RE-RELEASE - Cecily Strong

Cecily Strong is with us right now. This is one we aired a few months ago. We got to have a nice little chat with her. She was on the show when Dana did it, I think. And she was there when you hosted, right? Yeah, I mean, yeah, she was in that cast. She had a nice long run on SNL. We talked all about that. And just the leaving of SNL is kind of bittersweet and you're walking out the world. And she was on a show, Schmigadoon. Schmigadoon. Mm-hmm. Schmigadoon. She and Michael Key. Yeah. And yeah, she was, when she left, it was one of those ones that they feel a little bit because when a good cast member leaves, it's tough. I mean, they cover it, but she's one of the ones that was just a consistent hitter every week. Yeah. She was just upping her game all through the seasons. And it's hard to believe that she did. And the show's really funny. It was three years ago at the time of her. So I don't know what it stands for. Is that when she was on three years ago? Well, according to- Gotta feel like we just talked to her. But anyway, they go so fast, but a lot of good things. We had a great time with her. And she gives us a lot of insight to what it's like over there. And also life after. Yeah. SNL. Yeah, she's an adorable person. Yeah. Cecily Strong. Here we go. Everyone off. She's here. The thing about Cecily is she's always prompt. You'll find that she'll be on the Zoom a little bit earlier than when it was scheduled, like 35 to 45. Oh, sorry. Hi. I love your sweater. Yeah. Well, thanks. We're doing a similar themed- Well, this is a, yeah, kind of colorful. It's the perfect puffer. That's David's- David has a perfect puffer. I'm in Northern California. It's freezing and there's a hypersonic river. You know, there's never a rainstorm. It's always a cyclone bomb. So but it's- Is that still going? Is that still happening? Oh, yeah. We haven't quit. Northern California never lays down with this. They never quit. That's true, I suppose. I'm not apologizing for my hair, but I'm just going to say we're just going to deal with it on this. It looks like a fashion choice. It's kind of hip. That's what it used to look like. I'm going to say two words right now about David's hair. Bad, bad boy. Cecily, back me up. Bad boy, right? Unkept, ready to fight. Bad boy hair. Yeah. And bad boys never go out of style. Right. Bad boy lost his comb. Bad boys never go out of style. So they're in style and they're going to stay in style. I think forever, yeah. By the way, just so you know, Dana was saying it rains and you're not an LA, I don't think, but it's raining always now. It's a new thing. Yeah. And you think what the tax is and everything, the only thing we get is good weather. Now we don't even have that. So when it rains, the weather man goes like this, it's going to pour for seven days straight and then you- and there's such a big drought here. Everyone goes, oh, good. And he goes, but it's not going to help the drought. Did you think that? And I go, oh. I think that. And I go, no. See, it's funny you would think that, but the drought is getting worse. And I'm like, I don't think I know what a drought is then because why is all the rain not helping? And they're like, it's nothing. It's got to go underground, man. It's all about recharging it underground. But it was like, well, it's good to fill the ones overground too, I think. I don't know. We can celebrate the little wins, right? I thought it was a little win. It was a little win. But it's just a mofo. That thing is so fucking huge. And it's going to get so full when the mountains start to melt that they're going to have to release water. Here's my point. If it rains outside, I don't really have a point. I took a one hour shower yesterday just to kind of, just because it was raining outside ago, how much could it hurt? Yeah. I didn't know where you were going with that, but okay. I'm so punchy and I have nothing. But at least I'll admit it ahead of time. Cecily, we're so glad you're on this show. We're so excited. It's wonderful to be here. I just adore you both. I hope you know that. You're kind of nice. I think I told you both at the 50th, but I don't, or the 40th, I mean, geez, but I don't know if you know that. 50th is next. No, the 40th, Cecily, it is Cecily, right? You say Cecily. Yeah, Cecily, yeah. I don't say it wrong. Okay. People do say it wrong. You've been saying it right. I appreciate that. Yeah. No, it's Cecily is very hip. Cecily is like, works at a mall or something. Cecily, I don't know about. Yeah. Yeah. When we did the 40th, aside from the excitement of it all and seeing every return, someone was fun to see and old, new cast, whatever, whatever. She was assigned the thankless job of doing my buh-bye with me, which, you know, the show was so thrown together. It was not thankless. That was very exciting. I mean, can you imagine? Fun though, right? Yes, yes. It didn't kill and get off the charts and win awards. Wow. Yeah. Just for a second for our audience, David used to do a character, his first character that landed an absolute catchphrase, flight attendant as you get off the plane saying, buh-bye. Right? So then on the 40th, you two were in the sketch, fill us in. What happened? How'd you get together? Where were you in the show? Hour three or hour six? We ended the Californians. Yes. And who? Oh, that's right. And I actually have the picture of you and I standing there, I think with Bradley Cooper, but I have the little framed picture on my wall. Yeah, I love it. You know, what was fun about that was, I think it was, I talked to Shroomtaker, Michael's shoemaker, and he- Shroomtaker. What's the shroomtaker for Michael? His name sounds like Shroomtaker, a shoemaker. Oh, I thought it's like he deals in psilocybin. I'll just have a small amount. Marchie, sorry. Anyway. So anyway, you guys did the sketch. So the Californians and then you two were placed on the soundstage kind of at the edge of their set and did a goodbye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Yeah. It was funny because a shoemaker, I asked shoemaker, I said, what if, because this show is obviously so thrown together and no one cares. What if when someone's leaving a sketch, they just walk by and we go, bye-bye. And he goes, yeah, we can probably do that. So we talked to Higgins and then they said, you would be good for that. And then we stood there and I have a picture. I think it's probably from rehearsal. Is it from rehearsal or is it from the real show? I have one, I think, from rehearsal. Oh, I'm not sure. And hey gang, let's put it on social media when this episode comes out. Yes. It doesn't matter. But it was fun because Taylor Swift was in it. So basically, Dana, it was very unorthodox. They do the sketch. That's a big favorite sketch. And then when they're leaving, we just stand there for absolutely no reason and go, bye-bye. I remember it. I'll remember it now. Yeah. It's kind of meta or whatever that word means. And it was fun. And Taylor Swift was in it. She was very tall. She is very tall. Was she Swift in a way in her movements? Sorry, it's all I got. No, why do you ask that? I don't know. Maybe some subconscious connection. So anyway, Cecily, we've been watching all your cool stuff. I didn't even know where to start. We can go chronologically. But one thing that I did absolutely love as someone who loves accents is the way your British indiscernible character with a super cockney. That is just music to me. I love hearing it. Music to beers. I'm Gemma. Would you give us this? You don't have to do it. I mean, just talk through it in that. Just give us a few seconds. Yeah. Well, I think you also have to make it feel like you have big teeth too, I think. Because I was watching a lot of a British reality show, but everybody gets their teeth done. So it's like. Is it Gemma Collins? That's, there is a Gemma Collins who is on the show that I was watching a lot of. A Slydo or Bite. Yeah. Yeah. So if you think if you're talking around your teeth, not that. So you have. Hey, I want to hear it. It's just like you're talking around your teeth. If there's a show called The Only Way It's Essex and it's sort like that. And they do a lot of like American vocal fry almost. Oh, it's so refined. I love that. I love that. You do a lot in there. It's fun for me. It's just what it sounds like to my ear. I feel like there's always a million comments. They're like, that's not how that sounds. Which are the most fun people to be watching. Yeah. The ones who are upset. We don't sound like that. But you're teasing it out and making it a character. I mean, there's you're doing something list fee or something with your teeth. Yes. It's very gives you a little. The S. It's almost like a little list because of the teeth, I think. Is that is that a little who's the great actress Olivia Coleman or, you know, she did The Queen. Is that the name of that actress? Yeah, I assume so. Yes. I would say that's her name. He's on the crown. Close enough. She has a little over. But anyway, I love that. So that's where we wanted to start. Well, I appreciate it. Just fanning out. Okay. Well, I'm a fan. And Dana, just, you know, I also, I just want to say I also have a picture of you from the 40th. It was a huge deal. I think I was in my second year on the show or something. So it was like. Oh, that's early on. It was 2014. Yeah. It was very cool. And my Myers and your Wayne Swirl get ups. And I got to stand in between you two. And that was very exciting. Yeah. Wow. We was that night. Yeah. When you're just saying it's Billy Crystal. There's Steve Martin. Oh, Bill Murray. It was in the