Questlove Supreme: Cecily Strong

What's Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. And then there were three A mimic Supreme.

Supreme, Supreme roll Call, Supreme Supreme.

So.

Supreme roll Cecily's a rth Yeah, and she'd be strong. Yeah, Oh my god, I just messed up my own roll call Supreme Supreme. That's how it is. Supreme Supreme roll Call.

My name is Sugar.

Yeah.

I been waiting so long, Yeah to profess my love for yeah Cecily von Ziegazaar.

Supreme Supreme roll Call, Supreme cut Supreme roll call.

Yeah, Yeah, Damn, I messed up too. I'm gonna say horney to you.

Monday Supremo Roll Supremo, Supremo roll.

Well, I'm sessling. Yeah, I feel kind of dumb. YEA hope I don't ruin this show. Yeah before it.

Suprima Supremo roll pre Wait a minute, premu.

Should we know we stopped? Stop stop, mut yeah or mute it. We just got murdered on our own. This is somenas jay z ship, where like Eminem murdered us on our I said, I think you kind of fumbled on the lid. Can you pronounce it fully? Did my name or name I thought you're referencing a middle name or something.

Zegas are if I'm pronouncing I don't know, it's not that. Okay, that's not her, she wrote. Cecily wrote the novels that became Gossip Girl.

Right.

Wait, how do you know that, Steve?

I looked up famous Cecilyes to try and get some ideas from.

Really be doing your Okay.

Did you know this before he references? Did this take you by surprise as well?

No, I mean it took I forgot who there's a there's a couple of Cecilies.

Yeah, there's not that many in history.

To be honest with you, I ran it.

With cecil That's why I'm cly.

Yeah, Cicily, I don't know.

Well, yeah, this is a sad love for someone Supreme, because messing up our theme is such a rarity.

You know, it may feel very comfortable. I will say, I feel it feel at home.

You did awesome?

Okay, Well, I'll give you that point advantage, Steve, out of this.

We messed up there.

And gentlemen, welcome to another edition of Anemic Supreme, brought to you by the only One, uh quest Love. We're at iHeartRadio streaming on all four mats that you get your podcast goodies. Uh, we have light ya in the house and we have sugar. Steve shout out to unpaid Bill and yeah, fon ticcolos out getting cigarette still, he said he returned one day. Uh, yeah, we're.

Waiting and Boss Bill, we're like three Oh, Boss Bill, that's right, half a six pack.

Yeah, So what rules can we break now that we can eat?

We could do I'm supposed to. No, I can't. I'm supposed to be in charge, so I got to show some order. So no, guys, we're thinking by the rules. We talked to Cecily, and we don't go into the.

Can eat my breakfast right now?

Like, well, knowing you you got some little birds, so would you go.

To No, it's good, it's good anyway, ladies and gentlemen, our yesterday. I'm very very honored to have uh what I when I when I mentioned my play of employment, I refer to it as thirty Rocky University. I consider it a college, a post grad school. I consider it life lessons. And it's always an honor to pick the brain of fellow thirty Rock thirty Rockians, especially those that are in the upper echelon of the eighth floor of

Yeah.

Was That's why I'm really mad that freaking Bill's not here. Bill's a fellow Amal tonight. Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the original Cecily Strong. Yes, we're very happy to How are you today?

I'm around cold, it's called this weather is bad.

It is hell, especially where we work. Yeah, getting to work?

Are you an American Gladiator around this time of year?

Like trying to get into that building it is.

Yeah, it's the hardest thing in the world. I try.

They're firing house. You know how they did that on American Gladiator? Yes, yeah, I know how you very familiar.

Do you are you a subway to work person? Are you a walk to work.

I'm walk to work.

Oh say see, oh god you you oh you followed the rules. Wow. Okay. So when I first started working here, I naturally thought, okay, I'll move to Brooklyn or whatever. Yeah, my management is like not if it was up to them, like Steve wants joke, like they want you to live at thirty one rockefell As just you know, just in case, because it's almost like being on call to be a doctor or whatever, like you have.

To immediately and just as important.

Yeah it no, well it is actually used.

Yeah what you do? I mean you too, But I was just saying that what she does, like it's the institution, So yeah, it is.

I feel like an on call doctor like you pretty much if they call you, you have to be there within like a half hour for anything. I don't know if it's that way all year round for you though. I mean once the.

Seasons are oh yeah no, then I they're not allowed.

You have something to break. Yeah you have two phones then.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, they don't get the other number.

Shout out to two phones.

So I told you, okay, I but I do have a burner number. That's kind of exciting.

Oh my god, you're like a character on the wire.

Yeah did you get.

No, it's on my phone.

But it's because I use so many apps like or during thing, I don't time out.

Okay, so I'm about to reveal my age. You're telling me that I can get a Burner number and still on my.

Phone absolutely for free, and have two numbers on this phone. Yeah, I know you could do that. Well, is that like the Google phone number thing you're saying, No.

It's similar, but it's its own app and you you can just.

Like if a tender date goes good, then you can give your real number real exactly and if it does it it's.

Great not having to give out your real number. Yeah.

Well see, now's the point. My burner, my fake phone was my bat phone was once the coveted phone, and then for some reason, now I've given everybody my bat number. So my real number, like, no one calls that anymore. Oh yeah, so I dubbed that mom phone.

That's one number.

It's mainly.

We learn quick this. Yeah you know, I don't. Yeah, that's mom phone. Only talked to my mother on that phone. Okay, So what got you here? Where were you born?

