look careful around your eyes oh right
oh yeah I definitely got a little in my
eyes mom I oh my god hey what's going on
everybody for first we feast I'm Sean
Evans and you're watching hot ones it's
the show attack questions and even
hotter wings and today we're joined by
Seth Meyers you know him as one of the
longest tenured cast members in Saturday
Night Live history of course his show
Late Night with Seth Meyers weeknights
on NBC is also the co-creator of IFC's
documentary now which is set to return
for season three On February 20th Seth
Meyers welcome to the show thank you for
having me
so I know that you've had the hot
chicken at Bolton's and gnash I have yes
thank you hold up I held up pretty well
but that was probably the most
uncomfortable I've ever been when I've
enjoyed the meal so I remember my wife
and I were then driving and had to both
sort of have our heads out the window
like dogs that was my memory foam why
are you ready for round two yes let's do
it
[Music]
alright so the first ones the classic
that's right here ok great alright here
we go delicious and manageable mm-hmm
holy so you and I were actually born at
the exact same Hospital in Evanston
Illinois and I know that you moved away
at a young age but return to go to
college at Northwestern
Mustard's Last Stand hotdogs overrated
or underrated um properly rated I think
I think people who say you have to go
there or maybe over selling it but I
think it's a wonderful thing after a
football game or before a football game
it's pretty good hotdogs
did you ever go to Hackney's during your
time at Evanston and get one of those
fried onion bricks
I didn't big miss out it sounds
wonderful but I don't yeah my memory
yeah you're studying improv in Chicago
at a time when people like Steve Carell
and Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert at the
second city theater so I'm curious on
your perspective as someone who went
from The Improv Olympic in Wrigleyville
to 30 rock and then to late-night how do
you quantify the Chicago comedy scenes
impact and influence on the
entertainment industry at large well I
think the world's luckier now that
there's improv communities in LA and New
York and there's also because of how
much easier it is to shoot things and
put them online there are a lot of
different roads to success but Chicago
used to be sort of the main road and I
think some of the best people in the
world would come there to get their
start and when I went to my new student
week my parents brought me out and we
went to Second City and I saw a show
with Carell and Colbert and just
realized how much I wanted to be doing
what they were doing I saw Tina Fey do
her first show at Second City just
randomly on the night I was there I saw
people like Amy Poehler and Rachel
Dratch and it was just I didn't realize
until years later not that I was seeing
the best people of Chicago but they were
also the best people in the world they
just happened to meet at Chicago so it
was really I felt incredibly lucky to be
there that
[Music]
unless there's a secret kick I'm well in
hand enjoy it while you can
so as we touched on in your intro one of
the longest-tenured Saturday Night Live
cast members and ever the well of
queries runs deep so we'll hit with some
of our most pressing SNL questions on
this wing go for it
Lorne Michaels the mythology around him
is so vast do you remember your first
conversation with them I do I was living
in LA at a time I'd auditioned on my way
off the stage he stood up and shook my
head and said good job
and years later I realized that was not
common so but I didn't know at the time
that was a big deal I flew back to LA a
full week later they flew me back out to
New York just to meet with Lauren and I
sat in his office I didn't realize at
the time that meant that I had the job
Lauren is very bad at giving specific
messages like welcome to the show and
one thing I remember him saying was
we're gonna see how you look in wigs we
want to do a wig test before we hire you
and then I worked in for 12 and a half
years and I realized that's not a thing
I don't know why he said it was a thing
and I just went back to LA worried about
how I was gonna look in wigs but I
failed a wig test I don't know why he
said it to this day he also said do you
think you can live in New York which I
rely I just thought to myself who blows
it at this part variety interview
whoo-hoo an SNL audition says oh is it
in New York does it have to do my parts
have to be in New York too
I was a you know a full three or four
years that he stopped being sort of this
comedy icon that started being somebody
I worked with and then you know this
celebrity guess my guess is that most of
them come in they're excited they're
bright-eyed they're down for whatever
yeah I know that there's a Kanye West
moment every now and again yeah when you
think about the times that somebody came
in and just messed up the vibe for
everyone all week is there a story that
stands out I mean messed up a lot I you
know I'm I'm always loath to like call
somebody out by name you don't name
names but I but yes that people's
definitely screwed up the vibe I was
that Kanye cuz I can say this as a huge
fan of Kanye the way Kanye would screw
up the vibe was he would
made and I think he changed the way
musical performances happened at the
show he made them bigger than they were
he would bring in sets different
lighting you know he'd bring in
ballerinas 50 ballerinas and he's a bit
of a perfectionist so you know what was
always thought at for two hours or her
some music with Kanye would you know be
three hours four hours five hours now
the downside is it pushed everybody
else's day later the upside was there
was never a time where he gave his music