audience. Oh, there's Eddie Murphy, Tom Hanks. There's Donald Trump. I mean, it's just like Keith Richards. Everybody was famous that you looked at. So it was nerve wracking in that way. That 40th, that darn 40th. Did you get a plus one? I did actually to the party. I did. What? Should I? I don't know. Is that not? No. I'm calling Lauren on the other side. Somewhere in the overflow room. The most, the toughest one cast member. Some were put in the overflow room. Rough. Next year, we'll have a net up top. There'll be no overthrow. Those three people in sort of like a loose circus net. They'll bounce around and be like that thing of like, they'll see the show. So I had to go in there and get Rob Schneider. I love the Lord. Yeah. You must do your own version of Lord. No pressure. I can't do it in front of like the best Lauren. Lauren impersonator. Everyone has different ones. You know, who was... Yeah, everybody's done it. Andy Samberg did the, he does the quiet one. Bill Hader just, you know, it'd be really nice if like it was a good show. You know, there's the quiet Lauren and why, I don't know, everyone has their... I like to imagine that Lauren, I like to do Lauren when he's like laughing so hard at a sketch or something. Imagining that he really loves her. Oh my fucking God. Oh no, they didn't fuck shit. God is my shit. But him really is going on. Well, that's to that point, Lauren has a, he'll be very casual. If something hits him and we've never talked about this, he goes into almost a convulsion or spasm. He has a laugh. From zero to 10 puts his head down. We've never talked about that. That is a really, really... Good observation because he does that, read through. If you can make him laugh and slap the desk or something, you're like, holy shit. Oh yeah. And just to be clear, he doesn't say those things. That's what I... No, I know. I like to put that on him. Yes. But I have seen him a couple times in 11 years. Laugh very hard. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, we were talking with other cast members the other day and Lauren's... It's Keenan. Keenan, I don't know how these go in order or whatever. This comes out in 2026. Anyway, but Lauren's kind of amazingly, I'll say sort of brilliant, passive aggressive, intentionally sarcasm to get you to relax. I'll get you started. It'd be really nice if this sketch would really be funny. That'd be a good thing. So those kinds of statements, which Keenan said relaxed him. You know? Huh. It either can relax or put pressure. I think initially it put pressure on me when I first got there. Yeah. I was just so fucking scared. But eventually I got used to his sense of humor, the dryness of just... You know, Dana, sometimes I remember I was behind one of the, you know, where the sketches are. So if you walk in for people at home, and they're behind the sketches like nothing. So I'm just waiting to go in with some goofy outfit on and Lauren comes around the corner with a, they're like, 20 seconds. And then I'm getting nervous looking at my sides. And then Lauren walks with an Amstel like casually and he goes, you want to try tonight? I'm like, what? And then he just drifts off and I'm like, am I not trying ever? You know? And then I botch the sketch because now it's in my head. Yeah. He has his style. I think it's a little, it's kind of Lauren being sassy, I think. Yeah. He's very sassy. Okay, Lauren. He's got his little dick in. With a sketch called sassy. Remember Dana with Phil Hartman? Who Cecily likes. I, what, right. You've read it. Let's go back a little bit to your house. How Cecily Strong became Cecily Strong. We don't have to spend much time on it, but I thought it was very, very interesting. And you amongst other people have mentioned, or at least if this is accurate, Phil Hartman is kind of a true North Star. Will Ferrell did as well. And we all love Phil and he was brilliant. So, Well, I also think, listen, I have so many, like I feel like I've spent a lot of time with you both on the show, like watching and really enjoying. There's so many people I love and usually it's just when you say one thing in an interview, then it kind of, Yeah. I know that's true. But I mean, I was just a huge fan of the show in general. And I do think, you know, I've played a lot of straight characters on the role and I think he just is kind of like the, the, such a great straight man. Yeah. He'll play, he'll take the lead if you need it or completely play the bass, so to speak, hold it down. Do you, no, you actually reenacted, I mean, did you, like you had an uncle who was a Broadway producer. Yes. Your mom and dad were kind of at a certain, a very young age kind of saying Cecily, maybe this is for you or do I get that right? Like, when did that dream occur to you? I think I never like for real had the dream even at the audition was like, well, I can't, I don't want to say it out loud even because this is so, this just doesn't happen. And I don't want to be disappointed if I got to, you know, that I should be so happy that I got to audition. I got to be here. But I think I was like, when I was three, I would just perform a lot around the house and my parents are like, I don't know. And they put me in a drama class. Like I hope that's it. I hope that scratches that itch and it's not something worse. Well kids like it, then you keep with it. Like, you know, I think every kid is like we got in a comedy in our house and everyone just liked comedy. But I agree with you that when you say you're auditioning for something or when I started doing stand up, you don't want people to go, how'd it go? And if you don't get it, you're like, and then they go, oh. Right. And then you're like, well, I wanted to be happy about that. That was the idea initially. Well, like the pressure keeps building because it's going toward 50 years. Like it was enough for me to even imagine I could be on it, but there was only 10 years before me. Now cast member groups. Okay. Check out the history of the show before you audition. It's like months of pouring through so many sketches, but I could not believe it. That's a very common theme for people of being very humble about auditioning. Like my God, this is a dream. And just some of the darkness of the people who it went asymmetrical and they didn't get it, you know, and it's something and then they've gone on and done great. Right. It's not the one lane to go, but for you it was kind of. It definitely, and certainly like at the time, I mean, and I'd done theater for a long time before comedy. And I really only got into comedy after college. Not that I like, I guess like officially study comedy. I don't know. Yeah. It's so weird. Didn't come before. So you were in theater all the time. Then you got busted for pot, got arrested. Okay. So you went to jail. Your pot dealer says you went to jail. A little bit of a rebel in those days, I guess, or, or was everyone like, you know, was everyone, I think kind of maybe that was just the thing in the year 2000. I don't know. But I definitely, I was like, I wasn't really a bad kid. I really, I like, I got good grades. I liked school, but then I also like smoked cigarettes and, you know, I would, but I was like in with the theater crowd. That's not like the cool kids at school. No, not at all. You know, you do, you do smoke a good cigarette. But I don't like it, right? But with cat, is it with Katyan? Yeah. I was a smoker for a long time. So I, but, and that's always the thing I look at when I watch people smoke on cameras. So you can tell I've always felt like the people who have never smoked always go like that's like their whole rent. And then, and then yeah. And breathe in all the cigarette and my fingers. Yeah. I go, is this a very straight hand? So Katyan is like a redneck, quasi alcoholic or whatever. She's just kind of lived hard. I've seen them in Montana where I'm from. Originally I go there a lot. I've seen those people and she's that sound that looked like a fun character to play. It's so much fun. And I do think it's like so many of the people that I just love in real life and love to watch. And actually it was, I worked at Green Blats for a while. Right next to the Laugh Factory. Right next to the Laugh Factory. And this is when I was smoking and I'd go outside for a cigarette every now and then. And there was like a local lady in the neighborhood who would yell on the street a lot. And so she sort of was where it came from. And she said, and it always be like, oh, don't make eye contact because she'll come over here. And it's like, they, they tried to get my brother, D.Y. and I said, you're probably your own breath blown back in your face. And she was just that kind of energy attitude. Wow. But it's a good idea to get a lot of those characters in our neighborhood at that person. And that's such a specific rhythm. Yes. And I think they are everywhere. I don't think it's like, she's got a bit of an accent, I guess, but I don't think it's like definitely a something thing. It's nondescript, right? It's like in Michigan, it's in, it's in a bar everywhere, every state. It's a bit of a tweaker twist to it. Like you don't know really what you're getting to and it's a little crazy in the eye. Yes. And again, I'd like to think that there's some teeth interaction, you know, like missing a tooth or there's a rotten tooth. Okay. How would that affect the way the voice comes out? Tooth interaction. I'll take the impression. Yeah. That would, that's kind of like Rod Shee. She's also got like a mild speech impediment too. Because there's enough missing tooth and the tongue kind of wanders in there. Yeah. There's a