I was born in Springfield, Illinois?

Okay, so too outsiders of the Midwest US East Coasters. In our minds, it's either Chicago or not Chicago, right.

So it's definitely not Chicago.

How not Chicago is it?

It's very not Chicago. I mean not only was there for a year and a half. Okay, so I can't say I remember much of Springfield. It's the capital of Illinois. Well, pretty exciting.

Also where the Simpsons live.

And I actually I saw that's a I think that's where Barack Obama announced Joe Biden as his VP in two thousand.

And you were there to see it, you know it three and a half hours.

I see Abraham freezing.

An Abraham Lincoln.

Yeah, a role gossip girl.

I looked up famous Abraham's.

Souh you only lived there a year and a half in that and then.

Right outside of Chicago, okay, park.

Are you okay?

Anybody that's did you say Simpsons?

Yeah, he's so that's why Springfold.

Well, no, that was just a weird coincidence.

So yeah, there's two questions about Chicago. One or as as a resident. Are you sort of dismayed at the sort of hashtag what about Chicago staying that's on the city right now, or at least the kind of the the the cloud that looms over the idea of Chicago, Like what is your version of Chicago.

It's weird because I when I, I mean, I grew up.

I did a lot of theater in Chicago as a kid.

Uh.

And then I was my.

Dad worked and pr and Chicago and did a lot for the Democratic Party. And again, when I think of Chicago, it's all like Obama for me because that's the years I was there. I think it's always And I have a good friend, my little sister. She's my fake little sister from the South Side, so of course her experience was very different than mine growing up.

But I think, wait a minute, I'm sorry, I just we have to acknowledge like I only felt like black people had like play cousins and family and lets it's.

In the program. Is she an official little sister?

No?

Okay, didn't Yeah, okay, we play cousins do okay?

No?

You know what it was like I met her.

I just I lost a friend, uh to a drug overdose, and she lost her older brother, uh, which is part of Chicago too, And it was kind.

Of like we had like the universe gave.

Y'all just met us to each other to this day.

Oh yeah, she's coming this weekend. College young she's uh, she feels.

Like she's like fifteen years younger sometimes, but she's about five years younger.

So you're motherly.

Well, I'm an older I'm not motherless, never designated driver, just older sister.

Okay, I see, Actually what I want to know. I don't think we've interviewed anyone in the comedy world from Chicago on the show. I don't think we have. What is it?

Why is something to do with mustard and ketchup and hot talks?

No, that's that's a letter. I want to know why ketchup is not allowed on You know, I.

Don't even eat hot dogs or red meat. I'm not the one to ask, but I do know.

You don't.

You're not supposed to. You get kicked mustard only mustard and whatever.

What is it? I've heard some I've heard some talk, and I believe that this goes back to the hinds face family from nearby Pittsburgh sort of having a beef with the what's the billionaire family from Chicago, the pizza Prits. Yeah, I'm hearing that the beef starts there, so you order must have too. Well maybe even it was like, okay, well, I don't want to be the person like spreading false propaganda. What I do know is that you get laughed out of any establishment.

I think it's just.

Like Chicago has a couple of things they just like to be stubborn about.

I think, well, your pizza sucks, not you.

But I'm just saying you don't like Chicago pizza.

I mean, it's going to kill you so good.

Well will kill us too.

So there's really I will say it's my favorite city to eat at. Some of the best restaurants I've ever even just like a small like little Greek resturant, Little Time.

It's all so good.

I've been Okay, So as of this taping, for some reason, I've been booked in Chicago every weekend for the last five weekends.

Great time to be there.

Gorgeous weather yeah, oh no, no, no, actually no, weird enough the last time.

You're jinxing yourself. Now, I will say, you're going to be stuck there.

I will. I will say that both times in the winter it was like fifty nine degrees. For some reason, I came dressed for like all right, where's it at? Where's that? Where's the cold? Where's the cold? And I was sweating like it was it was spring weather.

I mean I probably unpredictable. Yeah, but it's the worst winters. Oh, I have like I have like nightmares about it. I know, thinking about it.

I know, we know. But I will say that I tried. Okay, they told me not to call it the illuminati. Illuminatisis okay, but I love Manatis. There has to be a connection into the Illuminati.

Is that a food?

Pizza?

And I will say I know Willie Malnaughty. He has a podcast now he's in New.

York about pizza.

No no, says entertainment.

But he is a Melnati and I did a show with him when I was twelve or thirteen at the Goodman and it was during the summer, so Taste of Chicago was going on and we got free pizza.

Yeah, it's it's.

It's my favorite. Luminais my favorite.

I will have to say I was really impressed with that pizza.

You can you can get it shipped.

I know. Yeah, I don't want to do it though I know.

That dangerous. I don't want to fall do It's like I have an addiction to pizza, so I have to stay away.

So how do you feel about New York pizza?

I mean I pretty much like all pizza.

No, you can't do that.

I know I do.

Have you taking a pizza to New York?

No, I will say, you know what, I did have pizza I didn't like here, and I I don't want to say where it's from because I don't want to.

Is it not raise or is it an established par established people ship on in Williamsburg Grimaldi's that you're looking at me? Well, because the show so mnemic. Now there's only two people left.

I don't leave Manhattan.

I've been to Brooklyn three times.

What I mean, there's plenty of shitty pizza in New.

York, but there's awesome pizza.

But it's not like every slice you get is going to be like right.