performance and you didn't think that
he'd made the most of it do you have a
live on air screw up or break that
you're most embarrassed by in your first
year they try really hard if there's a
week when none of your sketches get
picked they try to at least have you
have one thing to do so that you can go
through the process of getting hair and
makeup on and getting into wardrobe at
least once and not just sit in your room
feeling bad for yourself and a lot of
times that means you have one question
as a reporter in a press conference and
that's what I had and during the sketch
I just remember in my head thinking I
can't believe him on SNL and then I
heard someone else say my line and I
realized that I had just drifted off and
completely missed my cue and when I went
back and watched it it really just cuts
to me like this it's exactly what your
face would be if you were drew
daydreaming about how cool your job was
where's patty Oh from Denver Colorado
gotcha
I feel like a storms coming I think I'm
you know my nose isn't running yet but I
can feel it start to yeah and so you
know I still have a great deal of
concern
so know that your lifelong sports fan
and I was amused to read that as a child
you'd use your allowance money to
subscribe to the Post Gazette so you
could keep up with your beloved Steelers
it's good growing up in New Hampshire
mm-hmm do you think that eSports are a
real sport I do I will admit it took me
I didn't immediately come to that
conclusion but I think everything about
it is I mean to play a sport that is
about reaction time and I think strategy
which a lot of sports are and then not
risk physical injury seems like a pretty
good deal but it seems like a short
career well things like younger kids
have faster reaction times I think
faster than any sport that thing goes I
think in like at 22 you're like
basically brethren should they keep
playing Sweet Caroline during the eighth
inning of Red Sox games or stop playing
Sweet Caroline during the eighth inning
of Red Sox games it's a pretty decent
tradition and a good sing-along I think
the ultimate bigger problem the Red Sox
and their fans are up against is how
they've went from the most charming
underdogs in the world to now you know
basically the Yankees in different
uniform and then I know that you're
partial to the athletes that have come
on Saturday Night Live yeah so what I
want to do is just hit you with a few
big names that were on the show when you
were on it I just want to know what you
remember about working with them okay
gotcha LeBron James LeBron James it's
still stunning to me that when LeBron
James was on the show I believe he was
22 years old and he was so
intellectually mature such a gentleman
really fun to hang out with and a delay
post Peyton Manning Peyton Manning I
remember we did that United Way sketch
where he was mean to kids and I went
over to him between takes and said hey
can you do you think you can hit that
kid in the back of the head with a nerf
football and I realized it was the most
insulting thing to say in NFL
quarterback he just looked at me and
said yeah I can hit the kid
[Music]
all right it's getting hotter it isn't
hard for you you know at this point I
feel like I'm so battle tested that
battle hardened me that I know what to
expect you know plus I feel like as a
host don't you have to just put up a
better front for your guests like I need
to be confident and stoic because
otherwise you might panic that's true I
I try very hard not to say during any
interviews this isn't going well just I
know I know this is your first time on
the show but they usually go better
so sketch comedy is sort of a
misunderstood discipline I think to a
lot of people as someone who understands
it at a technical level do you think
that there's a difference or a
disconnect and what sketch writers think
is funny and what audiences think is
funny and Eminem verse for example might
be so focused on the mechanics of
rapping that to the average ear doesn't
even sound good I see I don't know if we
think about it in terms of mechanics I
do think music is different than comedy
this one's really hot and I'm worried I
also care for rod your eyes yeah well I
didn't I'm wearing my show makeup yeah
and now I'm gonna melt off but like I do
want people to know like my face starts
melting I don't want me to panic is
there a sketch that you wrote mmm-hmm
that you think is funny that you thought
was funny that you still think is funny
but that bombed on air all right this is
gonna seem thematic this is the last
sketch I wrote that in the end I think
was accurately treated as bad by the
audience so I'm not standing out for it
but Melissa McCarthy hosted my last
episode and she had ordered 200 chicken
wings and she was pretending like there
was a party but it became very clear
that she was had ordered them for
herself and my last sketch played to
total silence and and Lauren looked at
me and I remember him saying what am I
going to do without you
look at you splitting bones clean wings
out here um there's a true story about
me that's disgusting
I'm gonna tell you true story okay
mm-hmm you should work at an improv
theatre in Amsterdam and we had the
chicken wings were something you could
order and one night we were standing by
the pinball machine playing pinball and
my brother saw me my brother also we
theater basically sucking the chicken
wing and he was said are those yours and
I said no and he said you just sucking
someone else's chicken wings and I said
I am and then someone else said I also
think they're from yesterday all right
Seth
we have a recurring segment on our show
called explain that Graham where we do a
deep dive on I guess Instagram pull
interesting pictures that need more
