just F him over.

But it is like when you came, when my memory of you was when you came to SNL,

it was like you already had an aura because it was like, he, it was like he was, worked as a, in a brokerage firm and then he left to write comedy.

And you had already written for Letterman and

was it Third Rock from the Sun?

Third Rock from the Sun.

You had two genuinely

and 70s shows when you auditioned for SNL.

I was trying to get out of the audition because I was under contract for 70 shows.

So to me, I was like,

I was like, I can't even do it anyway.

I think we had just gotten picked up for two years in a row, which was unheard of.

And so I was like, I finally had this job that's going to stick for a while and loved the job.

And this experience at Letterman, where I didn't do great, and i was like

this felt like is this going to be another dream shattered so just like hold on to this thing that you know is you're you got for sure is burden hand right yeah so so i just was like i

finally they talked me into coming to audition so i went and

And then I got the job.

I just your audition.

Your audition was, it was so funny, Will.

Really?

Yes.

Well, thank you.

It was so, I think it goes down as one of the best.

Really?

Oh, man.

I think so.

I mean, I remember.

By the way, look at that audition.

You'll see a

you'll see the doughy forte for sure.

I probably was, yeah,

30 to 40 pounds heavier.

Baby forte.

Like, yeah.

Just like cheeseburger forte.

You did a bunch of characters in that audition that you ended up doing on the show.

You did Tim Calhoun, the soft-spoken candidate.

The speed reader ended up on the show.

Yes, the speed reader was the spelling bee guy.

Spelling Bee guy was kind of just Tim Calhoun in

a different setup.

That's true.

But

introductions?

I did.

I was not, I mean, you know my impressions.

Me too.

They're so bad.

I can do a Kerm of the Frog.

That's, I think, it.

Did you do that?

I did Michael McDonald, which is like, I did the things everybody could do.

And I did Martin Sheen, but I said, like, it was.

Like a West Wing Martin Sheen or an Apocalypse Now Martin Sheen?

It was just like an old person voice kind of, or like, I mean, he was not to no disrespect, not, but just like for me at the time, I was 32.

Yeah.

And like, I, I just kind of say, hi, I'm Martin Sheen.

And what I, what I said, I've had a co kind of a cold lately.

So if this doesn't sound like me, it's because of the cold.

But, you know, if it does sound like me, then I guess the cold is gone

or something like that.

Oh, my God.

That's so good.

And then you did the amazing character that did end up on SNL Once, which is the silver-faced.

Oh,

we did it at dress rehearsal, but it didn't.

It didn't make the show?

It didn't make the show.

But I was so thankful that it didn't because.

Can you just tell people about that, though, for people that don't know?

Because

it is legendary that

you did it in the audition.

There, it was something I used to do at the Groundlings, and I would, it was a gold man.

Excuse me, not silver, it was gold.

No, no, no, it's totally fine.

I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.

No, no, no, no.

Everyone always says silver man when they

think there are more people out on the streets that are silver than gold because it's just less expensive, yeah, right?

Exactly.

Anyway, so I, it's one of those guys who's you know, uh, dressed all in silver or silver, or

you got me.

I'm so sorry.

Dressed all in gold, frozen.

And then if you put

money in his thing, he, you know, moves around

like a robot and then freezes until somebody puts more money in.

So I did this sketch where it was.

It had a thing that said dollars make me move.

So a robber comes up.

This was at the Ground Links.

It was Jim Rash.

And

Jim Rash comes up and takes the money out.

And I can't move because he's not putting money in.

So I'm just stuck there until somebody else finally comes back and puts a dollar in.

And then I like try to find this guy and I'm like, okay, in a very

robotty way.

Sadly go back up onto my perch and then

somebody else, Jeremy Rowley, comes up.

He's a kid with Kevin Ruff and says, Daddy, why is the gold man look so sad and you know well maybe if you ask him he'll tell you and or maybe if you put a dollar in he'll tell you maybe if you put two dollars in he'll tell you in song and so then i do this song and that's what i did for the and can you tell everyone what this and i tried to do what i what i just told you in

i tried to do that in like 15 seconds.