New York See. For me, though, it's it's like as far as the Korean Food Fair, Chinatown, even soul food Jamaican spots in Brooklyn.

I've that's what the culture is.

I've slowed up. I've kind of well, I've just discovered that Queens is like I'm I might have to do my next book. Strictly on restaurants in Queens, Like some of the best restaurants in New York are those family restaurants. Yes, and Queens. You got it. You gotta venture out the city. See, I have a car.

I don't know.

Yeah, you don't have to be right. No, see yeah, if you.

You need a may bag. Just joking what you said a.

Car anyway, I got you off track. You were going to say, well, I was going to.

Say about community, but we often rabbit hole on the ship. No, let's go back to anyway. You need your car to explore the city.

For I have such bad anxiety. I could, I would. I could never drive in this city. Really well, this is the hardest city of driving in the country.

Yeah.

Myma always if you learn to drive in New York, you can drive anywhere.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel like I can drive anywhere now they have the rickshaws now.

To Yeah I can.

It's really expensive. You're like like fifteen dollar fifteen seconds. I can't.

I don't.

I will never feel okay about a person. It's weird acting like a.

Horse to me.

It just makes it feels like I would the whole time I'd be apologizing.

I'd be asking if I could help.

It would just make me watching the meters.

Let me interject. All right, so Liya's clowning me about my swinky car choice case, my coach witch in Philadelphia. I would never let my friends see me in such a swinky, swinky car. So I have like my very first scion and beat up sign. Oh my god, I will never do you never give up your first car,

That was two hundred pounds ago.

People, I'm there, I'm almost there. I got sixty pounds, all right, So yeah, four hundred pound me and two big giant kipling luggage bags. And the poor kid, I was like, are you going to make it the Pend station in an hour's I got this and cut to like like he was. And the thing was on my Twitter timeline, literally on my Twitter timeline. There was like the narrative of the story. Like, guys, I could have sworn I just saw a question inside of a bicycle

Of mirror you had, you had to bless.

Them, I am. I'm addicted to overtipping. That's that's one of my And that's not even a humble brag, like one of those people that get gets into those like you know the pretty woman. Uh that watch costs two thousand dollars. Oh yeah, I'll buy ninetyllion Like I'm one of them people that will like defy you like I have money. That that sort of thing.

You know, sound engineers except tips.

By the way, that's.

What Derek said behind you.

That's what Steves are a sound engineer at thirty Rock anyway, So why is Chicago the who dubbed it the or who christened it as the Comedy Epicenter, Like, why does one have to go to Chicago?

Yeah, I think it's just so.

I think, well, there's a lot of theater in Chicago. It's cheaper than New York. And is it la to live?

Is it?

Yeah, it's like five dollars probably. Oh my apartment cheaper, fight dollar is cheaper.

Well, I was living in it was a weird little artist studio, but it was and this was a lot of money for me.

But it was like six hundred dollars a month my rent.

What year was that was two thousand Williamsburg of Chicago.

No, this is old town.

Wow, I don't know the section, so like what would your town be here?

So that's uh, queen, I would never know. That's very second city. But it was like a nice neighborhood. And my first apartment it was a two bedroom. It was bit and it was like we paid seven hundred dollars.

Uh, I had a roommate. Yeah, so we each paid.

I mean second with your friends. I'm curious what it was gone up? That's interesting.

I mean I'm sure it's right. It's been a while, but yeah.

No, so you what was your childhood like, like, what was your come to Jesus moment with flirting with comedy? Because I don't like when do people finally admit, like, I want to be in comedy? Was it that you wanted to be an actress for?

Yeah, I was.

I did a lot of like straight theater growing up, and I did a lot in Chicago. I did my first professional show and they were all like dramatic musicals growing up, and then I went to college. It wasn't until college I went to cal Arts. Tonight, a teacher I was doing a s from Angels in America because when I was eighteen, everybody wanted to do Angels and people were laughing. It's like, I'm wait being dramatic right now? And then the teacher suggests that I take a class at the ground Legs And.

That was like I'd always I mean, I thought I was funny, but I was also like, but I'm a serious actor.

What it is I really want to be series instead? Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, well I think even now that's how I started. I think like a lot of comedy is just human beings feeling anything can be funny.

That reminds me speaking of SNL. I didn't realize this until maybe a week and a half ago that Will Farrell and Kristen Wigg actually did a lifetime movie. Yes seriously, like they did it.

I remembered it.

They did it seriously, but as a tongue in chee. Yeah, thing to be funny, really smart.

Yeah yeah, oh I love it.

Yeah.

I mean they're both are they alumni from?

No?

No, they're Groundlings?

See between Groundlings and Second City? They got both, So of course why.

Will say l A Like Groundlings is very character based right, and Chicago there's like, you know.

So break it down to people because somebody, I feel.

Like I'm the worst to break it down, so this will be very simplified. Probably comedy nerds will yell at me, but so la Groundlings, it's all very charactery.

And then New York improv is very like fast.

It's closer to like what I would think of as like when you hear British comedy or English comedy, you know.

And then Chicago does weird you do.

Like the you know, we do slower artsy fartsy sometimes, but but I would say like improv is more Chicago, and sketch should be more La, and it feels like when you're doing it in LA, you're doing it to get a part TV jobs.

Yeah.

So is there was there an end game for you in entering Second City or pretty much people know that the road that leads to s And.

Now I would never have ever said that.

Because I just don't like to set myself up to be let down.

