“Great Americans” (w/ Tina Fey) - Bowen’s Pick for Best of 2024
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Hello, it's Bowen. I, for my episode, had to choose Great Americans with Tina Fey for our year-end roundup. For reasons that go without saying, this was recorded the day after Iowa Debris' episode of SNL that she hosted. And that's context for what we talk about up top in terms of that night feeling like a bell house night in terms of...

in terms of us being with all of our friends and celebrating each other and celebrating Ayo. And then it was so nice to have the next day be a debrief with the one and only Tina Fey herself to hear her perspective on this. She's obviously someone we look up to and...

also someone who, you know, came up with her coterie of people in comedy in Chicago and New York. And of course, it all culminates in, gosh, the number one single greatest I Don't Think So Honey of all time. Of course, it's I Don't Think So Honey, Bowen Yang for sharing his real opinions on movies on this podcast. It all ends with that famous line, authenticity is dangerous and expensive. A lesson that I have learned over and over again this year is

I'm sure you have as well. It's a pretty universal axiom at this point. It applies to all of us. But this was so much fun. We got to talk theme parks. We got to talk old TV and everything great about Tina and everything great about the culture. She really is the North Star for us. And it was so, so, so fun to have her on. She was so good on this episode that even Vanity Fair named her, I don't think so, honey, as one of the best performances of 2024. We couldn't

We couldn't agree more. Here it is, Great Americans with Tina Fey. Look, Matt. Oh, I see. Bowen, look over there. Is that culture? Las Culturistas!

Ding dong, Las Culturistas calling. Back in tactile position. Talk to us about the mozzarella stick numbers that you were working. So I don't know why this was the answer to how I should end my night, but I get home, it's 3.30 in the morning, I get stoned and order mozzarella sticks. Bad. Bad.

because I know I have to wake up at, let's say 10 to sort of mentally prepare and, you know, cleanse myself, really physically prepare for the podcast today. And last night I'm ordering my mozzarella sticks and I see it says six mozzarella sticks. And in my mind, that's not enough.

And then this morning, when everything sort of settles, you think, you didn't need one. That's the devil's math with mozzarella sticks. But I feel like six feels like nothing, right? I think six is more than enough. Well, yeah. When I order mozzarella sticks, this is the last time I ordered mozzarella sticks was at Alma Drafthouse. What? That's the last time? Watching The Boy and the Heron.

And I had to leave in the middle because of work call. Of a work call? Is that what you call violent shit? It was not. What? Because I know you. The second we both went in here today, we both ran to the bathroom and I know what that was. For me, it was a mozzarella stick situation. It was a work call. Okay. This is all to say I got six and I only finished four. That's a huge brag and an insult to me. No. It was ravenous last night for them.

But last night was very celebratory. It really was. It's very nice. Io did great. What an unbelievable performance she had. Very, very fun. I mean, I think about between 12 and 15 people said this, and it just kind of kept getting kicked around. But this is like the bell house. This is like the bell house. But it really was. It felt like a celebration. It was very nice. We made it. Proud of her. Now...

What was your review of the Countess Cabaret? I'm still, I still have the shakes. Not because, not necessarily because of the talent, but she was great. The Countess Luanne as 54 Below was, she certainly has star quality. But there's something that happens where she steps on stage and sort of everyone looks at each other and you go, we're getting blacked out. We're all drinking so much tonight. I asked you, was it like going to the Disney World character breakfast? Yes.

It was not unlike that. It was like seeing Goofy come out while you're eating a Mickey shaped pancake. Let's say Minnie Mouse. Let's be kind. Let's not say Goofy comes out.

Okay, okay, okay. Oh, no, no, no. Keep that in. He's going to want you to take that out. That's not what I was saying. Lou, if you're watching, if you're listening. You're just saying Lou had the impact of Goofy. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not anything to do with. The air gets sucked out. Right, 100%. Like when Goofy walks in the room, it's like Nicole Kidman in the Chanel No. 5 commercial by Baz Luhrmann. It's just like that. You know the commercial I'm talking about. I think so. Speaking of fragrances, I want you to smell me right here and tell me what it is. Okay, go. You know what this is.