Yeah.

I don't think I did it, but it was like.

So there's this guy.

So, so, so,

so.

so so what was the song though is it's an incredible song so this is so this is the

yeah so i just set it up

i almost like retold the story the setup again so keep in mind okay so here we are just because

i'm a man made of gold

uh

so also

just so you know before i do this so so he said he puts in the two dollars the kid puts in the two dollars and then a bunch of people start um

gathering around.

Maya Rudolph being one of them.

Just because I'm a man made of gold doesn't mean I'm made out of money.

But the calling I found is to give people pleasure through incredibly precise robotic movement.

That's why I come out to the streets to help me make ends meet.

And I work real hard to fill up that jar.

But then a bad apple ruins the barrel.

Heart of gold.

24 carrot.

But through all the pain, I grin and I bear it.

Heart of gold.

But I'm living a golden dream.

Cause any way you slice it.

We're all on the same team.

Come on now, everybody.

And everybody starts singing along.

Heart of gold.

24 carrot.

But through all the pain,

I grin and I bear it.

And the mic goes, he grins and it bears it.

Heart of gold.

But it don't make me no saint.

Cause I got a little secret.

I suck for my face pain.

Come on, stay with me, everybody.

Come on.

Heart of God.

I suck for my face pain.

I suck for my face pain.

Cock

face pain

I suck for my face pain

I suck that cock for my face pain face pain Cock

face pain face pain Cock and face pain Cock cock cock cock cock cock face pain Cock cock face pain face pain

cock cock cock face face pain

cock face paint cock face paint cock cock together at last in a heavenly union

cock cock cock, cock, cock, cock.

And then just kind of go out.

And at this point, everybody's left.

And then I'm just

together at last in a heavenly union.

So I did that a bunch at the groundlings.

And you did it for your SNL audition.

And I did it for my SNL audition.

I remember walking out.

Lauren was there and just kind of couldn't do what I said.

And I didn't know what to say.

So I just said, sorry about all the cocks.

And then and then left and I got the job

it was I can remember the reaction to that and how hard people were laughing on a notoriously like cold room like that room is very

like people were dying laughing that's really nice to hear because like I mean you don't remember that no because you're so focused on it and

And especially if you're singing, if you're doing anything loud, you can't really hear something until there's quiet.

And this is just like constant noise.

And I might have even had my music.

Yeah.

Like there's this guy, Teddy Zambetti.

Thank you, Teddy.

Who was the musical director at the Groundlings

at the time I did that,

gave me this tape of the music so I could do it to the music.

To hear the music.

Yeah.

So I didn't know.

I didn't, you know, you walk out of there.

You just have no idea how you did.

And then I actually, at some point, I went up to Lauren's office because I think also, like, because I had been such a little pain in the ass about even going out to audition, I think he was like, you know, are you going to take this job, you know, if I give it to you kind of thing?

Well, it was the weirdest thing because I went in there and I was like,

I think he was basically saying,

you know.

basically saying you have the job.

He doesn't like to actually tell anybody.

He notoriously doesn't ever like hire or fire anybody.

He's very enigmatic about it.

He's just said something.

Even when you start, you know, like that kind of thing.

When one works here.

Yeah, I remember with him, he's like, and you know, there'll be a time when you're here and people will be.

And I was like, did I get hired?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Like skipping the part where it's like, so let me be clear, you've got the job and moving on to like.

So in your first year, you're going to find, and you're like, my first year here?

Yeah.

Like, but, to me, I fill in the blanks of the first part that he glides over as like, you're very much on the fence, probably not going to get this job.

But if you were lucky enough, if I, you know, somehow make a bad decision and hire you

in your first year, you would, you know, and then that stuff.

Right, right.

You got the job and then you had to go back and you had to turn down like a secure job.

Well,

if you remember this.

Did you do double dip?

No, I went back there and I was like, I'm not going to leave 70 show.

That's right.

Will, you

at such a badass move because, I mean, it is.

I was just a puss.

I was scared.