I like to set the bar very low.

But I, uh, I was just like, you know, if I if this is what my life, if I get to do like some shows every now and then and at Second City and I out, if this is like where the top that I get, I'd be happy.

So what is the process? I'm only asking because of God? How do I see this? Okay? So I once Okay, So I once dated uh a comedian Okay, and uh I felt, see, I have it miserable. I have. I have. I have a relationship with failure, not as an f work but as a learning experience. And I feel like in your years of comedy, it's almost like if you stay in your comfort zone and only perform for your friends at like this one bar, you're not going to grow.

Yeah, experimental spot.

Do you know? She left and went to Second City? And I guess under the hopes of I'm ready, so I know I'm gonna go to Second City and then in three years I too can be Tina Fey like that's what I think, or and maybe she's in there, like you can.

Stay there, you can just chill, and yeah people do.

Because that's i mean, after you getting paid for shows. So yeah, I guess that's your life's now.

Yeah, And what I want to know is that when people come, first of all, what is the process of Second City? Is it a school? Is it just like what's the rehearsal?

Most people and they say they're they've done Second City, it's not that they've been on a stage. It's that they've taken the US there or done their own shows there. There's there's two main theaters. I mean, it could be totally different now. Uh. And I was on a touring company for a while and I did a cruise ship for four months with the.

Regent, so a second city cruise ship.

That was my first job with them, so it was very exciting.

But then, well then it's like you're on this ship for four months, you're just like I was never on land at night time, which sounds crazy to say, but I really was like, I just want to have a night on ground. But it was so it's like by two months and I was like, I can't tell if it's prisoner vacation. Uh, and you're doing like very watered down sketch comedy for.

Uh.

It was well, we ported in New York.

Was billed as the Second City players or.

Yeah yeah, yeah, I don't think they have the contract anymore. But it was like the first job most people do that second City.

So that's the entry level.

Yeah yeah.

Were there any other notable.

So I was on the ship with Alex Moffatt, who's.

Wow, yeah yo his uh Trump's son.

Yeah, yeah, Eric, that's.

My all time favorite. Yeah, like even when like I'll rewatch his facial expressions while everyone it's some of the best shit I've ever seen. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, Okay, And so how long was it until I'm assuming either Higgins or someone discovers you and suggestions.

Actually I went I got hired through IO. So there's a couple of theaters in Probalympic, but they have to be called It was like so lawsuitors the Olympics, you have to say ioh yeah, okay, But it was IO where I got my I did my showcase for Lauren and some of the writers.

Oh so you didn't have to go through the audition process that.

A no no I did, but it just was there.

Like they go to different theaters, not because it's second city. It's only the people that are on the stages that'll be seen by SNL.

So wait, this is I'm sorry, I'm gonna askually like a five year old. So this is a special show that y'all will do because you know that they're coming.

Yeah, and they do it in every in la I think at different theaters they'll just be showcases pretty much.

And I would be.

Showcases for SNL or just with people or yeah, yeah for SNL.

Okay, but is it with other people in the audience or just the seven of them in the audience?

Oh?

No, other people?

Okay.

Yeah, my family was there and I thought I bombed because they were so they were so nervous because they were sitting near and lorn, and so their faces were just like they were like ghost.

I was like, wow, that bad.

Huh did you remember what you did? You remember your I.

Did like a lady from the cruise ship.

I did her trying to bring a pineapple on the boat or something. I think I did Sophia Vergara. Nothing great, I don't know it was and I had never done like I wasn't an impressionist really, but it was again like, oh, I'm going to do something that scares me and just kind of try this out. And I took a workshop on solo characters.

I would imagine that probably the best way to get on the show is to be mouldable to be anything, you know what I mean. Like it's instead of like, Okay, I do a very specific Donald Trump and then like what happens four years if that's out? Like, but you can be mouldable to be anything. So I almost feel as though some people go into the process, like I know people that have tried to go through the process, that we're kind of stuck in a category in a corner,

I looked at this first two times. The third time, I'm like, it's malleable.

Bro.

I just didn't know what he was saying.

No, no, no, I didn't even I wasn't even reaching for malla.

I'm just playing around, but it's malleable.

Right, I wasn't reaching for malleable. I actually thought, okay, sort of like imagine, it's not a word, right, okay.

Like seventy eight other words.

I hear you say every day, the spirit of Bill is always here.

Here we go, malleable. Thank you. I wasn't even reaching for that, but yes, malleable, and you just.

Thought it was a word I don't hear every time.

Yeah, this I appreciate this. This reminds me of the time when the Roots let me go all day wearing a shirt backwards and inside out. So when I got home and went in the mirror, I was like, wait a minute, oh ship. And then next day I was like, yo, why the fucking y'all tell me my shirt was backwards in the inside out, And they were like, oh, we thought.

To hear Multiple's cool. I'll start saying it if you want me.

To know, but I will. I now know that multible is not a word.

No, good to know that the same meaning though multiple and that's the.

Same meaning, it's not one's not a word.

So then okay, okay, let's go back to Chicago pizza. So anyway, No, well, what I'm asking is, uh, I believe correct me if I'm wrong. Wasn't your first show, The Mick Jagger Season Closer? I remember your entry.

I remember, No, that was Kate who did like five episodes of that season, And I think, yeah, but.

You did, you did? I could have sworn I saw you on a season closer, Like I thought. It was weird that I tweeted out, wait, who's this person? I don't know this person? And then someone said you, uh, well, well you're not a cast member.