like a sore back there. There's stuff in the mouth. Bitter cheek. Are theater students that listen to this podcast? They're freaking right now. Well, just the idea of pretending though, his character is missing a tooth. Yeah. I have, Sesame has beautiful teeth. I'm going to somehow make that part of the voice that the tooth is missing. Okay. That was for the theater fans. Yeah. Go ahead. Well, Dana, we did go by. One last taste of it so people can listen to that. Yeah. Well, if you think about, if you try to talk like you have no teeth, you know how that sometimes, I think it's sort of starting from there. It's starting from there. When we did buh-bye, she said approximately how many teeth does this have? And how big are they? Does she whiten them? Roughly how big, centimeter wise. Just so help me a little bit. We're bouncing around. We're going to, I love, I love you. But we're keeping with teeth. That's good. Well, I love that you're willing to kind of explain the, the character and the voice thing. It's really interesting to me. And that Gemma, Dana, who Benedict Cumberbatch was American, right? Benedict Cumberbatch. Slumber party. He did his like a, a Cumberbatch slumber party. He should host that. Did he, you say to him, was it more fun for him to play American accent and you're taking the Gemma? I think that was, I mean, I hope that was fun for him. It sounded like it was at the time. He might have been just doing whatever that week, but I imagine it would. Yeah, it's probably more fun. Yeah. Yeah. He was cool, right? It was fun to work with. So much fun. I did a guest spot there and just met him. He seemed very earnest and humble and ready to work and hoping he was doing a good job. I feel, I don't know if you got this vibe at all when you guys were on the show. Sorry, my dog. Come on. She's making things up. She's very dramatic. I'm sorry. This wasn't on her. She's making things up. That saying, what is this person doing? She's talking to herself. She's like, that's a nice thing. Talking to herself. I'm sitting over here and no one's paying attention. Kitty. A great story like Monsters Inc. stays with you forever and Disney Class is where you'll find your next great story from the return of the award-winning hit series, Rivals. Welcome to the naughtiest show on television. To the unmissable crime drama, High Potential. Gotta dead body. Gotta go. A lifetime of great stories awaits. This spring on Disney Plus, 18 Plus, subscription required. T's and C's apply. Hi, everybody. I'm Maury Povich. On my podcast on par with Maury Povich, I'm going to sit down with the icons, the stars and the faces at the very center of today's big cultural moments. With everyone from comedians Josh Johnson, Dan Soder, Leigh Ann Morgan, to newsmakers Don Lemon, Joy Reid, Aaron Parnas and so many more. So join me for new episodes every week because nothing is off limits. Great conversations. They're always on par. Follow and listen to On Par with Maury Povich wherever you get your podcasts. Monday.com AI agents took over my work and I absolutely love it. Pacing deadlines, writing status reports, updating stakeholders. Agents handle the daily grind now. I stay in the loop only when it matters. Create your own AI agent in minutes on Monday.com. But I was going to say, don't you I feel like a lot of the English hosts or British hosts were sort of so game to kind of nerd out with us. And yeah, and not that American hosts aren't. But I just felt like across the board kind of every British host we had almost had like a giggly like little kid just really would be willing to do anything. Yeah. Yes. I find the same thing. I know something about their their training, their attitude. Yeah. Yeah. Something very potent and kind of like silly goofy, too, which I thought was a fun thing about Benedict. Yes. Because while I guess he does, it is kind of a silly name, but it's also a very buttoned up name, I would think. Sure. When you when you meet the host in the Monday meeting, I think that's where you get a vibe. I mean, they are nervous for sure. And you're nervous. I'm nervous because I'm starstruck most of the time. And your writer, your new on the show, whatever, you know, you're always starstruck and they bring in some big names. So I think you get a vibe in a first meeting, what they're going to be like. Are they going to be fun or they some people you see pitch them something. They go, sounds great. Anything. And then they're up for anything and you go, this is going to be fun. And some go, Oh, I don't know. They're just ten. You can tell they're tight and they're like, can you do Russian accent? Oh, I don't I don't really do accents really. And then you're like, OK. And then everyone pitches when you walk out of there, you go, I got to feel for it. I got to feel for it. Yeah. I feel like I'm not as good at that. I think I feel like I didn't quite get to know every host until after a table read because sometimes you just guess so wrong. Yeah, that's true. They can really come on. No. Yeah. Or like you've just given them something that's so the wrong thing for them. Do we there? Yeah. We there when Trump was on because I just heard a story that Pete. Oh, yeah, maybe. And he said this is he said, Dana, do you hear this? He goes, first of all, they that Trump came to read through this. You can corroborate. I may be getting wrong. Oh, then I know that. Yeah. And he said, like, I don't really read. I don't really like I sort of ad lib instead of read sketches. That was part of it. And then he said, I had live like nobody said, let me I don't have my glasses. And then Lauren said, you can use mine. And he's like, and then there was an end of a sketch, maybe at Disneyland, where he says, he says, see you later. And then he looks at everyone else and goes, chicken leg. No, turkey legs. Like, let's let's go eat turkey legs. Let me tell you because it's one of my favorites. Oh, let's just. Well, here's there's a couple of things that happen. He didn't bring his reading glasses to the table read and was like, oh, I didn't know what that we were going to be reading or something like that. It's kind of like, well, it's the table read. With script. Yeah. Five scripts. Yeah. And so Ivanka was there and there was a sketch that Ivanka was in that was set at like medieval times. And at the end of it, he goes, told you the grammatically was written told you like told you so to her. He's talking to her period. And then it says turkey leg. Like, would you like to go get a turkey leg as what that's how one would read that sentence? But Donald Trump read it as told you turkey legs to Ivanka. Like like he was calling her. It's funny. He looked at us like funny. OK, weirdos. And it's like, we're not the way you read it wrong. And then he also in the middle of it, I got a phone call and took his call. So we all just waited. And I've never seen anyone like do that to Lauren yet, you know. And he went, aha. Oh, that's great. Uh-huh. My book just went to number one. And we all just went. Wow. Wow. Had to applaud just the moment. Just the fact that you had interrupt the table read to take your very real call. My book just went to number one. And I know you got to do some things, but I think I deserve a little bit of a block. And then he he asked to be put into the Drake. The hotline bling, skat, the dad. I think it was like the dad dance or something that I remember his funny little weird dance to be put in. Yeah. And then the other thing he did was they did a giving tree sketch. And Jenna always tells the story, our stage manager, because he's like, that's not a real book. And she kept saying, what do you mean? That's a book. And he just did not believe that the giving tree, as he was in a full tree costume, and I do have a picture from my monitor, my dressing in from rehearsal of his face in this tree costume. The giving tree. It's just a rumor. Did not believe, obviously was not brought up on the giving tree. I know books. I read a lot of books. I can see books. I've heard about books. So I know when there's a book and it's not a book. I know a lot of books. Excuse me. Let me finish. I know about books. Let me tell you. No one like him. What could everything's been said about him, but there he's a one off. Those table reads are cool. I mean, you can learn a lot. I remember the first Alec Baldwin, he was great. Like I didn't know. You know, you don't know what you're getting into. And sketch after sketch, you start to go, oh, my God, these are pretty much cold reads, like they've never seen the sketch and they're walking in. Someone's going, hey, mine sketch is number 41. And if you could play it like quiet at the beginning, but then you build and they're like, right. And, you know, they're trying to absorb it. Oh, you don't know what the fuck's going on. Right. And they know ours. John Goodman always learning eight songs. Oh, yeah. They're having to sing a song. Right. The whole thing is so complicated. Yes. And I think they're mainly just kind of in shock. I'd like, I thought of my role as kind of an RA throughout the week, where you just sort of always being encouraging, like, how do you feel? Great. That's normal, I think. That's normal. And by Saturday, you're going to be, yeah. It's very funny when, because they're walking into your turf and they could be kind of nervous. And I, I, with a superstar, you know, like a big movie star, and you can tell they're out of their element and you're kind of going, you're doing great. And, you know, just read it off the card. Just read it straight off the card. Right. That's it. I'm like putting it in my head that they need