But you said, I can't, you turned it down.

You said, I can't do it because I have other obligations.

And just like

a lady who doesn't answer her texts, SNL was like, I've never been more attracted to you.

I mean, they double, it was like double down.

Everyone was like,

what?

And I was, I mean, what they, everyone's like, oh, what a punk rock move.

And, and like, little do they know, I'm like, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And I'm like, oh, thank God I didn't have to go because I know I would have failed.

And I was just like, so it was totally a decision based in fear.

And thank God,

at the end of that situation, at the end of the year where I wrote it 70 show and it was great, but I thought about it all the time.

Like, Like, oh, I should have done it.

I should have done it.

And thank God Lauren came back.

I remember Spivey calling me up and saying, or no, we went to somebody's wedding.

That was it.

We were at a wedding and Spivey and

Spivey and Maya were both there.

And so they were,

we talked about it a little bit.

And I said, yeah, I kind of regret.

not doing it.

I really regret not doing it.

And so they, so they came back.

Lauren came back and said, would you want to come audition again and i and so i said yes and then mark brazil the guy who was my boss at 70 show said you gotta you gotta go do this

do this and you have a job here if if uh that's nice if you yeah if you if it doesn't work out just come right back here when you got on the show did you ever feel secure safe or did you always feel like you had to hustle every week for your stuff like did you ever have a moment where you relaxed

I started relaxing like year seven, maybe.

Yeah.

It was that my first year,

everyone's terrified, right?

I mean, you were, you were just like, you seem like you were a pretty instant sensation.

Um,

but it's, it was tough with, because like a bunch of

I mean, it was a lot of like white dudes.

And so you had like, it's it was 2001 and a lot of white dudes.

It It was a huge cast.

It was like 17 people.

And so you're, you're trying to get your stuff on, right?

And you're, you're trying to get noticed.

And then I got somehow the George Bush role.

So I it's like, you know, we

talked earlier, like, I don't do impersonations.

And like,

it was

a match not made in heaven.

Yeah, you didn't like that.

I mean, listen,

Will Farrell was George Bush.

He was George W.

Bush.

He was so good at it.

It was,

I mean, I like, I've said this before, but I, it, it,

anybody replacing, it's like trying to replace the church lady, trying to have somebody else do that.

Or like, you know,

you just, he, he made it such his own thing that like.

They should have just retired it.

But of course, you can't retire the sitting president on SNL.

You have to have somebody has to to be doing it.

And I just like, I had to be that guy.

So it was like, I was kind of a letdown for a year as Bush.

It is interesting to watch and pay attention to how impersonations get passed around.

And sometimes they hit and sometimes they don't.

And yeah, you have a job to do.

So you have to do it.

But yeah, I know.

And then,

and then.

As I, I feel you the same way.

Like it didn't take me until later on where I started to feel relaxed.

But when you started to feel relaxed, like I feel like all of your,

well, the story that led to kind of relaxing is it was the, after the third, sorry to cut you off.

Oh, please.

But

I think this was after my third season there, or it might have been after the second season.

There was this big period where they were like, right, rightly saying, something's a little off with this show.

Let's figure it out.

Put a bunch of us on hold.

I think you might have been one of the only people who wasn't put on hold for like they just like picked you up, but like 10 of us, just a bunch of us had our, there's a time for people who don't know, there's a time in like July where they are contractually obligated to tell you if you're getting picked up for the next season.

And then sometimes they will make a request to have three extra weeks.

And they did that with a bunch of people.

And that's always scary.

And then I got to the end of that three weeks a lot of people had gotten picked up and they asked for um

this was friday they said can we tell you monday and i'm like

what am i going to say so i'm like sure then on monday they said we're not going to be able to tell you till wednesday and then it that went on well jumping to every two days for three more weeks

Three more weeks.

And I was the very last person who got asked back.

Everybody else, I don't even think they cut anybody that year.

They just, they just tortured everybody.

But then what happened was eventually Lauren called me up.

And it actually was a good thing because he said, he said,

here's your deal.

You still have a writer mindset.