context okay great so I'll bust out the
laptop I'll show you the picture and you
tell me the bigger story does that sound
good sounds great all right laptop
please thank you sir
all right first things first how in the
world did you end up at Yeezy season two
with Anna Wintour and Kim I was told
that I was personally invited by Kanye
so that's the only reason I went Wow
and then I saw him afterwards and it
wasn't wood not that I expected it but
it wasn't as though he didn't say thanks
for coming I'm glad you got my invite
but it was I knew I was gonna sit next
day in the winter so I that's the only
time I think I've worn sunglasses inside
I didn't see a lot of stuff that I
thought would look natural on me I
didn't see it I wasn't like oh that's an
ensemble that I could pull off well I
think you should at least try some on
yeah I could try some on all right have
you picked up any cooking tips from your
segments with Action Bronson he's a
friend of the program Action Bronson is
the most cursing we've ever had
I think if you based on the beeps you
might not at the end of it hear enough
words to know how to prepare it octopus
I don't you know I gotta be honest I
think most of our late-night cooking
segments people aren't writing down how
to prepare the food yeah and they
certainly weren't for action but he's a
lot of fun to be around adobo loco lo
hey kiddo no guy a very a very
frightening word when you're eating you
don't what - si loco and a menu they
usually so like you I grew up watching
Letterman and that era of late-night
wasn't as politically driven as it seems
like this new era is you know shows like
yours Colbert political commentary it's
right at the core of the show and I'm
curious to what extent do you think that
shift is driven by political satire
becoming more popular genre and to what
extent is it driven by audiences just
being more interested being more
political
I think couple things I do think Jon
Stewart sort of flipped the game with
The Daily Show and I think showed
everybody there was a different way of
doing things and then you know I do
think that if Dave still had a show I
bet it would be more political if it was
on right now than it was when he started
just based on where we are but also I
you know there is a certainly an
appetite from the audience I was
surprised when we first started the show
in 2014 the conventional wisdom was oh
the shorter you can make bits the better
the better chance they are to go viral
and it turns out like people actually
have patience for things sort of one of
our signature bits it's called a closer
look at sometimes 12 to 14 minutes and
it's still the part of the show that
people watch the most online do you
think that it's possible for political
humor to be nonpartisan uh no I think
it's I think it would be I think point
of view is really important and I think
that's what people are drawn to in all
kinds of comedy
whether it's articles or whether it's
interviews like we try to bring the
receipts when we're doing that so that
people know okay this person obviously
have a different political view than
this person beliefs are not just coming
up with things out of thin air
and this is where it just the label
skiff because now this our first hot
sauces are funny that way yeah it was so
letting in the beginning it was just a
happy turtle some gold here that's all
good
roosters
[Music]
huh your country
[Music]
you know we're very often mm-hmm funk
all over the ton so I understand that
you're a sandwich obsessive so much so
in fact that even if you're eating
things that aren't a sandwich like a
baked potato in a steak you'll actually
make it yeah into its sandwich form did
you learn anything about the dark arts
of sandwich making as a delivery driver
for D'Angelo or I might have my tip my
cap to your research department and some
real deep cut [ __ ] right there
careful around your eyes oh right oh
yeah I definitely got a little in my
eyes um I oh my god I was more of a
D'Angelo delivery driver I didn't learn
much about sandwiches I don't have this
three ago Jesus mm-hmm milk you drink
milk cow would you use your high school
car that had the vanity plates listeth
for that delivery job no levar was a
real NOLA car the vanity plate was
listeth you know we can move on do you
ever go to like there was an unfair jump
from 6:00 to 7:00 what do you think's a
better sandwich city of Chicago or New
York um I don't know that's a good
question I would say they both have
really good sandwiches I'm now gonna
pretend this is me as an actor I'm now
gonna pretend I'm not in pain all right
well let's see how that goes this next
one is the bomb Beyond and sanded go
right to another one while I'm
pretending a minute okay the bomb
[Music]
it's not the antidote okay I'm gonna be
cool now impressive
so I feel like now is as good a time as
I need to get extremely meta about the
celebrity interview you talk to
celebrities every night on a big network
talk show of course I have this circus
act here on YouTube yeah do you ever
think do you ever think about the
absurdity of it all we're a conduit to a
total strangers story you know and you
have to build rapport with somebody that
you're meeting for the very first time
while nine dudes in a room in a million
more watching at home just look at us
yeah I'm well the thing is what's
interesting in the difference between
this in my show that's not that genuine
things don't happen on my show but it's
obviously a performance of a
conversation aside okay even though I'm
not performing right now is what I'm
trying to get at now we're still whoo
and there's a lot more plate spinning
because it's like this simulated
conversation in exactly six and a half
minutes and then this break and then
