-Our next guest is a very funny actress,
comedian, and writer you know from shows like
"Parks and Recreation" and films like "Obvious Child."
She stars in "The Great North."
The second season premieres this Sunday night on -- on Fox.
Excuse me. Let's take a look.
-[ Sighs ] -Uh-oh. A flop and a sigh.
What's going on, Jude? -Ever since Dr. Gary
said I'm getting my braces off, I've felt...sad?
-Well, you were always gonna get them off eventually.
It's a part of growing up. -Like learning
to shave your legs and then not caring enough to do it.
-But, Judy, once your teeth are out of those little wire jails,
you can do anything.
Day after I got mine off, I went right over to the car dealership
and, through a series of miscommunications,
got trapped in a car trunk for three days.
-I guess I better go look in the mirror
and sigh a little bit more.
-Please welcome back to the show,
one of our favorites, Jenny Slate!
How are you, Jenny? -Hi, Seth!
Ooh! [ Laughter ]
Sorry. Nope. I don't know, whatever.
-I like that. I think that energy was right.
And not at all weird. -Right?
Well, I mean, I would love -- Okay. Hi, Seth.
Hi. That's really a nice way to say "hi."
Hi. I have a new baby, and it seems like
now when I say "hi" to adults,
I say "hi" the way that I do to my baby.
And, like, so, a normal "hi" for me at this point is like,
[ Gasps ] "Ooh! Hi!
Who just woke up?"
-This is very exciting.
You had baby Ida in December, correct?
-I did. I had her kind of like
just a few days, I feel like, after I last spoke with you.
-Yes, you were very -- you showed your belly on our show,
which we really appreciated seeing, because it did look
like an any-day-now situation.
-Yeah, the baby came out. -Yeah.
And how has it been? -The stork did not come.
It's really nice. [ Laughter ]
It's super nice to have a baby.
I am, like, more tired than I have ever, ever, ever been
or known that a person could be, like --
Like, you know when you're so tired that
other things like you, like, just put your head on a table
and you're like, "This could be a bed"?
Like everything seems like it could be a bed.
-Yep. Are you finding time --
I know one of the hardest things, you know, for Lexi,
when she gave birth was, like, just finding time to, like,
eat and do stuff like that.
-Let me tell you, the other day, I was on the telephone.
I called up to speak to someone at your show,
and they were like, "'Late Night.'
Hold for one moment." And I was like, "Oh, cool!"
20 seconds maybe, I shoved half a chicken thigh in my mouth.
That's how I eat now. It's like half of an animal,
and I'm standing up, and the whole time I go,
"Sorry, sorry. Sorry. Sorry."
So, yeah, I find the time. I do. I find it.
-It must be both great to be able to do voiceover work
right now on a show like this,
because you don't have to worry about all the COVID protocols,
but the negative must be that you never get to interact
with a cast that is so talented.
-It's such a bummer because, also, we started in the studio.
So, like, you know how not --
we know how much fun it could have been.
I like to compare it to my shellfish and avocado allergy,
which is like, there was a time when I ingested it a lot,
and I was like, "Oh, these things are very delicious,"
and then suddenly I got, like, crazy explosive diarrhea,
and I could never have them again.
Not that I'm allergic to our cast, but now we're over Zoom --
But I will say it's really nice because you have that energy
of, like, people that are super eager to perform.
-Yes. -That like jacked-up energy
and then also all of the squares of the Fox executives
that just have their names and they're just, like, lurking.
-Do you like the lurkers?
-Yeah, I mean, I hate to admit it.
I never thought that that could be something
I would get into, but I'm just like,
"I wonder what Todd is thinking about this."
[ Laughter ]
"What does Todd look like? Like, is he chuckling?
He's so withholding. I'll never know.
I better floor it with my performance."
[ Laughter ]
-You -- Your character, we found out,
was obsessed with Alanis Morissette,
and you got to meet via Zoom.
Was it via Zoom that you met Alanis?
-No, it was in person. -You met her in person.
That is outstanding.
Now, I know she was a big deal to you.
Did you keep your cool? -I mean, what do you think?
You know, you know me a little bit.
[ Both laugh ]
-I think you are smart enough and aware enough
to at least go in with the preparation
of trying not to lose your cool. -For sure, of course.
I was like, "Today, Alanis will be at the table read.