By Rado. No, it's Axe. Oh. So I have... Yesterday I said to Bowen, I'm like, I have no deodorant in New York. I don't know what happened. My New York apartment has no deodorant. And my mother was like, I want to get you something for Christmas. I said, don't. I don't want anything. She goes, okay, I'll get you a bunch of little small things. 10 Axe deodorants, which is both a trigger to like high school locker room and also quite out of fashion. That is like the...

timeless, enduring thing about suburban life is that you're never more than a half a mile away from an axe. From an axe body spray. Especially from Long Island, that's like a big culture. Axe body spray. Yes. And so I do, I am walking around and it's sort of like a little bit of heaven, a little bit of hell. I am a little triggered. But also I...

It's horny. It's horny. That's why I wanted you to smell me, to get you horned up for the episode. Speaking of getting horned up. Speaking of horny. Speaking of horny, I think everyone's horny for, well, first of all, Restless Leg Tour. We're talking 11 days at the Beacon? 11 days at the Beacon? 11 nights at the Beacon. Well, I mean, yeah, my surprise. I'm like, well, of course. Well, of course. And it's the Beacon. And also if you're in New York. I love the Beacon.

I think they're all sold out, but kind of elbow your way in. Are you going to sign the wall? I hope so. Yes. Yes. And I mean, obviously, if you guys want to come. Oh. When is it? Well, I guess there's 11 days. It's the 7th through the 19th. Thank you for doing the math real quick. I did the math. And 18th. 18th.

Okay, wait. Now we have to officially bring her in because that can't be the entrance. Hold on, hold on. That was so weak. No, no, not weak. Girls 5.5 is coming back on Netflix. Okay, thank fucking God because I had been wondering about that. Oh, yeah. It's coming. Oh.

March is going to be a big month for humanity. And Mean Girls the musical, of course, the movie. Oh, we're not calling it the musical. No, we're calling it Mean Girls 2024. We're calling it Mean Girls 2024. Which I texted you about it. I said 10 times. I said it's called Mean Girls 2024. Mean Girls, eighth note in the negative space where the A is. Do you know what's funny? This person created and started

Our favorite movie and our favorite show. Yeah. And I'm not even talking about Saturday Night Live, which also is in the top two of favorite shows on The 30 Rock. Oh, for sure. Can you imagine? Just go back in time and tell us in 2016 when we started this that Tina Fey is going to be on the podcast. So Tina Fey is going to be on the podcast. And you know what I thought in the shower this morning? I thought... What did you think in the shower? Where you do your best thinking. This is where I thought worldwide pants took down all of the Tina Fey on Letterman interviews. And those were my fucking comfort watches in college.

Seth told you, though, that you could find it somewhere else. I think Seth lied. Liar. Why'd they take the note? I think Letterman wants to protect his content. I don't know. Oh, I see. I can't possibly begin to understand. And then also, I mean, so many things. You love her. You really love this person so much, don't you? I'm talking to you, the... The royal you. The royal you. Everyone welcome Tina Fey! Hello, gentlemen. Hello. And they applauded the crew. Hello!

By the way, this episode is directed by Christopher Nolan. It's Oppenheimer the film. It's crazy. A lady needs a lot of lights. And the gentleman need a lot of lights. The gentleman need a lot of lights. Blow out the Countess Lou from my face. Please, please. Are you familiar with the Countess Lou? Yes, that is the original sort of Real Housewives New York era. Yeah. That was my era. I once chased...

