Andy Samberg shares why he’s on Saturday night live is an experience like no other.
In the episode on The Lonely Island and the Seth Meyers Podcast, Samberg, 46, opened up to host Seth Meyers about guesting on the 50th season of the popular sketch comedy show. The comedian said his return, which comes more than a decade after he was a regular cast member from 2005 to 2012, reminded him of what his time on the show used to be like.
“It was fun, I have to say,” Samberg said. “It was really fun to come back, but again, also to inherit — re-inherit — the stress and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is intense.'”
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The Brooklyn Nine-Nine The alum currently stars as Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph), in the midst of her 2024 re-election bid. Compared to playing multiple roles in each episode, the comedian admitted that taking on the role of Emhoff was less stressful.
“It’s a little softer — me and Maya [Rudolph] we talked about [how] it’s a little lighter because we know why we’re there,” he explained. “But on that last show, I was like, if this Beetlejuice thing doesn’t work out, I’m just going to be here and not do anything. And it gives you back the feeling of being a member of the cast—that you’re always in danger.”
Andy Samberg and Doug Emhoff.
NBC; Kent Nishimura/Getty
On the Oct. 19 show, hosted by Michael Keaton, Samberg did bug juice skit with Mikey Day during the opening monologue.
“Hey, don’t you normally play Doug Emhoff at cold openings?” Keaton joked in the episode.
“Yeah, the writers couldn’t squeeze it in,” Samberg replied before putting his own on bug juice voice say: “So here we are!”
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In July, Samberg revealed the reason why he left SNL during an interview with Kevin Hart on Peacock’s Heart to heartciting the toll it took on his well-being.
“For me, it was like I really couldn’t take it anymore. But I didn’t want to leave. I was falling apart physically and emotionally in my life,” he said.
“Physically, it was hard for me and I got to the point where I was like I hadn’t slept in seven years,” he added. “We were writing stuff for the Tuesday night live show all night, the board said Wednesday, and then we were told to come up with a digital short so write all Thursday, all Thursday night, don’t sleep, get up, shoot Friday, edit all night at Friday night and Saturday.”
“So it’s basically like going without sleep for four days a week, for seven years. I broke down a bit physically,” he added.
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Andy Samberg.
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Comparing be on SNL “Being a professional athlete because it’s a high-pressure thing,” Samberg described the feeling as when “your adrenaline goes through the roof.”
The decision to leave was not rushed – Samberg went on to say that he had discussed it with others SNL freshmen, including Amy Poehler.
“I talked to Poehler and other people who had already left,” he said. “I was like, ‘Once I go, once I have an idea, I can’t just do it.’ The craziest thing about working there is once you get going, if you’re just in the shower and you have an idea, that s— can be on TV in three days, which is the most intoxicating feeling.”
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Saturday night live airs Saturdays at 11:30 PM ET on NBC.
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Source: HIS Education