When you write your own things, you commit to them fully and you're really good about that.

But then when other people write things,

you're, you get timid.

And you're, and, and, and, you know, in my head, i'm like oh you freaking don't you're so stupid of course that's not happening and of course he was 100 right i was like i would remember back to at 70 show if i'd write something and somebody's like or just any any job you write something and you're like no that's you know it's nope that's not how it's meant to be said and and it's like so i in my head when i'm doing these sketches that other people have written it's like i could hear them going like oh he's blowing it he's not interesting So the timidity came not from like you not caring or not trying, but it was like you were afraid that they were thinking this isn't right.

I wanted to do it exactly how they wanted it, but didn't know how they wanted it.

And so I was kind of timid.

And he's like, you just got to be as weak.

Take ownership over the sketches.

And it was like.

It really like, it could have gone either way.

It could have been, I could have just like receded into the shell and melted down.

And for some reason, it became this thing of like, oh, it's all gravy from here.

I could have just been fired.

I wasn't fired.

Yeah.

And so like, you know, I got to give it to Lauren.

He was totally right.

And really somehow, you know,

it was kind of a master stroke of genius.

That is a really good, good feedback and good note.

So then, but then it still probably took another two years before I was like.

feeling do you remember that we sat next to each other at the read-through table you yeah you and i were next to each other do you remember when we had the guy come for the sexual harassment?

I certainly do.

Do you remember what we were doing during it?

I mean, I think it was like drawing pictures of dicks or something.

I assume it's something.

I mean, remember again.

We were consensually and appropriately just with each other, I believe, drawing pictures of penises and giving them back and forth to each other.

And then I accidentally

handed that sheet of paper to the very nice man who had just done the entire seminar because I thought it was the sign-in sheet.

Do you know this part?

And I forgot that part.

And he was like, what's this?

And I said, oh, that's the wrong.

Sir, that's the wrong paper.

But moving forward.

I mean, look.

I mean, look.

There are so many things I look back now and I go like, same.

You think, oh, it's all about getting the laugh.

It's all, it's, I agree.

And I feel that's what like is, that's the part about getting older and being in, and being in comedy is you have to like figure out like, oh, it's like everything has an expiration date.

I mean, there's like, even, even on the 50th when they said, like, here's all, they had that segment of like, which is like, here's all the ways we got things wrong.

And they showed way inappropriate casting for people, you know, we all played people that we should not have played.

Oh, my God.

I misappropriated.

I appropriated.

I didn't know.

I did know.

Like, it's very real.

And the best thing you can do is like make repair, learn from your mistakes, do better.

Like, it's all you can do.

Yeah.

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Okay, so four seasons.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

It's so great.

Thank you.

I watched the whole thing.

I was, Tina and I were on tour when it premiered.

Will,

you are so good in it.

Thank you.

Oh, man.

You're so good.

I mean, I know how good you are.

I love watching you act.

I just think you're such a great actor.

I love it.

I'll tell you, like, and how fun was it to make?

This will sound like avoiding a compliment, but I really mean it.

Like, the way those guys write is

makes you look like such a good actor.

It's like their writing is so good.

Yeah.

It just like, and that goes for all Tina shows.

Like, you know, 30 Rock, getting to do the character I got to play in 30 Rock, the

Paul Lassaname,

it just like, it's

what.

The stuff that I got to say was just a gift every single time.

And it's like, anybody could have done that.

It really is like

such good.

You and Tina had such a flow and you were really sweet together and we really bought you as a couple.

And

I just loved seeing you also play because you have the capacity to play such really like, you know,

deeply funny, original, and eccentric characters.

You've played a lot of eccentric characters.

And I loved seeing you play this kind of person because he was.

very, he's very close to how I perceive you, Will.

Like he's

a lot of similarities, I think.

Yeah.

So I talked to Tina before this,

you know, we like to talk about people behind their back

in a good way and ask people what I should ask you.

And so I talked to Tina before you came on, and she had a couple of good questions for you.

One was, which I think we may have already covered, but like, if you weren't a comedy writer, like you've had a lot of different like versions of you.