Countess Luann down the street on the Upper West Side because I was so, I was like, she's on the Upper West Side? Yeah, that's major. I was just in front of that restaurant West that used to be there and I was like, and I basically was like, I was like, Countess, and I was like, I work at NBC too. I'm a universal girl. Are we also universal? Yeah, we brushed elbows at the upfronts. So wait, when you were watching Roni,

Were you sort of like, I'm Bethany. I'm with her. Well, first of all, no, I'm not Bethany. No way. No way. Thank you. No. I used to watch the season one. I used to really love season one. You guys were probably in middle school because it was before...

Nobody was aware. No one was like working the camera yet. Nobody was. And it was just really, I just wanted to see people's apartments. I get it. I wanted to see their apartments and make judgments. And I didn't need them to be fighting about stuff. No, no. I just wanted. And so who was it was, oh, you know who I was obsessed with at that time was Ashton Kutcher.

Alex. McCord. Yeah. Oh, bless. That was essentially, had the show gone in a different direction, which was we just watched these people live their crazy lives and it wasn't like as conflict-driven, she would have been the show. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally. But I think because people gravitated towards, you know, fighting. That's so funny though because I think Architectural Digest home tours have like scratched the itch or like taken over that little fascination we have of like people's homes. And like that's fully been supplanted. Right.

Right. And Zillow. Just be like, just go on Zillow and look in apartments. 100%. But remember when...

She was redoing her Brooklyn townhouse and Jill Zarin came over and she's like, we're restoring this banister. And she was like, honey, you don't have to save everything. That's not a good banister. And Jill Zarin, oh my God. Jill Zarin. She's incredible. Yeah, who else was in that original? Ramona. Ramona. I just recently picked... For some reason, this was on. It was the fashion show episode where Ramona walked with those crazy eyes. Yes. And Jill is just...

dragging and just like killing it in the front row. Yeah. Comedically. Comedically. Totally. She was really on fire. Yeah. They kind of, by like their second season, so this was not the phenomenon back then either, but it wasn't this thing where like,

They saw themselves for the first time on TV and then they got the work done. Yeah. Just like facially. Which happens to everyone. I mean, you see yourself on TV and you go, oh no. Oh yeah, breakdown. Oh no, what are we going to do about this? You're like, that's my face all the time. Yeah. People see my face as that? Yeah. Speaking of Universal, do you have any thoughts about this Epic Universe announcement? Yeah, because we know you're a Disney gay like us. Well,

Well, listen, I'm going to check it out. My gut instinct is, oh, honey, it's SNL, Mad TV. That there's not the tastemaker at the core defines the thing, right? And so Walt Disney is Lauren. But I'll go. Yeah, you're going to be there. But I'll go. And we all love, we like Mad TV. And there are amazing things at Mad TV and amazing, hilarious people came out of Mad TV. But there just wasn't that unifying, harmonious.

core taste. Totally. Well, what if I told you this? So one of the announcements they said was that there's going to be a Frankenstein ride and the star of the pre-show is Victoria Frankenstein, the great granddaughter of...

Dr. Victor Frankenstein. But is that the Diablo Cody movie that's coming? That's Lisa. I conflated those last week. Okay. A lot of girl boss Frankensteins happening right now in the culture. We have to differentiate. Universal's trying to use that. I'm just saying. The Universal Monsters catalog in fun ways. And I'm enjoying that. Yeah. If you went in there and said, I'll play Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, you, first of all, you'd book immediately. 17 shows a week. 17 nine minute shows a week. Performing every day. You wouldn't even do the pre-show?

Would I do a queue? The queue, that's what we mean. The queue. A queue, I mean, listen, in my heart of hearts, am I holding out for a Disney queue? Of course. Did I at one point try to volunteer me and Amy Poehler to do Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton for the Hall of Presidents and they were like, we're good? Oh my God. Well, I only volunteered it to my friend who's like the guy that I didn't call. Yeah, yeah, yeah. To Sam.