What is it called a the feature player?

Feature player? But when did you come in into the show? Was it the tail end of a previous show?

No?

Was the start of season thirty eight twenty twelve?

How many seasons? Lord, this is beautiful?

More than forty five minutes beauty?

Yeah?

Yeah, so a long time. So okay, so you didn't have to go through the process of just being in the room with seven people.

And No, I still had so I we had that showcase and then we did like a weird speed dating thing in Chicago where a couple of us from that showcase went to go sit with the producers born and pretend that was normal. And then then we got flown out eighty and I. I sort of got to go through everything with eighty though, okay, which was really nice because.

I was going to ask you because Lauren is a very I don't know him at all. I've been in a room where he is, and he seems like someone who is he could be intimidating. Yeah, so when you first met because you just said, you know, I did speed dating, Lauren was there, but really you weren't intimidating and how No.

I definitely was.

I couldn't tell you what I said at that table. I remember talking about Trader Joe's.

That's where I go.

Yeah, I'm not going to right now. I mean, are you allowed to? Okay, this is the tester. This is how I know if a person's cool or not.

Oh no, I'm going to fail.

Are you allowed to have popcorn?

His popcorn?

Yes?

Everyone is? Yeah?

Oh okay, well then I'm not everyone.

Well, well, the meeting.

In between the meeting, in between dress and air, there's a big basket of popcorn.

Right, Yeah, okay, but that's showtime. But I'm talking about off show hours.

He got it in his office or something.

He keeps it in off yees.

Yeah, that's important.

I mean, I'm sure he'd let me just so he wouldn't have to say no. But I don't know that i'd go knock on his door and ask for his popcorn.

Okay, I was the type of person.

That's where you were from.

No, actually I brought well, I I purchased three big ass bags of popcorn and brought him in Lawrence. That was my first meeting with Lauren. You purchased, I would there was once on forty eighth Street House of Popcorn.

He didn't charge you for his popcorn though, No. Okay, I brought checking brought just in case he's.

I brought my own. No, I brought it for him because I knew that, like the popcorn was a big thing.

But yeah, I didn't get better. You say it, But that was great.

It's a good move.

Great move. He's the ask the kids shit, right, I mean right, we.

All agree in eight years, do you feel comfortable now? Is there's still tense if he's if you know he's in proximity watching, Uh, and I mean eight years you're very established?

No?

Yeah, I can you feel established?

I get? I mean yes? And no?

Who can? Ever?

You always feel like a hand on the guiltine button, like, oh.

No, I don't feel like he'll fi.

I guess it's more about the audience where I'm like, I still don't know what they find funny if it's sort of like it's still a I don't know what's gonna work at dress.

So some things work to dress that didn't work on the show in the opposite.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, or things that like I find very funny that it turns out it's only me.

So how does this? So how does this work? Because you're you're a writer, So how often do you do your the things that you write get to be a part of the show, Like, what's the percentage of that?

If it's usually like if there's something on update, then it's something I've written, And then I've gotten a lot to dress this year and not a lot.

To air the dummies.

Okay, so we get things cut for time.

Okay, okay, okay.

I have a question about the schedule because actually, like he and I sort of quasi sort of follow this schedule. I'll schedule my life during the SNL season to sort of coincide with what you guys are doing. So, like Steve and I will like work Saturday afternoons in my studio downstairs in my dressing room, and usually I'll be done in time to go watch the tapic.

Yeah, so usually our schedule is pretty multible, but season trying multiple, so that's nice.

Yes, multiple anyway, So I know that from striking up a friendship with Tim Robinson. Yeah, when he was writing on the show, he explained to us that you guys do what eight dress or a thirty dress? Eight eight a dress which is a longer.

Show y'all are so cute dress short for dress rehearsals, dress rehearsal. Okay, thank you, okay, just for me, just for you know, Yeah.

There's eight o'clock dress rehearsal.

You forget. I know, this is not enormous.

It's not your fault.

Language with more, with more sketches in it. And I guess who is the deciding committee on who makes it or doesn't make it to the final eleven thirty show.

It's there's a there's a room that I've only been in once, and it's the people in that room, but it's mainly it's Lauren.

Higgins and crew. Yeah, okay, So is there like the high school? All right? So what word am I looking for? Where they place the zi gazaar? No, the high the high school?

Uh?

Where you put the board?

Or there is a bulletin board.

A bulletin board, That's what I was looking for. So or is it? Now? With technology, you guys just get alerts of what your schedule is.

No, and I wouldn't know how to get that anyway.

There is people have like an app where they can watch their sketches, and I'm blown away by that.

I'll never get it. Okay, I just don't know how. I have the burner number. And that's it.

So when they put up when the person puts up the bulletin board, notice, then you all run like it's high school to see what made it, what didn't made it?

Well, you we all go into it's called the meeting, and we'll get notes and you just kind of look at it and you try not to show too much how heartbroken you are when your sketch is.

I was going to say that side now again, with failure being the f word or an education process, how should one in the most non diplomatic way you can do it without jeopardizing yourself. But like, how should one take failure as a writer or as a person on the show if their sketch doesn't make it to eleven thirty?

I mean it always it's funny.

Some hurt more than others, and it's so like embarrassing how much sketch comedy you can be so emotional and tim and I used to joke because some things get

Is that because of overages? Okay, overages case in point.

I was I think that's a word, by the way, thank you.