Do you see a parallel world?

If you were never a comedy actor and writer, what would you have been?

I think I would have been

ideally a college professor.

Like, let's see that.

Some kind of history.

I just, there's something.

Well, you're a white male of a certain age, so you're obsessed with history.

I mean, yeah, it would have been white history.

Yeah.

I just, I love, I love walking around campuses.

That makes me sound a little bit like a creep, a little bit.

I love walking around.

I love walking around campuses.

And then comedy viewing.

Oh, I wrote down her question, which was like,

when you were growing up, who did you, who were your comedy, who did you see?

And you thought,

oh, like, who are your influences, basically?

I would say

number one was Steve Martin.

Peter Sellers was another big one.

Every SNL, just every

SNL, just SNL.

Yeah.

David Letterman.

Those are the four.

But I mean, you know, Monty Python, SCTV,

so, so much stuff.

But, but, like, Steve Martin, definitely my number one.

Yeah.

Steve Martin for our generation, because we're about the same age, it was like

so big.

Did you watch that documentary?

His doc, that documentary?

I somehow haven't.

Oh, my, it's so good.

Morgan Nelly.

It's so good.

And it's really moving because it feels like, in the same way that the SNL 50th felt like our entire life, You know, it started when we were three, that show.

Steve was like the big star when we were little kids.

And like he just, he just spans our life too.

Yeah.

He's so so all those stand-up albums and

the jerk.

I mean, the jerk.

It was, for me, it was, it all.

But did then, and there are still things that I stumble onto that I, you know, had never seen.

Like somehow I had never seen the, what was it, the great Flydini?

Oh, yeah.

Have you seen?

But there are just, you know, I'm, I'm sure I'm leaving out a million things.

You know,

was a huge fan of Cheers.

And that's, you know, that's.

I love Cheers.

Cheers was in Boston, which was such a big deal growing up.

Like, yeah, yeah.

Even though not one person had an authentic Boston accent in that show, but including Cliff.

That was not an authentic accent.

But that was such a big deal.

Like, Cheers felt like, oh, this was like a show for us or something.

But I loved Cheers.

Yeah.

So good.

I mean, the pilot of Cheers and one of the best pilots ever.

Yeah.

And I look back now every once in a while, go back and watch them.

And

it's just, it's still so amazing.

Like the storytelling is so good.

Those writers are just

cream of the crop.

And what are you watching today, looking at, listening to, reading?

What do you like?

How do you check out?

How do you zone out?

Like, how do you get yourself

happy or laugh?

Like, what do you, where do you go?

What do you watch?

I play a lot of Sudoku.

For some reason, it used to, I have a bunch of things.

Do you know I've never played Sudoku?

I used to be.

I mean, I'm still a big crossword.

You know, I do the New York Times crossword puzzle, but usually I'll just wait till Saturday to do Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday's hard.

I know.

I would just want to jump to that.

I know it's a humble brag, but

it's a learned skill.

But it's,

and you, and people don't know that you had like one of the highest scores ever in Donkey Kong.

That's true.

That's true, which is, you know, yeah, that's a big

factor in, you know,

measuring somebody's brain capacity.

But what was your score and how did you get it?

It was very high.

And

where was it?

No, this was okay.

So I was down in.

Here's the story about that.

I think I had the, at one point, I had the 29th highest registered Donkey Kong score.

Okay.

The word registered should be in bold print.

Because, so I was down doing that movie, Good Old Fashioned Orgy, with Sudakis and Lake Bell and Tyler Levine and Pete and Alex, Pete Hike and Alex Gregory, just a million people, Lindsay Sloan.

It was so fun.

It was this very fun summer.

And I was the person in this movie.

It's a group of friends who are going to all have an orgy.

And I was in, I was the friend, me and Lucy Punch played the couple that they didn't want to be at the orgy.

So great.

I forget why.

I think we were because we were married or.

Yeah, but they didn't want us in the orgy.

So I was basically only in like every fourth day.

And so I found this bar that I would just go down to this bar that had a Donkey Kong in it.