encouragement from me. I'm probably like wearing a blanket and slippers. My life is it. I don't have it all together. And I'm like, you're doing great. I was doing a guest spot. I think church lady update, because I'd done Fallon and then Lauren would always say, you'll be doing church lady on Saturday. OK, I'll call my travel agent. And then it was Benedict Bumper Bavance. I remember afterwards, just at the good nights, he goes, it was pretty good. OK, right? It was OK. I go, no, it was great. Great. But funny, me telling you, I can't, you know, please. I wonder if anyone's ever gone. Yeah. It was pretty good. You could have done better. It's just like I wouldn't. I would. I mean, to any host, would you ever, even if they're bombing, you're going, you're doing great. You got to keep up B, you know, right? Just never go real on them. No. So we circle back around how you your audition. I just want to know the. So it's just to jump around a little bit. You went to Cal Arts for theater. So you're studying, you're getting better. You're starting to get funny. And then you go to Chicago. I went. Yes. So I stayed in LA for like nine months, seven to nine months or something. And I was just kind of like, I don't think this is going to be the way I do this business, if I'm going to do it. It was just sort of, I didn't really understand how many if it worked. And business wise, like I couldn't get an eight. It was just I felt bad as this business can feel sometimes. And so I took a class at the groundlings, though, and I really liked it. And so I was like, well, I'll move back to Chicago and rent will be a lot cheaper. And every now and then my mom can buy me groceries. And I went to second city. I started taking second city. Yeah. What was the vibe difference when you got to Chicago? LA, it just feels more pressure and just weirder, right? Yeah. And it was still a Midwestern. Yeah. My family was in Chicago. And yeah, yeah, I do. I enjoy the Midwest. A lot more is a lot. A lot chunkier people who are more friendly or more friendlier in public. I don't know. Chunk, chunky and friendly. You have a slight accent to it. We have a slight accent. We like to eat, like to laugh and drink. You have to because it's so cold. You have to find ways to enjoy life while you can. But in an LA, it's just. Yeah. And actually, I loved my class at the groundlings. I really had a good group. But I definitely I was like, there's just there's so much more of that kind of, especially that comedy sketch and improv. This is just like that's so much of what Chicago is. Yeah. And I took classes at I.O. Eventually was doing I did some shows at the Annoyance and, you know, then we would do a couple of those shows for the Olympic. You buy you rent out the theater and beg your friends to come for five dollars tickets. You may have five audience members that night. Bring your show. Bring your show. And when did you, you know, like you met people either been at Second City, got on SNL or coming back to say hello, or then it became sort of in your purview, as they say, SNL is a possibility. It still was not. It was like a possibility. But again, like I wouldn't be so foolish just to say that out loud. It's just such an outlandish, you know, like that's not going to happen to me. And I knew that they did auditions, but even you had to audition for the audition. But and I was like in the box office at I.O. one night when Sharna was like, you should do this. And I thought, well, I don't know if I'm ready. And I hear I heard like a few audition for Lauren once and he doesn't and you don't get in. He never wants to see you again or never again. You know, there's all the I've heard that. Yeah, the things that people pass around and like you can't get pregnant in a hot tub. You can only audition once. That's just the info kids pass on. Get pregnant. Yeah, yeah. Urban myths or whatever. Yeah. And so but then I took a workshop. That was what was it? Characters and impressions or something. Because I didn't do a lot of impressions. And I never really thought of myself as an impression person. But I got I think I put together six, six things, you know, but I and I kept them all short. And I think that's what helped me in the end was because you would see a tiny book. Yes. And you're like, some people, this is very indulgent and all, you know, and everybody's doing similar. You know, there's the old I forget his name because I'm Sam. Malcolm. Who was it? You know, the old guy with the mustache. They're everybody. Sam Elliott. Sam Elliott, yeah. It's like, well, eight of you are going to do Sam Elliott. So you don't need to do like a three minute monologue. Yeah, I like when they say like, I think this is a good trick. Like Dana, I've learned a lot about impressions from Dana. And people don't realize the longer you do it, the harder it is because you have a few hooks. Yes. That's sad. And they go, that sounds like him. But the longer you go, it doesn't. And when sometimes you ask people to add lib as a character, they go, no, I want. I know that's so much harder because you want to write something that includes the hooks. Right. And where you say, and yes, like your thing in and you're, I know I sound like them here, but I can't say the word chalk. That's that. So, so, so, so, so you're going to audition at I.O. or. At I.O. and I.O. And to your mind, you were in there was maybe 10 of you or whatever. And so you were strategizing, knowing who was maybe going to come on before you. So you were not redundant. And then who was there? Was it Lieutenants, you know, Lauren's minions, basically? I know. Was Lauren there or them? Lauren was there. I think Lindsay. Shukas was there. Aaron Doyle. I think was there. Colin was there. Oh, really? And Kenward. The whole canon of people who can decide whether you're going to be on Sarah and I.O. or in the audience. Yeah, they were all there. But I mean, I didn't know who anyone was except Lauren, really. I get nervous when you just said that I was like getting nervous going, oh, my God, walking out going, here we go. This is all that matters for everything. They'll never see you again. That's true. You think if they did not like you, then why would they see you right away again? They takes a long time. What did you do? Did you have any methodology for dealing with that pressure? Or when you got out there, you got to laugh and felt comfortable? What happened? Yeah, I think. I got laughs. So that's. I mean, really, there's really, I don't know what the strategy would even be for that. Sometimes you just have to go do. Go do it. You know, it's like you don't have a choice. You're just trying to control your nerves and actually have fun is the is the goal. And then how do you try not to try? Right. I'm I probably looked like I was trying. But I think they forgive it. But I have it's also like I'm comfortable around an audience at this point. This is my family was there. So I imagine if I hadn't gotten any laughs, it would have felt terrible. But luckily, that didn't happen. It's also your home theater. It's not like at that day on eight age, eight age is bearing. And it's a super friendly audience. Right. And everybody's laughing because, you know, it's like in all of our best interests for anyone to succeed. So what was your first ladies and gentlemen, Cecily Strong, do you remember your first bit or your first laugh or first character that you did or an impression or what did you start with? Hello. I think what we did this like to start sometimes. Yes, it was hard to start. I think the biggest was like we did girl at a party kind of two weeks in. It was during one of those election. Oh, you came in with that one. So I didn't even. So another thing that you do these long names of characters. I do. You wish you hadn't started a conversation with a party. Yes, it's kind of the which is one of your first big hits. Yes. The one that's or maybe everyone knows how to say the name. I was actually was trying to write an update character with Colin Jones. And I did do for my audition, I did a little boy that I overheard at Mother's Day restaurant in Forest Park, Illinois, who was. But it was my the intro was half of the. Is that the name of it? Yeah, yeah, it was like a chubby little boy that I overheard it. Forest Park. That was awesome. See you next Saturday. There's something like that. Just that much is funny. Yeah, you get it. Anymore. You see the boy. You see the boy. Yeah, you see that little boy. Loved his pancakes. So I was trying to write something with Colin and I kept sort of being like, and that's, you know, that's a good one, because it's important for a society or something. And was we were joking around like that. And I remember Jay Farrow was writing something, but you just heard him yelling the N word in the hallway. And so I think I said, and can I say the N word in mine? And so that was girl at a party's bit, too, which she was always like a little just assumes that she's got the right to do everything, too. And I had like heard a story from a male friend of mine who there was like a girl to bar and I'd heard a couple like a couple people in my life were telling me, you know, they'd like seen a cute girl to bar something and then she said something racist or offensive. Just a kind of out of nowhere. And it's like, where did that even come from? Yeah. So wait a minute. So you actually use the real word on your own? Oh, no, I've never. No, no. Yeah. No, I didn't know. So this Jay Farrow was screaming. He used the real word. I started. No, no, I said, can I use the N word? You know, which I think he did. I think we did put that