I was watching all right, I was watching a Debbie Downer sketch. Yeah, that obviously went way over. Then it's a lot of time, but because of the laughter and all that stuff, to get to the end, somebody has to get sacrificed, right, So are sketches based on a specific time hoping that it doesn't run over?

Or yeah?

I mean usually if you're like in the last or second to last spot, you're sort of just waiting to hear the whole night and there will be time.

Like during the Chance show, there was an.

Issue with the wires and I just remember I was dangling there for so long and I was like, this, something's.

Getting cut for this.

I was going to say, now I'm dangling here, I know something's getting cut for this.

Which leads me to the Tuesday night pitch. Now the one, the thing, the thing that I always and let me explain for our Listenershiggins on our show, jimmy sidekick on our show, is one of the main producers of SNL. So him doing the tonight show is sort of like me doing a DJ gig from the roots, Like that's his side hustle. He doesn't have to do it, but you know, it's something to do and it keeps some

They I've never had to do that.

We have pitched Monday, but usually that's like you're just meeting the host sort of and seeing what they find funny, or just hearing them speak or seeing them for the first time in person, and then we write on Tuesday. And I don't normally talk to the host on Tuesday because I think then they may say like, oh, that sounds fun, and what if I do this and you're kind of like, oh.

Are we there every day? Yeah, from Monday till yeah, Saturday. Yeah, now we can bring in the time lamps thing.

Wait, but before we will before we do that. Does that mean that comedian hosts are harder, way harder. Yeah, okay, so then this weekend would be really hard coming up. Okay, well, thank you.

I don't know. I mean, the thing is is that Eddie Okay, we're obviously speaking before the you know, the the Eddie Murphy, the grand return of Eddie Murphy to Essenel, of which I think that because he's such because he's such a maverick at his job, that he would know to sort of go along with the climate of the room as opposed to now. I was there. I was there during the whole Chappelle hosting situation, and once I saw Neil Brennan in the hallway, I was like, oh boy.

The comedians bring their own Oh my writers, that's the clusterfuck. You know, it's sort I don't sometimes, Yeah, I.

Think like this week is actually I feel like I can kind of sit back because it'll be very much about and like, I think that's exciting and what he wants to do, and I'll probably do like free are you well?

Only Okay? What makes in my opinion, what makes his Dolomite film work is he's actually kind of a straight guy. It's it's his re It's like the planets that the stars that surround and the moons that surround his planet is what really makes that film funny, like and he's reacting to.

Wes makes it fun Yeah, you're right like other.

People, And you know, I think that you guys are on such a role like I now consider as an SNL expert, that your era SNL will be considered like a high Mark cast season, the way that we looked at the ninety eight cast with with Fallon and Tita Fey, and the way that people look at the class of ninety one or seventy five like people have specific eras of right there, that was the Chicago Bulls of you guys. Now, you guys now have your own rhythm when coming with

I don't know, Eddie might be what do you think that's because I mean, I have I don't know what will happen, but I assume.

I mean because it's his first time coming back and he was.

Just he's never hosted.

Eighty four was the last time he hosted when Beverly Hills Cop came out. Wow, And the first time he host it was inadvertently when Nick Nolty. Nick Nolty was the only person to drop out of the show like the Friday before, like I'm not doing this, and so they were.

Like yeah when he was on the cast.

Yeah, so they're like, well, Eddie, you're in the movie too, so you hosted and that became a game changer for him, Like so.

You really are an expert.

I only know because Soul Train came on at one a m. And SoulTrain came on right after SNL, So it's like you watch SNL at eleven thirty and then one am finally soul Train comes on. But if there were a VCR back then I would have probably just recorded SoulTrain and not cared about SNL as much.

Wait, so on that note, just question to you are you were you a fan? Were you a Jane Curtin, Gilda reantn or like yeah you were all in?

Yeah, we had I definitely want My mom had me watch like Gilda's show, her Broadway show on tape. I had vhs of like SNL's commercials that I wore out pretty much. I like to Tracey.

I mean I watched a bunch of different Did you have a favorite grownd now class Like, I'm mi're just it.

I really enjoyed every iteration I think up until like you're eighteen or whatever and you're too cool for SNL for a while.

You know, I'm never busy.

You're busy, busy, very busy, cool popular.

Yeah.

So okay. I got to bring up two specific I say specific specific sketches that you did that I felt like, we're really mind blowing. One for the physical comedy when you do Fox News as a Yeah, Piero, I don't care if I mispronounce it in dress rehearsal, did you go that hard with the spectaques and the falling on the floor.

Yeah, yeah, definitely you all right.

I was in the audience. And so to see you it's one thing watching on television, if you're at home watching the Angle of It, that's one thing. But to see you actually put yourself in physical danger, just like that second fall out the chair. There's two moments where she you know, well it's not a double take, but you threw yourself out the chair, right.

I mean I had a giant Matt and I made sure to practiced it a lot beforehand, and I was very like serious about it, like you promised me time to practice throwing myself out of a chair, and I need this time to do that.

You did it on the floor, like elsewhere.

On the floor, because you only have that.

I just needed to see like the space, you know, seeing what you can do at that desk. You nailed it because my shoes flew off on accident, I thought, And then I was like, oh, I got to keep that.

Then I had to try to flick my shoe off air.

Okay, I was. It was spittal and perfect. But the other thing is you're Barbara Streiss and jingle Bells reradition now as a as a person who's whose band member is known for his breath control. The first thing I noticed was that you hardly breath all these words. How do you how long do you prepare a sketch or how long do you prepare bits? Well?