Let's -- You know, I don't need to, like,
wear my "Jagged Little Pill" shirt.
I can wear a blue turtleneck, so that she'll think, like,
that I'm all -- I'm, like, just normal.
I'm just waking up. I didn't, like, shoot out of bed
and hit the ceiling
because Alanis will be in the same room."
And I will also say, I don't really like to meet, like,
people that I admire. -Mm-hmm.
-Because -- Because if it goes wrong,
then the whole thing is, like, ruined forever.
Like, I one time met this jazz singer
who I really liked, who was very old.
And now she is deceased, not that that's part of this,
but it's a part of life. -Yes.
[ Both laugh ]
-So, you know, we all go eventually.
But I, like, had my little CD, because this was in the past,
and I went up to her, and I was like,
"I just want you to know, your music means so much to me."
And this, like, tiny little old lady looked over
to the other like 100-year-old person next to her and went,
"Oh, brother!" [ Laughter ]
I was like... [ Gasping ]
And so, I was afraid to meet Alanis in case she hated me
like that old woman did hate me before she died.
-Yeah. -And, um --
And so I was like, "Just don't do anything.
Just sit next to Alanis and just don't do anything.
Just say your lines." And so I went in there,
I sat next to Alanis, and I was like --
[ Laughing ] "I love you so much!
Would you want to take a picture with m-e-e?!"
And, um -- And she did.
And she did, and we took a selfie.
-Okay, good. So that one had a happy ending.
-Yeah, yeah. I mean, the picture is uncool.
-Gotcha. But at least -- It's like proof of life.
You did meet her, and you can prove it to people.
-Yeah. For sure. I can prove it
if I want to show a picture of Alanis looking normal
and me going... [ Laughter ]
Like, flared nostrils, like weird, as if I have an itch
and I'm trying to make a face to make it go away
rather than scratch it.
Like, it's just not a good picture.
But I have the picture,
and Alanis is really nice, of course.
-You -- I want to close by asking this.
I know that you have been trying to get married,
and COVID has been throwing wrench after wrench
in your plans. But you were kind of --
You might be pulling it off, finally.
-Yeah, that's true. We've cancelled three times.
Not because of arguments but because of a pandemic,
which is a lovely way to cancel your wedding.
-Yeah. -And I think we're gonna do it
just in a much smaller way, like, in our living room.
That's the way now. -We've talked in the past
about how one of your favorite things about weddings
is when the bride surprises the groom with a song
that she has written about him, and how the groom
is, in the moment, devastated it's happening.
Have you thought about doing this for Ben?
-Oh, you know, yeah. I mean, when your wedding
gets ruined three times, you're like,
"Let's just kill this thing." You know, like, I --
And just to -- What I -- Just to say,
I don't dislike it when someone, like, sings a song with --
Like, I was at a wedding. A bride sang a song
with the groom on the piano.
I was like, "This is a wonderful version of this."
What I don't like is, like,
bride at the top of a staircase --
Why is there a staircase in your venue?
Mic -- wireless mic and singing a specific song
just like...
♪ Troy, I let you go on the fishing trip with Kevin ♪
♪ Because you know that I trust you ♪
♪ Trust is essential ♪
Or whatever, and it's just like, "This isn't for him."
That bothered me. -If you --
Would you like to rehearse or at least show us
a little taste of what -- if you did this --
what you would sing to Ben?
-Yeah, because here's the thing. I already had the baby.
-Yeah. -You know?
So, it's like he's here.
So I feel like, instead of it being like...
♪ When I met you, it was summer ♪
♪ A beautiful season ♪ ...or whatever.
If you like summer. It would more be like...
♪ Ben, you saw me poop in the barf bag ♪
♪ Because I couldn't get to the bathroom ♪
♪ When the baby exploded from my vag-i-i-ina ♪
♪ I love you, baby ♪ Right?
-I think everyone in that living room
will jump to their feet if you sing that song.
-Yeah, I mean, I'm gonna be -- even though it's gonna be
in our living room, and I'm not gonna need
that amplification, I'm gonna be on the mic.
-You're gonna be on a wireless mic.
I think that's an excellent call.
Hey, Jenny, it's always so lovely to see you.
Thanks so much for being here.
-Thanks for having me, Seth. -The second season of
"The Great North" premieres this Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on Fox.