-Our next guest is a very funny actor and comedian
who stars in the critically acclaimed series "Search Party."
The final season is streaming on HBO Max.
Let's take a look.
-We would prefer a boy. Um, a gay baby boy.
-Or even queer. A queer baby.
-And, of course, we are very open to all ethnicities.
Of course. -And religions.
-But it would be ideal if they were 5'11" at the shortest
so that they could carry us up the stairs to bed
when we're very elderly.
-And one-blue-eye-and-one- brown-eye baby.
Like a husky.
-But it would be also good if he could make us feel protected
like a dad, like a son that feels like a dad.
-Please welcome back to the show our friend John Early.
[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪
Welcome back, John. -Thank you so much, Seth.
-It's great to have you here. -Thank you so much.
It's an honor to be here,
the hallowed halls of NBC.
-Great. -Yeah.
-You -- -Do you mind if I sit like this?
-You can sit however you want.
But I will say, you know, you've been on the show before.
You're a friend of the show.
You seem a little different to me.
-What do you mean?
-Just the -- You just -- You just seem different to me.
-In what way? In what way, Seth?
-You're, like, presenting in a way that I'm less accustomed to.
-It honestly could be that stuff
is so tough with my girlfriend at home.
-Your -- Your -- You have a girlfriend at home now?
-Yeah, we just moved in together,
and I've never shared space before.
-So this is -- Okay, this is a little strange --
-Do you have an IPA?
-You want an IPA now? -Can I get an IPA?
Yeah, if that's cool.
-See, here's what -- I feel like previously
when you've been on the show...
-Yeah?
-...one of the things you've talked about the most,
which I -- you know, I got to be honest,
I enjoy is how much sexual chemistry you and I have.
And now -- and now you're kind of coming out with presenting --
like, all of a sudden, there's a girlfriend.
-Right. -Yeah.
-I'm just -- Maybe I just seem a little off because --
I mean, as excited as I am for
the Chiefs to be at the Super Bowl --
-What?
-As excited as I am for the Chiefs, I'm also, like,
so pissed the Titans didn't make it.
-Okay. Well, that's -- See, now, this is --
You're giving yourself away a little bit.
-I might join the Marines, as well.
-I don't know why you feel like you have to do this.
-I'm going to drop it. Yeah, I was just like --
-Okay, good.
-Yeah, I'm going to drop the bit.
I was having a lot of fun, by the way,
and I want to be clear our chemistry was "on fleek."
But I just -- I couldn't -- I couldn't keep going
because I did want to actually say hi.
-And it was -- It was really --
You were very believable that whole time.
-Thank you, thank you.
I can't -- I wanna -- you know,
I really think gay people should play straight people.
And, to be clear, I think straight people
should play gay people.
-Alright. -Because it's hotter.
Everyone is always up in arms about that.
I'm like, I want to watch Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal
go at it.
Like, don't -- don't -- You know what I mean?
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. -Okay.
-Hey, congratulations on the show -- five seasons.
-Thank you.
-And I want to ask a lot about it.
-Normally, there's an applause right there, yeah.
Yeah. [ Cheers and applause ]
Thank you.
-But I want to specifically ask about --
That's John Waters in the clip. The legend, John Waters.
-The legend, my father.
-What was it like -- How was he as a scene partner?
-Oh, my God, he is such a f--
I almost wanted to say the F-word.
He is such a professional.
He is just, like -- -Yeah.
-By F-word, by the way, I meant F-ing professional.
I wasn't -- -Just do it so they know.
-The [bleep] professional. -There you go.
-There's a delay, there's a delay, there's a delay.
Sorry.
You know, I get -- I get, you know, at 30 Rock
and then I want to -- Is Lorne watching?
You know, and I want to -- -Right, yeah.
Oh, he does. He's the producer. He watches everything.
-He watches every night. It's so beautiful, yeah.
-It's so beautiful.
-No, wait, John Waters. Oh, yeah.
I mean, like, he is my -- He created the sensibility that,
like, the show lives in.
He created my entire persona, you know, my sense of humor.
Like, so it was very overwhelming.
I was, like -- I was in my -- I was, like, getting choked up
in my trailer imagining, like, talking to him.
And then you just get on set, and he's just, like,
the most ordinary -- He's, like,
such a sweet guy and so boring.
It's such a bad story. Go home!
This whole appearance has sucked!
-But does he go -- Does he show up being, like --
I mean, you know, does he show up, like,
bigger than the project or does he --
Like you said, he's a professional. Like...
-He is such a professional.
He's so -- He's, like, truly more off-book than me.
-Yeah. -Like, which was humiliating.
Like, he had, like, these long, chunky lines,
and I was, like -- I was so in awe of what he was doing.
And then I was just, like, "Line."
-Do you -- You know, obviously,
the scene's about adopting a baby.
Is that -- Do you want to be a father in real life?
-Well, I can't.
-What? -The ban.
Like, gay people can't have babies.
-No, no, they can. They can now.
-Well, they can't get married.
-Yeah, no, they can do both.
-Okay, I've been kind of, like, exploiting that oppression
for all of my career, and now...
-Oh.
-And now you're saying the door is open?
-Yeah.
-Okay.
How are your kids? -They're great.
-Good.
How does that feel? -What?
-To be asked a question for once in your life?
I'm sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm getting -- I get hostile. I get hostile when I'm nervous.
I lash out.
-You mentioned being in the building 30 Rock.
You were also -- Your first TV show.
-Yeah. -For first TV job was "30 Rock."
-Yeah. It was -- I was such a huge fan of "30 Rock."
Another -- Jane Krakowski also fully created me.
-Yeah. -You know what I mean?
Like, I would not -- Like, I owe it all to her.
And my mom.
Um, sorry, sorry.
But, yeah, so, I got the job to play, like,
one of her, like, test-tube babies.
-Wow. -And I was so excited.
I had never done anything on TV and I was so excited,
and I had like five, maybe six lines.
And I was, like -- I was so amped up and so, like,
trying to get them to notice me.
Like, I was just, like, creating this narrative of, like,
"I'm going to go on for this, like, day-player role,
and Tina is going to be like, 'It's him.'"
And so every scene, even though I'm like one of six
of her kids in this -- like, in this --
the conceit of that episode, like --
And everyone was so professional and, like, still
as she's, like, talking to a group of six people.
And it's -- So, it's like five models,
and then me over here, like...
I'm, like, just -- I'm like...
in every scene.
And then I had a full -- It was so, like,
life-changing to be on that set.
And then I had, like, a viewing party,
like, with a group of friends.
And I was like, "Get ready.
Like five, maybe six lines, but I did a lot of improv.
They'll probably work that in."
And then everything had been cut
except for one three-word line.
-So, this is -- I want everybody here
to imagine they're at John's viewing party.
And John is expecting -- You're thinking
minimum five, maybe 15 lines.
-Maybe -- Yeah, maybe 15.
And they're going to cut to me, you know,
because of all the physical stuff I was doing.
-And this was the entirety of it.
Let's take a look. -Yeah.
-I didn't want to say anything
because I was trying to be a good mother,
but you're cheesy, and everyone hates you.
-No, Jenna, you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-I mean, I saw it. -Thank you.
I mean, it was crushing at the time,
but look at me now.
-Look at you now. This is very exciting.
First of all, congratulations. The fifth season is fantastic.
-Thank you. [ Cheers and applause ]
You have to watch it.
-"Search Party" is streaming on HBO Max.
And you're going to stick around,
and Aidy Bryant is going to come back.
We'll see you right after this commercial break.
-Thank you, Seth. [ Cheers and applause ]