That one Brian Tucker, I got a text from him at like two am with that song and he said, I just heard this in a cab and I think this would be really funny if you want to do it, And so then I just I was like number one. That's very funny that Brian Tucker is sending me a Barbars Streissen song. And then, uh, if I just started practicing, I mean it was just like, I'll my neighbors probably think I'm insane because I'll just be singing things.

Like that over a note repeat on loop. Yeah yeah, at night time in my primary Yeah.

Yeah, Malcolm Gladwell hours like, there's no way, Like I put the I put it on Spotify myself, and I was like, there's no way that she learned this in less than a month or year, Like I thought that was something in your repertoire.

No, No, it's just when you're a lunatic, I think, And you don't sleep, You've got all those hours in the night.

You are a lunatic.

Yeah, Cecy, you never took singing like serious series.

I mean I sang because, but it was never like a singer singer. No, And there's a lot of singing I can't do, so I'm more like I can do sketch comedy singing.

Speaking of which, what's the determining factor of when you guys warm up the crowd? Is it that? In my mind? I thought that was like, oh, this is when like you're new to the NBA and the freshman on the new team had to carry all the bags. So when they warm up the crowd, Keenan does his old Soul review routine and usually three of the SNL ladies will be his pips, so it'll be like his version of Glass Night and the Pips and they dress up for it and all this other they get.

They never never changed.

They no, no, it's just a warm up thing.

Okay, So that's what I mean for the warm up. They always do the same warm up.

Yeah, but I mean the audience isn't crazy like me and be there every week, so it's new to everybody. Right, it's new to everyone. But what is the process of that. It's like if you're new, you have to sing? Or is it like how do you guys negotiate it? Are they told like, well, it's my week to sing?

Or no, no, I uh.

I did it for four five years or something and then it was but you singh give me some lovin right, and there was like I Now the newer girls do it, especially because if the cold open is coming, to do that warm up and then to go right into the cold open can be kind of tough, and a lot of times Kate will be wearing crazy prosthetics or something.

So then yeah, I was wondering, now do you guys run with just three seconds left to right?

So it's but I was definitely like, I am done to you. I broke my foot one year right before the show started, so I got out of warm ups and then it was kind of like.

Can I stay?

I like this? Speaking of out, you were in the coveted anchorchair of weekend Updates. Yeah, yeah, exactly, thank you and then you well because of you, I guess we now have Michael j. But why would you give up such a coveted spot?

Well, I think it was doing it with Seth, who was so established, made it feel like I could just go in and it was already a thing that I just could sort of slide into. And then when he left, it was Colin and I and it was like, clearly this needs to now we have to figure this whole new.

Thing out and kem and it was just.

Like that the what that would have taken if that was really exhausting and sort of like, I don't know that I want to spend my time now just figuring out what update's going to be. So there were a lot of talks with Lauren and you know, and it was it wasn't an easy decision necessarily, but it was I think absolutely the right one.

So would would doing Does doing update require that you really have to have a chemistry with whoever your partner is on the show.

And well, I think it was because he was so new too, so it was like two new people trying and it was just like I just would rather I missed.

I just want to do.

Get more fun. You do more fun to do the care.

You can't do both. You can't do update and characters.

I think if if Seth had stayed longer, I would have I could have stayed longer because it was I didn't we didn't have all they make something new? Yeah, but is it rare though when we think about it, like it feels like the folks who always do we can update do the least other stuff? Right because Amy did a lot right, Well, dang you, Yeah, Amy did

He's like so curious about SNL man, like I'm gonna get past it. I'm not knocking it. I'm just saying that's a very cute, adorable child, like.

Very good to go see a message.

Now he sees like Cremony's and.

It's like there's nothing I truly am like. It's very flattering and exciting.

You can hear him laughing in the audience sometimes, Okay, that's.

No.

I told them, like, don't sit me the mic that they put me under. But the mic is as close to my seat as the microphone right now that I'm sitting in. Wow. And so occasionally Jimmy will hit me like my thing, like really you thought that you thought that you thought that Harry Potter joke was really that funny of me?

Here?

Really? Really? Yeah? I always get out it with with my laughter, so I try to have you done. Here's the weird thing. And speaking of when things get cut, we were weird enough. Yeah, always brides me, never bride you answer. We were we were busters banned weird enough hosted by Donald Trump. We were Yeah, we were Buster rhymes has been uh on his on the ninety on his ninety nine show, I think hosted by damn Why did I fold down on this rabbit? No? No, that

One. Wait the Last Live? Was he your voice?

Oh?

Come on, I don't do this to me.

He was also in the movie in which the woman was the Devil. She's real sexy. She has an English accent.

Elizabeth Hurley, Yes, you're right.

Yeah, yes, Brandon Fraser.

Okay, we can play Elizabeth Hurley.

Yeah, anyway, So yeah, the Brandon Fraser Show and then the Donald Trump Show, in which we did an album with two to the Maytales Quinn Stefani.

So does he know you want to be in a skit? Because I know probably know norybody else.

No. I My my love of the show is actually watching two things I love. I love watching the panic whoever your wardrobe, lady, is that or not? The wardrobe?

Yeah, the one that wrangles.

Yeah, that's my favorite thing to watch, Like to watch her grab after monologue's done. She will grab you by the collar and yeah, that to me. Watching the machine run is my favorite shit.