this thing you have to change the way
that you talk to people
mm-hmm yeah like there's no other
conversation in my life where someone
behind me is holding up numbers for how
much time until the next commercial
break I'd like that
you know sometimes you're at dinner
parties and nothing would make me
happier than being able to go oh we
gotta go to commercial and then you know
that's such a day-in and day-out grind
doing a nightly talk show yeah and that
you'd stack on top of it doing this
other show documentary now is that in
some ways like building a ship in a
bottle for you is it a hobby doing
something like that yeah it's like
making something beautiful that you have
the time to make I think also like when
you do a late-night talk show you're
very aware that like their value like
decreases by half every day like
yesterday's show has already left worth
less because the news has changed
whereas documentary now and Pope fold it
they'll be as good in ten years oh yeah
oh my god
yeah okay I'm just genuinely unhappy
[Music]
okay go ahead so know that your love of
comics runs deep in addition to creating
your series the awesome Lulu I know that
you made a special issue spider-man
along with Bill Hader or do it yeah if
your collection caught on fire and you
could only save one comic which one did
you say my first I have great Morrison
one of my favorite writers signed he was
on the show when he signed my first
issue of Animal Man which was a really
important comic for me I'm sure I've had
to save one I would save that one what
do you think is the funniest comic book
of all time the funniest comic book of
all time I remember when I was young
there was a comic called ambush bug and
I thought that was really funny and then
the Justice League International had was
both a good superhero book that was also
funny which superhero do you think would
make the best late-night guest what
superhero do I think would make what
superhero make the good I mean I guess a
Bruce Banner you tried it obviously
and then you know comics are so
mainstream now they're the biggest
movies every year and then even more
niche comics like preacher yeah it's on
its fourth season TV show which comic
has fallen through the cracks like what
would you like to see a hollywood
adaptation of in 2019 I'm really excited
New Gods is gonna be I mean I can't
believe like so they've been so
successful in something like mr. miracle
who might be in a movie like that's
really cool for me Blue Beetle ever I'm
a big Blue Beetle fan I would like to
see that find his way to the silver
screen which comic book character do you
think would do best against the wings of
death firestorm
he's already his hair he's already has
like a flame and his nuclear bomb logo
already looks like one of these [ __ ]
bottles
why just get on with it I feel like the
shrinking to make it worse so this is
the last dab we call it the last dab
because it's tradition around here to
put a little extra on the last wing yeah
I've seen it you don't have to if you
don't want to Seth well what is the
sauce on the last wing it's already
there so I don't have really so okay so
this this is just for show this is this
for me - its ritualistic yeah okay there
you go all right what a run it's been
has it been a good road but very far how
am i held up is like AB middle of the
road you know here's I think Seth you're
obviously in pain yeah you're suffering
a little bit yeah it's the most painful
meal in my life but you have gone
forward you are you know you have been
cleaning wings you know sometimes people
when they're struggling they'll start to
nibble a little bit or maybe they'll tap
out entirely
but not you Seth and you've worked a
full day yeah that's right across the
street
cheers to you Cheers
[Music]
their Bible
okay Seth Meyers here we are at the end
of the line and just one more ball to
balance on your nose before we get you
out of here one of our favorite Seth
Meyers bits is up is a trailer that you
made for Boston accent yeah where you
played a laundry list of characters all
with Boston accent yeah
Sophie Oh humor me yeah what would the
mayor of Boston say about hippie-dippie
green hippy dippy green this is a good
hot sauce not too rough Rania you're
gonna enjoy it you know put a little bit
on your crab you know you want to put a
little kick on your lobster oh I would
say hippie-dippie how would the townie
who says bro in every sentence review
the wings that were served today bro I
got no problem with the wings I got a
problem I feel like these people that
are making these hot sauces are out to
get you I feel like it's a show for them
to watch your meltdown try the YouTube
and then what would the British actor
who's trying but doesn't quite have it
say about the bomb Jabbar me is too hot
it's wickedly high well you heard it
here first and look at you Seth Meyers
Ted chicken wings up you know what I
left a little here now you mmm and
finishing it off to the bone hot ones
legend and I salute you this camera this
camera or this camera from the break
we'll know what you have going on in
your life I really enjoyed this what I
have going on I like I'm um
I'm worried that if I kiss my children
they're gonna burst into flames
watch documentary now less on February
20 and then IFC he was really good and
then late nights on every night
or at least that's the plan hold up when
does it stop how long oh no no it's like
when does this stop its it's only gonna
get better from here is the worst are
gonna feel hi everybody camera guy bill
here just wanted to thank you for our 5
million subscribers on YouTube because
of you I still have a job and my mom is
super proud of me it's pretty good being
bill these days and that's thanks to you
spice Lords keep on subscribing