in an early girl to party. Did Jay Farrow and you get the show on the same night or? No, he was. I can't remember if he was. I think it was two years before me. Mm hmm. OK. So he was already in the cast. Yes. When you auditioned. Yes. OK. And he just happened to be screaming in the hallway. Yes. I thought it was from nerves that he's. No, no, no. Jay was. Yeah. Jay gets all of himself. Yes. Yeah. Did you get the show from that audition? I well, so I we had like speed dating the next day. They asked nine of us to go to the hotel where Lauren and his peeps were. And I they were like two long tables. So I think I had an awkward conversation with everyone for five minutes. The only thing I remember saying was like, I love and I love Trader Joe's, you know, cucumbers and wine. Yeah, I don't know. And they're all just staring. Was anyone laughing in a friendly way? Or they just looking at you? I feel like they were encouraging, but that was sure they know you're nervous. Yes. Sure. They know everyone that walks in that door is like saying stupid shit. Right. Right. It's impossible not to. So you do the audition, you do this little like meet up with them and then what happens? You get a phone call. Yeah, so then I got six months. I got another phone call, I think. The next day or something that to fly out for a screen test. And it was an all girls screen test and 80 was in the ETC show at Second City. And so she got she got flown out from that too. So 80 and I it was what was nice is 80 and I really did every step together. So we went to that first night screen test. Yeah. And I knew her. I was a fan of hers, honestly, in Chicago. And I was actually I think I understudied her at that point too on her role on ETC. And so we had a we did it for our first screen test in New York and then went home and kind of didn't think about. Oh, no. Then the day I flew back and I got a call driving back from the airport to fly out to New York again to just sort of sit in the office and talk to them. It's Lauren pick up. Hey, Leslie, guess who? Guess who? Hit me on the hip. Can you do the person who you don't want to see? They're trying to converse with you. The lady and it doesn't have an Uber app. But she does. We like the little fat boy, but. There's always a but. Can he be fatter? Yeah. After the New York screen test, when you're starting to think maybe I'm going to get this. I mean, did you call your parents? Who do you call? Yeah. I think I definitely called my parents and probably only my my parents would be the one because again, it was like, I don't I just don't want to say too much and jinx it or or make people think that I think I'm going to get this. Yeah. Right. But you did check in with them just because they knew you when you were three being funny. So it's just they'd known me for a while. So right. But you probably downplayed it. Like, I don't know if I'll get it, but I did this, this and this. And of course, they probably at that point assume you'll get it. I don't know. Maybe they did. I don't know. It's pretty far down the road. Yeah. It's such a right. And especially to go from like I'm understudying Second City and touring and like it's just such a big jump from that to now I'm on TV. And even, you know, like living in Chicago versus New York. Well, just going in that building, the 30 Rock and they seen 8H for the first time is hallowed ground. Right. All of it would give you a slight stomach ache or something. Diarrhea induced. Yes. And you have to kind of wait forever. You know, there was I don't even know how many people were in that screen test. You can just sort of like sort of hear people in the hallway and kind of like, I don't know when it's my I don't know when I'm up. It's torture. Yeah. You're there for like eight hours and someone just goes now. Those were the longest days of my life. Yeah. Yeah. It's that's scary. And there's a waiting thing, Dana and I talk about like it's waiting to see Lauren. There's some weird thing about it's always waiting and it just drives you bananas. Yeah. And then your anxiety does kind of build up. And like, I hope I'm going to can I stand by the time I'm out there? I think when Lauren gets someone like you on the other side of it, they're thinking like, you probably see this now. You've done seconds. So you've done I you've done all these things. It's sort of a safe bet at some point. Like you're not just out of nowhere, plucked out of nowhere. They do like to hear about you. I think they need a little buzz maybe for one season and then they hear your name again. And if they keep hearing it, they go, we got to check her out. And it's almost done deal then, you know, at the beginning. Yeah. Well, I certainly had no. I don't I there was never I never thought I was safe. You know what I mean? Sure. On your end. Yeah. Right. On my end. And I think like I don't know that there was any buzz necessarily. Although I'm sure Sharna probably said something. But I think I was a bit out of nowhere. And so I went for two screen tests. So then we went again at the end of the summer and Lauren told me he said my second one was funnier than the first. And he said that's why he hired me. How crazy. Wow. We relive it. You almost get more nervous later on. Weird. Yeah. I mean, but you look at your you prepared yourself for whatever reason. You did took all the steps so that it would be a possibility that you would get on Saturday Night Live. So let's move into now you're on Saturday Night Live. Yeah. Does anyone telling you anything? Are you sharing an office with 80 or what's going on? Actually, I shared an office with Joe Kelly, who now does Ted Lasso with Jason. And I think he was there for Jason's last season. And he was so he really like took me under his wing and he was sort of our social coordinator, too. So we went out a lot my first couple of years. You know, we'd come out every Wednesday. I went to Amsterdam with a bunch of people. Restaurant up where was it? I think I'm sure I went there. Amsterdam, the the. Yeah, country Europe. Yes. Oh, the real Amsterdam. I thought it was I thought we went to Amsterdam's, which was I thought a restaurant. I went to Amsterdam. We had our table in the back of Amsterdam. You guys go to Amsterdam every Wednesday night. Every Wednesday night. I swear I'm telling the truth. All the way to take Paul's jet. It'll be fine. Just be back for read through. They're wild. You've got to let them. So you get on SNL and you start traveling the world. They're wild. Yeah. I I yeah, I had to. I didn't I wasn't able to pay my health insurance premium until January, though. So I did it. I think it was like my first tax return. That's when I got to go to Amsterdam. Oh, you know, I saw that you. At a certain point, you were on update. How is that? How is that true? And how does that discussion happen? And then you wanted to go back to sketches more? Yes. So yeah, it was. And it was so I went on. I went on with Seth for a bit, which and it was really easy then because Seth had been doing it and he had done it with with Amy before. So he sort of knew how to do that duo. And then Seth left and then I knew Colin was coming in. And I think it was just especially it was kind of like it became very clear that this was going to take a lot of work to sort of figure out what our update would be. And that's when I kind of it was kind of like, I don't want to put. I don't want that to be my whole thing on the show to have to like. I just felt it was going to take more work than I that would take away from getting to do sketches. And it's sort of like I really I liked being a guest on update and felt like I had had much more success doing that than than being a host. Host is like the straight man. Yeah. And I kind of like I just I was like the it's it was a cool honor. It was great. And there was a great team writing jokes. It feels like a whole different world at SNL, like the update room versus. Yeah, sketches. But I certainly was like, I want to be in the sketch world more. And I don't want people to not write me into sketches because of update. And and knowing that it was going to need all this work was sort of we had a lot of talks about it. And it's like I just I would rather go back to just being in the cast then. Like, I think it's it could have been done maybe if we had if it were just more if we had like a rhythm already, but we just didn't. It was so new and it was, you know, when the audience when they lose someone, it just everything takes a bit more work. So it's getting used to not having set. Then they're kind of like they don't like you already because you're not set. Then it was yeah, I just was like, I don't want that uphill battle when it already is so tough to sort of figure out your place at that at that place. And we're all the better for it because your range is extraordinary. And so it seems like if it if update you serp to your energy and time, we wouldn't have all these great characters. You're just a natural sketch player and you're someone who you want on your team. I mean, Lauren must have loved it when he discovered you could play this, you could do this, you could do that. You know, it's great to have somebody with that kind of. Yeah, right. And your sketch. Well, and I think it's right. I don't know that, you know, now being there for a while, you sort of see how all how many different types of people do this show and make it work. And you're always like, there's people who are standups and they're, you know, it's just like not everybody comes from like a theater. So you're only going to have. Right. You're more valuable probably out there in sketches. I