And I wouldn't even drink there.

I would just go and play Donkey Kong.

And then there was this JLK.

I still remember JLK was, had all the high scores.

And I'm like, I'm going to get this fucker off this high score.

I'm going to beat this guy.

So I started getting better and better.

And then I'd go home and I'd look up, you know, tips for how you get through this level that I was.

And, you know, so I'm spending hours and hours all my off days.

And so I'm getting better and better.

Well, eventually I get a pretty high score.

And I showed there was this guy, Leo, Leo Daniels, I think was his name.

And he was, you remember King of Kong?

Yes, of course, that movie.

Well, he was like, I think he was the record holder for Defender

or there were a couple different games that he was big in that scene, but he was, he was at, he was

on our crew for good old-fashioned orgy.

So I showed him this picture.

I'm like, check this out.

Not bad, huh?

And he's like, that's pretty good.

And I'm like, oh, really?

And he said, yeah, that's pretty good.

By the way, it was higher than JLK.

So he sent it to that guy, Walter,

who was the, if you've seen King of Kong, I forget Walter's last name, but he was the guy who would watch the videotapes.

Oh, exactly.

And I didn't videotape it, but he just, I think he made a special SNL.

And he said, I'm going to put you in the books.

So he registered it.

Holy moly.

But that's the thing.

There are probably a million people who have higher scores, but like

who's going to register their Donkey Kong score?

If you're going for a high Donkey Kong score, you're going to register it.

Sure, but I was just like having fun.

This was my own.

I was establishing my own

levels that I wanted to get to.

Sudoku is.

I didn't do it for the glory.

And what about what makes you laugh?

What are you like laughing at?

The kids.

I mean, they're so freaking funny.

Okay, there's a video that I saw of your daughter eating ice cream for the first time and if i may describe it because tina and i were talking about it it's the it is the cutest

we were saying it's like it's such precious ip you could sell it and then do an animated series off of it it is can you explain what happens she's i mean i could play the audio well let's play the audio

oh it's so it really is it is it's so cute listeners it's like i mean i wonder wonder if you have to see it.

If it's, but um, she's, she's, is she having ice cream for the first time?

No, she's had ice cream before, but it's it's freezing.

So, what you can't see is like she is pounding this ice cream, and she's like

shivering and shaking,

and then but she keeps going, and then she's known that she comes from an ice cream family because you love ice cream.

Yes, here, I'll show it to you so you can see it.

You're shivering!

You're not cold?

No.

And why are you shivering?

Because my legs are bumpy.

Because of my legs are bumpy.

What?

Your legs are bumpy?

She's deeply shivering and eating ice cream.

You are so funny.

You got ice cream up on your glasses, too.

And then she crosses her eyes trying to see it on her glasses.

Right here.

She crossed her eyes to find the ice cream on her glasses.

I love brain freeze.

You got a brain freeze.

That's your second brain freeze.

It seems like she's going to die, and then she just, after this one, I think she dives right back.

That's your second brain freeze.

So that's basically.

Oh, that's so cute.

It helps to see the visuals because when you say, like, you have, she had like ice cream appearance, like, you have ice cream on your glasses or whatever.

She goes,

Little kids, little kids with glasses are so cute.

Well, you would love both my kids then because they have shitty eyesight.

Little glasses.

Both have.

So cute.

One has little pink glasses and one has purple.

That's one of the things I do.

It's so cute.

One of my like

go-to

comfort watches is I watch videos of little kids getting glasses for the first time.

That is the best.

Or kids who somehow have like cochlear implants.

Cochlear implants and they hear their mu-oh.

Soldiers coming home and surprising their kids at school.

Absolutely.

They're all in the same category.

Tears.

Dogs come.

Dogs being away from

elephants.

Yeah.

Who used to be trained by a guy and then they run back to the guy and they hug the guy.

Yeah.

Anything, any reuniting and any like,

I mean, when you see a little baby that's just kind of like not focusing and then they put those little glasses on them and the baby sees their mom and then they smile, forget it.