Ever, it's still on some VIP shit because I'm like other shows sn ling, the kind of show where you can be like, yes, can I get on the list for next month show?

However, my second favorite thing is I love I love throwing off the audience clap when it's time for the end, so the band will try to teach them all the time.

If they're ever off watching the band, you know that's so disappointed in the eye dance.

It's not the audience. It's not the audience.

Really, it's me, because it's.

It doesn't sense up.

They go so fast.

I'm the one in the audience that's speeding up the clap, knowing that the nine.

People next to me, So what are you doing about? Now?

I'm sitting in the audience and I'm speeding up the clap knowing that thirteen to fourteen people next to me are going to speak clat with me, and then so on and so on and so on, and then I mess it up. Every time it's messed up, you know, you know to look up in the valcony, be like I got.

To tell the band, no, don't do that.

Please, please don't do that? All right, My last question is that most people use sen L as the springboard two other careers. We're actually now on SNL is actually a cool end game. Yeah, I mean Keenan's on his twentieth year, I believe. Yeah, yeah, so wow, I've.

Been that Kean. Yeah, but it works for him straight from Goudburger just punce.

Yeah, I mean he's a genius.

Yeah, but that's amazing.

It works for him, like and so, but I mean I'm certain that people had like, well, you know, Eddie Murphy did it, Sandler did it. You know, Tina Fey did Like for you, do you have a vision board? And I'm not asking for like this is your last year, but do you have a vision board that you might consider Like, Okay, the end of this particular sentence will happen this particular year and then I'm going to develop this show or direct this movie or Yeah.

I mean, I think there's a there's a lot of things I'd like to be doing. Some things you can do at the same time, so of it'll just depend on, uh, when it feels right to go. But there's a lot of things I'd like to be doing, like a lot of different things. I think I brought up a project to you once that I wanted you to do that.

I'm still hoping.

Are you, oh, we're proposisiting each other now? Yes? Yeah, yeah, Yes'm I'm the king of yes. And then Steve laughs. That mean, like, when you're going to fit the senior schedule.

Can you be the king of follow up?

The schedule is always tough. Yeah, and it's the worst.

Yeah, So do you plan your summers early? Like, are you a I need some charge.

Because so many things fall apart.

I mean in this just in this industry, you think you're doing one thing, so then you don't plan for something else, and then that falls apart. So it's really just like it's it's very frustrating. And then to know that I am taken from September to May, that's really tough.

So that'll sort of be the decide factor.

If there is an important enough offer, are you giving leeway to take this week off?

And then I think now they've been more lenient. I mean maybe I shouldn't say that out loud, but it seems like it that they're that they're letting us sort of do that a little bit more to some seniority kind of Yeah, and I think it's I think he likes having an established cast and having people that know each other, and it's sort of like, if that's how to keep people, that maybe is the way to go.

Well, it's like Lawrence Scorsese's like, I gotta have you as DeNiro's daughter and the Irish man. Can you do it these reasons?

I think then Lauren would make me.

I love it. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Okay, cool. Oh one last thing. I was there when you did the last uh I say, the last White House Correspondents dinner.

Oh yeah, what was.

That like for you?

It was so it was terrifying because they asked me in August or something and it's not till April, so I had like months to doubt myself and think about failing. But it was like again, I'm a big Obama head, and it was like I just and everyone was like, don't do it. Nobody liked you never win. You don't win in that room. The best you can do is break even. But I was like, but it's Obama, so I have to do it. People or no industry people. Yeah, yeah, we're definitely trying to talk me out of it.

I see people remember that. People just remember that you did it, I mean, or unless you really want to make a mark, like Michelle Wolf and like really laid it down. But I thought it was great.

It was a few in the pass.

I really killed it.

But now you did you say it? I'm like, I can't even remember who was I killed it?

So yeah, yeah, right, well I think had a big one.

Yeah, which one was? Do you that Obama wrapped?

I don't know, but Keegan was there. That was when I was there.

That was like, oh great, that was right before I go, oh, that was the same one.

Yeah, that was a good night though.

It was. Yeah, I thought it was excellent. I thought it was it was tasteful, it.

Was very it was cool, and it was the first it was I brought like fifteen people, my entire family and my grandfather and grandmother in Arlington National Cemetery Colonel Cecils Struck And it was the first time I went with my dad to his parents' graves.

So that was it was a very emotional trip as well.

That's awesome. Well, I'm glad you made that decision and not to listen to anyone that helped you talk to yourself out of a yeah, a great opportunity.

Yeah, yeah, I mean I'm always going to take the chance to sit next to Michelle Obama.

That's a small group of people who asked to do that, so that's a big honor.

Well especially, I thank you for coming to the show and Molding.

We looked it up multiples in actual words.

Sorry, thanks again. Derek in the clinch.

Derek Man, you come through in the clutch.

Man, you want to get that to thank you.

Todd Rendren would be very mad.

Oh, thank you. I appreciate you coming in the show.

Thank you.

You're definitely one of my favorite players, and I appreciate you enlightening our audience. All Right, kids, that's another episode of Quest Love Supreme on BF of Laya Sugar Steve the spelling Steve your new name, I heayd Bill. I guess one of these days Manuel Miranda will let you come back to work and Fantigolo. Hope you don't get you know, the throat cancer with the cigarettes. Hopefully you'll come back this Quest Love and oh my fault, how you doing, Boss Bill? I hope we did you proud.