definitely think I was more valuable in sketches than at the desk because I'm also I'm not a standup. And so it was it was just wasn't it's newscastery and it's good jokes. They have great joke writers usually an update always. Great joke writers. I think I I think Dana is this possible. I was only there six years, but I think I lived through. Doing bits with Dennis on update. Kevin Nealon, Norm and Colin Quinn. Wow. Probably. Yeah. Because if I was finishing, then then Kevin had a long run, then Norm and he got fired and then Colin and when I left, yeah. Wow. Crazy. And it is hard. Crazy. And Colin always says they were mad. Norm got fired and sort of took it out on Colin. Yes. Right. That would be hard to step into right after. Yeah. Right. Because it wasn't it's not Colin's fault. He's great, but you're just following and they're like, wait, where's Norm? What happened? Yes. That's true. And Colin talked about that he felt he should be sort of Norm like in a way like. Yeah, of course. He's very affable and friendly and he wishes he'd been more like that. Anyway, everybody has regrets, but you're the longest running female cast member. Just a tenured, a fun stat. Although I like I do think if someone like officially ran the numbers, I because like number of episodes, number of episodes because yeah, Kate was there like five episodes before 80 and I got there. And then I missed some because of other shows. So I I felt like I was pretty darn close to 80 and Kate. Like I think we're all leaning at the table. We'll go back and look at it. I would call it a wash and just. Yeah, it's essentially around a decade. Did you just rip the bandaid off and leave? You didn't make it a long goodbye, right? I think yours is sort of out of the blue. Well, it wasn't it wasn't really though. It just wasn't a thing I was like broadcasting to everyone. But when I went back that year, the you know, the way I went back when talking to Lauren was like, I would like to leave this year. And I think Christmas would be a great time because it's a happier show. And it would, you know, I'm going to be so sad to leave. So hopefully that'll. Something more on the other end of this conversation. Oh, no. He gets attached to his cast members. Maybe stay till February. I think I think they would. Yes, I'm sure he would have. It was probably like we don't we're not going to talk about it and broadcast it because I think there was still a lot of people holding out hope that I would not leave. Was it when you did you go to Schmigadoon and then come back? Is that what happened in 2020? I did Schmigadoon that fall and got back in December. And then last year I did a play. I did this one woman show in LA. So I missed the first. The Lily Tomlin one. Yes, yes. Wow, another long title. And it was right exactly. I'm comfortable with filling those shoes. Did you did you hear from Lily at all? She she came to opening night. OK, that's not out that day. And that was that was I think maybe that was even more nerve wracking than having Lauren at that audition. And Lauren asked that. Yeah, make sure you're there in the opening night, Lily, but don't let her know until like a couple hours before because like she works very well under pressure. Yes, you probably scored. I'm sure she was incredibly sweet. I would assume she was wonderful. I mean, I think it was I got to get a applause for her at the curtain call, which was really I was kind of like, can I get through this? Can I say these things without weeping? But it was very cool having her there. And then unfortunately, Jane Wagner, who wrote the show, didn't get to the show. But we did. I went and saw her at her house, which was really cool seeing all of her and Lily's. It was like a museum, really. So they have all their things in search of intelligence, search of the search for signs of intelligent life in the universe. And yet for short, I know people called I S F A J J Q Q F. Yeah, just for sure. I call it I call it the spaceship monologue. The space. By the way, I saw. I saw Smigadoon, which is you can't not do Adam Sandler when you say that. Oh, yeah. Smigadoon. Yes. I thought you were saying Chicago, which is our second season. And it looks very involved like that. Is that a hard show? I think you produced maybe also. But is it hard because it's first of all, very unique, which is so hard to do these days. And then the dancing and the singing and the jokes in the songs, all that stuff has got to be tough. Oh, definitely, I think. But there's a lot of outside rehearsals. There was a great. We have a great choreographer and great music team. So it was sort of that. It all felt like we were once you were shooting, it felt very ready. Because especially that first season, we was such strict COVID rules. So we really were so limited with how much time we got with each other. So just for a second, for our viewers, you and Keegan, Michael Key, I love his name, Star together. And then go ahead. Yes. So we play a couple that are they're sort of a newer couple. They've fallen, they met and have a great thing. And then they're sort of at a rut in their relationship and arguing a lot. And they my care of Melissa finds a hike for them to sort of it's like a romance hike or a love building hike. One of the rekindling hike. And they go on it and they're arguing and caught in a rainstorm. And somehow they end up in this magical town called Schmigadoon. But they find out it's it's a musical every day. They've gotten themselves trapped in an old fashioned musical. They can't get out. And they can't get out until they find true love. Yeah, that's a good, that's a good, really interesting setup. And it's really well done. I mean, I was watching it going just knowing a little bit about production, being on movies and how hard everything is just when I do my basic crummy movies to have this with like so many things happening and so many jokes written in just how it's got to be so tight. Everyone looks great. Very good job. I will say the second the second season, there are more looks and worlds covered. So I think it was some of we had the same amount of time, but I think like 20 more pages or something. So it felt a bit more frantic. But we got it. We got it done. And it's I think it's where do you do it? Fun in Canada. How you do? Yeah. Schmigadoon, Canada and Schmigadoon, Canada. I always like it. It's manada. Watch the first episode. So I love when people are going into a surreal environment that can't be true, but it is. It's Vancouver. Yeah. And your your character is kind of going, well, let's go with this. And your boyfriend's going, this isn't a very skeptical. Right. I love that whole person. Yeah. And then just so people know, you'll randomly say something to these people that he don't even know. And then they'll have a well choreographed, brilliant Broadway song. They'll just start right. And they were such great dancers. I remember there was one it was like eight in the morning or something. And this guy just did 16 flips in a row. It's like, wow, what a different morning you and I have had. Yeah, you went on a tunnel of love and there's a guy. There's like a bad boy guy standing there and then he he sings you. This is probably early on when you don't really know that's what's going on, which is very funny reactions. And then I guess you guys start to get used to the fact that this is where you are. Yes. Yes. And right, we we stop asking what they're doing every time. Accepted. We figure that out. Yeah. That's on Apple TV. That's on Apple TV Plus. The new season, which is Chicago is April 5th. If you like Broadway musicals, which everybody does. And then I hopefully I do think first season, I think a lot of people who were not do not consider themselves musical people. We had a good amount of people. I'm not a musical person. I like that. Well, it's kind of science fiction in a way. Fantasy science fiction. Hopefully there's like something for for everybody. I think having Keegan and I let's like a comedy audience. And it's jokes. Yeah. There's a lot of jokes in it. I think that that was the show for them. Well, the songs have jokes, so it's not just watching, you know. Yeah. It's very original. I would check it out. I would check it out. And you and Keegan are great. I see Keegan out a lot. I see him around in Los Angeles. Yeah. Yeah. Always good mood. You can hear him when you're out, too. He's I feel like when he enters the room, you know, is there there's like a. Yeah, he's a big screen laugh. A lot of fun energy. Can we just touch on as we go through your life here? Some of your classic sketches, like I know that you I just kind of personally saw it. I just want to say this is very cool for me. Just to watch you to know that. We've been watching you all morning and laughing out loud at your stuff. And that's why me and Dana are going back and forth before we called you. And we were like, did you just see this one? You see this one? We're alums and and we don't want to make it too grandiose, but it is a seminal experience for us in that place. Lauren and and and being on live TV with your friends who you make lifelong friendships with. So this is very enjoyable. But I just kind of thought there was so many great cast members in that decade. And then I personally sort of started to notice you and notice you doing, you know, I really connecting with the audience, because I think it takes a while for the audience to go, oh, we like Cecilia. Yes. Yeah. She she just made me really laugh and then it happens in builds. So I just saw that maybe at least it was for me those last two or three years. You were just at another level or some other level happened. Of of confidence. Yes. And and Gina Perino. Perot. Yeah. It was like. Sorry. But like a heavyweight character, like a big, loud, bombastic. And that must have been fun just to play that person that that persona is so aggressive. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And I Tucker and I, Brian Tucker wrote it with me. And he wrote it as a sketch first, just a sort of a Fox News thing. But no one really knew who she was at the time, even though we were like, she's why she's a great character. Yeah, she's. But the first time we did it, I don't think there was a big response. And then we tried it again on update. And it was sort of I was excited because it was a way to do a bit of physical comedy, too, because I wanted to. We and the first sketch that we wrote, we had her in a chair with a seat belt. Worried that she was going to fly out of her chair. So I was like, well, then let me fly out of the chair. That'll be everything. Yeah. You know, she always yells Dana because she was yelling for a cob salad and they didn't have a cranberries on it. One cranberry. Right. Yes. That's her volume or something. She never went down on volume after that. Yes. But yelling at a waiter. It was a big, powerful one. And then I'm always interested when people can do, because I don't know if I had that gear play, play subtle, dumb and talk. I'm just looking at the two porn stars you did with Vanessa Bayer. There's a describe those two characters in the rhythm of how you were acting dumb, but not dumb. I mean, how do you describe that? Yeah. Well, I think my my porn star was always a little bit more out of it than Vanessa's and sort of, but it was kind of that's how the pair worked. You know, and I think mine's just I remember seeing, I think it was like a Tyra Banks or something early on. And she had a porn star on. I forget who it was, but she was so like, yeah, I'm and I'm happy doing it. And it's just her the way she was speaking was I was like, oh, I want to do that. And I think it was also just a way to writing with Colin Jost. We like to do a lot of malapropisms. And so it was which we do a girl at a party and then we wound up doing important. You know, it's like an excuse for a lot of bad puns, too, honestly. Yeah, right. But it's it's fun when you land a hard laugh with something that's so soft spoken. I think that was like even more than girl at a party. I think that was the most I felt the best after that first year. I mean, you know, I think it was Jamie Foxx's episode. I think that's what it was. And it was my first year and we were the last sketch. And I think then Lauren gave us, you know, it was that it was still more cushioned when you're in that last spot. And you can kind of yeah, I just the audience went so wild for it. And it was so much fun to have that reaction for the first time at 10 to one. Yes. Yeah. And kind of be like a little dirty. And it was just it was really fun because you had a series of lines. The one I saw today was this morning was I got banged and then something really you're both doing it so obviously casual and so soft spoken. But anyway, so I'm glad to hear that that would be something for me. It was doing Johnny Carson because I didn't really I wasn't thinking about whether the audience was going to laugh because I knew what I was saying was almost too funny to me internally. So I felt like you had that connection with that character where it's just like all thrown away and really soft spoken, but super funny. Yes. I think that's sort of how we got away with all of it, too. We just we kept saying like, how can we we just wanted a framework to be able to say these awful things. And we were like, oh, they were porn stars, but they're not anymore. And then then it was like and we had a lot of fun running gags. Like I never got a name. It was always like, how do we do that this time? How can we skirt around me saying a name? Like, can you give me an example? Like she'd say, we're not porn stars anymore. I'm Brecky and I go and this is Brecky or she said, I'm Brecky. And I said, and you can, too. Yeah, it's your non sequitur. We're yes. That really I'm not I'm not always paying attention. My that gal at every moment may have done drugs. They may have done drugs. Yeah, you kind of hope that they did. Hey, everyone, it's Stavros Halakies, and I'm here to tell you about my podcast, Stavi's World. Each week we're joined by great guests like Josh Saft, the Eric Andre, Caleb Herron and more. It's sort of an interview show, but really we're just messing around, making each other laugh and hopefully making you laugh while you're washing the dishes or grocery shopping or on a long drive. Plus, I take listener calls where we have honest conversations about dating life and everything in between. Imagine if your therapist was a vulgar degenerate whose office was in a Greek diner, no scripts, no polish and absolutely no holding back. Listen to Stavi's World wherever you get your podcasts. There was just I thought it was very cute when you and Kristen did. It's such a weird thing to date with a 10 year old kid. But you guys just carry the whole thing and you're so keeping it live and funny and just sort of odd, but very likable girls. Yeah. I think when I think I wrote it with Michael Bryan and it was like, we just wanted to really write the best date that someone could. You know, there's something that felt really good. And it was like, and then they've just happened to be 10 year olds, but they really felt like this is a really a date that's good. I know the way you played it was that's just fun to watch. I obviously, you know, you start these, you don't know where it's going. And if you're in comedy, you don't know where it's in. It's fun to watch these things unfold. And then you guys just seeing two pros just being very funny on their side of it. And having like Tim and Bobby. Yeah, it was a lot of giggling. Yeah, I'm sure that this looks like a super fun rehearsal also. Yeah. And you and Bobby Moynihan, you and he did the best by firing. That must have been kind of fun because it was just so loud and and and and you were just you were supposed to be getting fired. So you just deconstructed every other employee. Right, right. Rip them apart. They're going out. They're going out with a bang, which and it was like that was the first show I'd gotten. A sketch on and I got that on and girlfriends on. And it was so great because Bobby had been there for a while and sort of like I really like trusted whatever. If he's saying this is good, then I trust that it's it's like it was really like I hadn't quite yelled at the table yet for this my first time yelling at the table. Definitely this happened to me twice, not as much as Dana, but to either write something or co-write something. And when you you originally get a big one on, it's so much your focus to have to on is almost throws you. Yeah, that's too much. Yes. Yes. What it was, it was crazy that they put I was sort of like, how does that how will that work? Because you have to oversee him, direct it. Like, is there so much to do with them and go to wardrobe and costumes and set design and help with every aspect? You're like, oh, my God, just give me one. Let me just see if I can figure it out. And you're like, well, is this going to work? It's my, you know, wanting to make sure everything is like you thought. Right. You thought through everything for that for the first one. But then was the other one, Girlfriend's talk show. Sorry, was the other one. Girlfriend's talk show with with 80s. So there's your your bandmate from 80. So you have a comfort zone with her. Yeah, I really I did a lot of two handers for a long time over there, which I really loved. Two handers, meaning. Blows. Yeah, where it was, you know, me and Bobby or Vanessa and I, 80 and I. Yeah, Kate and I. Those are the world was a two hander. Yes. Hans and Franz. I'm going to say two hander. Exactly. Yeah. You know, but yeah, I think it's it's fun. It's a it's a very clean, simple thing. You're you're playing a rhythm with your other person and it's just nice. Yeah, also for getting laughs off a straight part was you and Bill Hader when he hosted and you're going to play UNO with your friends. Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, that one we were I wrote a lot with James Anderson and Kent Sublett. And I was like, we just have to like what I know of Bill is like, we just have to give him a big toy. Really. So I was like, give him a big motorized wheelchair. And then you climb on him. I didn't see that coming. No, you have the courtesy of courtesy blanket. So it's not like and she goes, sex is sexual. Right. It's not a sexual thing. It's science. And she was no sexist. And it's sort of, you know, this awful trying to make your friends feel bad. Like, you know how much I want a baby. Yeah, it was all good. Yeah. Try not to laugh, of course, because he's banging everything, driving. This fucking right. And there's no, you know, we still only get however many rehearsals. And then so it is, it's so. Well, we don't know how he's backing up. You don't even know who's going to hit a table or you guys are going to get your leg broken or yes. And I think like the controlled chaos was sort of that became my my favorite part of the show. You know, it's like the one the thing that sets us apart from everything else is having it live and not perfect. Yeah. So and it was sort of like throwing a dog, throwing some wine that you're throwing or something, you know, just just there's then you have chaos that you're kind of like, I don't quite know what's going to happen. So then it keeps us senses that having fun. Yeah, they want it for sure. I had a dog with massive head wound hair. Of course. Right. You know, but that was I was just writing me. The nose after dress. The dog is pushing a little. Could we get the dog to look like not like find the lens? Just the dogs hosting during February's week with Jay-Z. So you do 10 years, you go through all these different cast members coming and going. When you first came in, who was there and who left pretty shortly after that? Or were you? Well, we were being in. We had a pretty we had a core cast for a long time together. It came in. Yeah. So I was when I it was Bill and Jason and Fred's last year. OK, when I got there, you caught them for one year. Yes, I got one year with them solid, which was so exciting, you know, to have those people around when you're first there is really exciting. And then. And Bobby, Taryn, Jay, Vanessa, they were sort of the next and the seam were all sort of the next upper classmen. And then 80, Kate and I and Beck and Kyle. We were sort of we were there for a long time together. Yeah, you did have a nice long run together. Yeah, Kyle Mooney, yeah, Beck Bennett. Kate, of course, you. Yeah, what? Yeah, like a really the show keeps and Keenan, obviously. Yes. And Keenan Thompson, just the perennial cast member, it was just always when you leave. Always funny. Does it is a weird feeling when the shows are still on? It's definitely it feels like it was much longer. It feels like a much, much more time has passed since I've been there. But I also I think one of I I know 80 and Kate and a couple other people I've talked to and even Kristen, I talked to her when she first hosted. It was kind of like you can't I haven't been watching. I think you have to kind of walk away for a while to be able to leave. So it's very weird to watch it after there's people doing your job. Yes, it's weird. And I think all the anxiety, I feel like would just come back right away. And I wouldn't I just don't I think it's I'm good where I am with this distance. You did a good run. I mean, my God. Yeah, it's it's pretty comprehensive. Do you feel I don't know you probably feel so many things. But somewhere you must feel a nice level of satisfaction. You lived your dream totally. And yes, and I got to leave like happy, which I know is doesn't always happen. No, I mean, there's heard of those stories. Yeah. And I you know, there is I had a tough couple of years like everybody does. And so it was really nice to get to leave that way. Yeah, going out with a bang. And now you have Schmigodun. Is that for you? Schmigodun, I think that's a good one. And you also may not know this. You're in a phone commercial. That's right. Yes. You wouldn't know that. You might. I don't know if you've seen it. I don't see you. It's mandatory to see it. Yeah, you have to go to YouTube. I'm a big fan of tech commercials and you know, potato chips and tacos is harder. Although I'm for sale. I will I will buy it a taco. But when you're doing phone companies or that sort of Apple commercial, whatever, that's sort of nice. I mean, I think the commercials, you look great and it's just sweet. It's kind of smart. So yeah, I'm a big fan of doing commercials as soon as you come off SNL. I think great. Come off. Great gig. Yeah, it's a great gig. And then you got, I think who is in it? Seth was in the one I saw. Yeah, Jessica Williams just did one. So they've been like, believe it or not. You were not supposed to do commercials when you came off there in the 90s. You were not supposed to do commercials. So that I'm not envious. I don't hate the people who do the math. I live through them and I root for you guys. But yeah, do the commercials. I know it was like a new thing that we got to do a commercial during our time on the show. That was always like such a no, no. But I think that is however, a couple of years. Yeah, I got shot down on that. I have to tell her one thing before you get your last word Dana. Born in Springfield, Springfield, Illinois, my daughter lives in Springfield and growing up in Springfield. So I'm saying there's hope for her to come out like Cecily because you did it and you and you liked it. You were there for a little while. Well, I did move pretty quickly, actually. I was a year and a half when we moved to Oak Park. I was right outside of Chicago. I'm gonna throw this out. What was the mall like when you were there one year? But I'm sure it's what made me who I am. Do you go back ever? No, do you just? Was it Springfield? Yeah. No, not to Springfield. I did go back. I went back once. I it's far away from Chicago. But I went. It was when Barack Obama announced Joe Biden as his running mate. It was in Springfield and a couple of friends and I. You did it at the J crew at the mall. At the J crew. Yeah, I got an autograph. So you have a memoir out. This will all be over soon, which I love the time. Yes, yes. Written during the pandemic and that's available on wherever you can. All the book places. Yeah, book places. So I'm just so I don't know. I'm just so thrilled that we when they said Cecily's in it made me very happy. Oh, yeah, I just think I think it's like a rite of passage to get to talk to you guys. And you are both some of the best who have ever done it. And it's you're doing well on the other side. Very nice. I love funny people. And we did ask Keenan about we just as a kind of a pithy question like, oh, who's the greatest? We all have to make a name up or whatever, you know, rank things. And he had gave the best answer. He just said spontaneously the women. Yeah, that's all the women. Because the amount of doll he is adorable. He's like, you want to adopt him? Smart guy, too. Yeah, he's great. And you're in that continuum between Amy and me. And I'll forget the names too many. Sherry O'Terry and Maya Molly. Maya, Molly, Kristen, Amy, right, right, right. Yeah. There's so many women who've done such brilliant work on that show in recent history. But we fancy ourselves. It sounds high flutin. A slight casual, funny oral history of cast members interviewing cast members. We know where the grease pain is stored. So with this has been a pleasure. David, do you have any final statement? No, I like you get to talk about SNL, not bore everyone, because at certain times you just start talking about it. And you're like, all right, well, forget it. I should stop. But it's fun to talk about because it's on your mind. It'll be on longer than you think. You just keep. You'll always be from Saturday Night Live. And the great thing about the way the world works now with live streaming and all these venues, you're just going to work. You're going to do whatever you want to do in show business for decades now. But you'll always be from Saturday Night Live. Yes. You know, which is it's a great legacy. It's right. Everybody. It's way worse. It's not. Yeah, it could be way worse. It's great to have. I mean, yeah, you everything sort of comes from there and, you know, came from in prop places. So when you go there, when you can do live sketch comedy and do it with with joy and and do it with as an expert, everything else that you can do is kind of, you know, it's I feel like the greatest thing since leaving has been like seeing that people maybe see me now. The way I saw Amy and Tina and Maya and Chris walking in. And that was, I think, like that's just a great thing to have in my pocket for a bad day. Like I'm I'm amongst those names. And that's you are a thousand percent amongst and the everyone loves it at a certain age. One of Lauren isms, you know, 14 at the time. But you've you've got your your cast, your primary cast and your people and those fans are so connected to you forever, which is very sweet. You know, they're 14 now, but you'll run in later. And they'll be so so it's such an honor to be on that show. Yeah. And to be humble about it and just be grateful. We're on the wall. We get to do this. Yeah, yeah, we got to do a fun job for a long time. Yeah. Yeah. So when we're going to get started in a minute, we're just going to take a break. But we'd like to do pre interviews. I think we got a good show here. We do. We know we're going to talk about now. Thank you. I like to say we're going to see you around campus in show business and for sure at the 50th. Yes, right. You know, that'll be exciting. I hope I get to do something with you. I know. I would do something. I would love that. We'll put you in Wayne's world. We're going to start thinking about, yes, please. That's one of the first movies I think I like had memory. Like that's probably I have the most memorized of all movies. Oh, I like to play. That's all right. Of course. And I think I did like you. Of course. A gun rack. What am I going to do with a gun? I don't even own an ad gun. Ad gun. All of it. Great movies. Yeah, surreal. But anyway, best of luck to you. I'm going to be watching your show with my sister who's visiting tonight. She make a dude. And the new one is April 5th. So and it comes out April for the next season. Yes. All right. And Greg Holtzman, Matty's bronchizer and Leah Reese Dennis of Odyssey. Our senior producer is Greg Holtzman. And the show is produced and edited by Phil Sweetek. Booking by Cultivated Entertainment. Special thanks to Patrick Fogarty, Evan Cox, Mora Curran, Melissa Wester, Hillary Shuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gaynor, Sean Cherry, Kurt Courtney and Lauren Vieira. Reach out with us any questions to be asked and answered on the show. We can email us at flyonthewall at audicee.com. That's A-U-D-A-C-Y.com.