Yeah.

I love those videos.

Really?

It's so good.

And then because of the rule of threes and because I too often have to circle back and close the loop,

I feel like on behalf of one of my producers, Jack, here, I need to ask you about

this particular sketch.

Will, you are one of the people that when I say, like, I'm going to have you on, every person I know, but a lot of men I know, want you're their favorite.

And also, they want to talk about their favorite sketches that you've done.

Like, they want me to mention it.

And

the one that Jack wants me to mention,

Jack, I feel like, right?

I just feel like we can't end without it.

Okay.

Because is

Clancy, you know, is bought a glass of beer.

Okay.

So can you just tell us, for those people that don't know that sketch, can you just.

Well, first of all, it's a jar of beer.

I'm so sorry.

I forgive you.

Oh my God.

I would be.

Did you say glass?

You said glass of beer.

Jar of beer.

How could I?

You only say.

It's a glass jar.

It's a glass jar.

I mean, we don't, it's glass parentheses unspoken, but like.

So, so sorry.

So can you just tell us how that sketch came about?

And for people that don't know.

So we.

How do you even explain it?

This was

me and Wig and John Solomon wrote a sketch that was like a Thanksgiving sketch, it was just people singing.

Um,

yeah, I forget the tune, but it was like, Guess who's coming to, you know, Thanksgiving dinner this year.

And then it was just a bunch of weird names like Pessimalia Giltwizhna, Fruge, Freem,

you know,

gibble, uh, you know, Betsy People Poof and all these weird, weird things.

And it did not make it.

It was like fun, but it made it to dress rehearsal, I think.

Yeah.

The next time we went in, we

did, we figured out the thing of like, oh, we'll, we'll sing about

toddlers, Malti, car.

I think it just started out.

We, the first song we wrote, it was going to be a bunch of different songs.

And you just picked those words?

We picked those things.

We're like, what if every single one has those things?

And then it became about that.

But then the first time we put it up at a table read, it was like existing songs.

So it was like, highway to the toddler zone.

I remember that.

Gonna, you know, drink a jar of beer with a, in a spaceship in the toddler zone.

And then just, you know,

and so it was probably 10 different songs that would have been the most expensive sketch of all time.

So they said, get out of our face face with that.

So, we were like, Oh, let's do that because we love the concept of the you know the weird thing.

So, we just wrote original songs, and that was kind of how we did it.

And it was Jackie and Clancy, Jackie Snad and Clancy P.

Backler.

That's right, and they and you guys just sang songs and

toddlers, jars of beer,

um, spaceships,

and wait,

and model tea cars.

Oh, Tazo, did you hear when I whispered in your ear about the stationship that was parked in your yard?

Next to a model tea car and some beer in a jar, but without any gas, they couldn't get too far.

That was one of the most fun to ever get to do.

Just doing it.

I remember watching that.

I remember you doing it at the table.

And, you know, like I said, you were next to me.

So it was really loud.

Always, I'm sorry.

No, it was incredible.

And you and Wig were, you and Wig did so many funny things together.

You're such a,

like, you're just so great together.

I mean,

Kristen's a genius.

But that one was like felt particularly fun because, just like how you said, it kind of felt like you were, both of you felt like you were in like your senioritis.

Like, it was very

loose and stupid and fun that you can only get to if you've been on the show for a while.

Like, you just, yeah, I don't know, you have to kind of earn it and get there.

And that felt like that kind of sketch.

It definitely was a really

that, you know, they would always say, like,

you'd put stuff up and it would seem to go well at the table and

it wouldn't get picked.

And they'd say, like, just wait.

You know, when you're, when you're there for long enough, those things will start getting picked.

And

they were, it was right.

It was right.

Like, you know, certainly there were still a couple of times when you're like, hey, I want, you know, I deserve the old senior.

And it was never, like, I, I was never,

I never went in thinking like hey i deserve this because i'm a senior i would have worked very hard

i would never want something that i thought sucked to no one i was a part of a lot of things that sucked by the way that that i you know probably liked myself but but to me it was like if something went well at the table read it deserved like when you're in your seventh year you deserve a shot yep

um

And sometimes, by the way, sometimes there'd be shows that were chock full of good stuff.

Yeah.

And so I understand it with that.

But then every once in a a while, I'd be like, okay, that thing made it in.

Oh, yeah.

This.

Oh, yeah.

I mean, that was a lot of it.

She was like, okay, they're doing another one of those.

Okay.

But that sketch from beginning to end is and remains everybody's favorite.

And so

to end our podcast today, will you?

Oh, can I tell one, Tina?

We did so much press, and I can't believe this never came up.

But like, Tina, in the making of the four seasons, we all

had what's called two-bangers.

Yeah.

Two-banger trailers.

So basically, there'd be a trailer with a wall in the middle, and the toilets would be up against the wall.

And so

I was, I wanted to be very extra respectful.

Like, I wanted her to know that, like,

I don't even know.

I just want, at some point, I'm like, I just want you to know I'm never in there trying to listen to, you know, what's going on.

If I hear that you even come close to that bathroom, I'm going.

This is an example where

I know your intention is good, but you're bringing something up that no one would think.

Like, no one would think that you're.

Everyone's thinking it.

You kidding?

Everyone's thinking it.

It's so quiet in there.

I can hear if she starts writing a letter at the far end of the trailer.

It's like, oh, she's writing a letter.

It's like, oh, it's a blue envelope.

Yeah, you can hear everything.

Just so you know, I'm not trying to listen to you.

I just want you to feel comfortable.

Like, if you ever go in there, I go in and I put on some music.

Yeah.

And the door is shut.

Sweet.

I'm just not in there.

And so we, so it became this joke thing.

And then, and then we had a system where if we ever heard Iron Maiden, that was like, clear out of here.

Damage is being done.

I can't believe that never came up.

We just

did a full press junket,

all did talk shows.

And it's like,

that was like,

that's actually like that loving care is actually what like a real marriage is like.

Like what you're just talking about, like how you and Tina are like keeping each other's boundaries.

And also, I'll tell you, that was like, that was a really nice thing because like to get to go through that experience,

A, you know, forget about it with like the honor of getting to play Tina's husband.

Like what a, what a, professionally, what a thrill.

yeah.

But personally, to get to have that experience, we're hanging out so much, and like, she was, you know, got to hang with my family, and it was just, it was very special to go through that with her.

Yeah, that's awesome.

I loved, I loved it.

Thank you.

Um, all right, I want, but can you sing the glass?

Uh,

oh my god, I did it again.

Can you sing the jar of beer?

Do you remember the jar of beer song?

Oh, Clancy, can you take that to spaceship camp?

Does a toddler have a a boiling frying egg up with a frying pan?

So hop in my model tea car.

Oh, look, a spaceship.

A toddler in a model tea car.

Spaceship camp.

I forgot.

I mean, I was butchering it, but it was like,

I just remember also, it's like, spaceship camp.

Oh, my God.

Well, I love you.

You're so great.

Thank you so much for doing this.

It is so fun.

It's so nice to spend time together.

It's not like we wouldn't.

We don't see you anymore.

We should hang out more.

I would love that.

I would love that.

I love every time I get to see you.

And that's been the best thing about this is I get to spend like an hour and a half talking while people watch.

Thank you, buddy.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Will.

Love you and you're just so hilarious always and love talking to you today.

And, you know, Will talked about Donkey Kong and a great documentary about Donkey Kong is called King of Kong.

And I just wanted to say in the Polar Plunge, check out King of Kong.

It came out maybe almost 20 years ago, but it's a documentary directed by Seth Gordon, a great director who went on to direct movies like Horrible Bosses and Identity Thief.

And he actually directed.

A few episodes of Parks and Recreation in the early days.

And it is just this incredible tale of men and their love of a particular game.

So,

check it out.

Check out Four Seasons and check out this podcast.

See you soon.

Bye.

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, Kaya McMullen, and Aalaya Zanires.

For Paperkite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss Furman.

Original music by Amy Miles.

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