Sam! To be incredible. Sam is a huge part of our life now, too. Oh, my God. That makes me so happy. We went there. He loves you. I love him. I know. You can tell it's a special relationship. It really is. The Disney relationship is a special relationship. And that's actually real culture number 88. The Disney relationship is a special relationship. God bless Sam because Sam took us on guard to the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind no less than seven times. Which is not medically advisable. No. Have you done it? Yes. It's beautiful. But I'm in a situation where I can do it once.

Also, you don't not see a lot of protein spills outside. And just for clarity, that is vomit. Well, I've become that girl that's like when the part of the ride that makes people nauseous comes up, I'm like...

Keep looking at the planet. Keep looking at the planet. Don't look to the side. You're going to fuck yourself up. And people don't really listen. You have your strategies. I have my strategies. Well, I knew this about all of us that we shared this. And that's why I bring it up. And that's why, now correct me if I'm wrong, you've been on the Avatar Flight of Passage ride. Of course, yes. Don't you think that should be him in the pre-show? 100%. Just explaining what the Banshees are. You have the scientific gravitas to carry that pre-show through. I don't want us to fully...

Raise a middle finger to that guy. It's not about him. This is about you This is about what's best for you to be in that pre-show He did fine the guy that cute and I don't know if this is a true story or a story that I made up for myself But I feel like someone else was supposed to shoot that and then and something went wrong and they're like you have to do it You made that up. Yeah, I think you made that up. Here's will know Sam. Oh 100% isn't it great to have a resource? Yes

The Disney relationship is a special relationship. You go to that person for information like this. Can I tell you a deep Disney nerdery thing? 100%. If it interests you, I could try to get you in on this. Let's do it. Okay, so have you ever done a voice at Pixar? A voice at Pixar? No. That's an oversight. That needs to happen. Okay, good. Sure.

I think it's an oversight. Famously you have. I got lucky enough to do one. But so the guy, Pete Docter, who runs Pixar, super nice guy, legend, the kindest, loveliest man. And he invited me in on this super nerdy thing that sometimes they do where they have, I guess they used to do it in person, but during the pandemic, they were doing it over Zoom, where they just have literally like

Wow.

Really? And it's amazing. And because it happens on the West Coast, if you're watching it East Coast, it's like two in the morning and you put your laptop in your bed. Wow. But it's so cool. That was my dream until I found out it was mostly science and math. There's a lot of engineering. There's a lot of engineering. Otherwise, the people fly off and then they...

Exactly. 100%. We need to reconnect with Sam. Oh, Sam was lovely. Sam was really lovely. Sam is a tour guide at Disney who is an icon and a legend, and this is a big shout out to him. He's a great American. He's a great American. And then he said he was coming to see you and Amy. He came to D.C. He came the first weekend. How have the shows been? What's that like? The shows are so fun. I do hope you'll come to the Beacon. I want to come. Yeah, please come. Bowen's like, I'm going to stay quiet. What?

I'm coming. We have the best time. It's the two of us. We take you on a little journey if we can. And we usually always have like one special friend show up and we,

We go to these cities. People are so lovely to come see us. And then we stay at a nice hotel. And I've said this before, but it is like we get up. Like the other night, I really did text Amy before a show. And I was like, right before we went out, she was on the other side of the stage. I was like, I'm getting excited about going to sleep. Because we do like we have so much fun. Like I'm also learning like I love the part where...

where we do the show. And I was like, I guess some people go on tour because they want to party after the show or whatever, or they want to hook up. And I was like, I like the part where we do the show. And sometimes if we have a new thing and it works, I'm like, that works. And then I go home and I wash my face and I like stand in silence facing a wall. Like I'm like a little robot. Yeah, you leave, like you let yourself like charge. And I'm like satisfied. But I think this is just a function of like,

And I will say for Matt and I, it's exceptional if we go out after the show. I mean, even yesterday, like we were in Bowen's dressing room, like and Bowen comes in. He's like, all right. So the after party and we were all were like at the same time, like, we don't know. We don't know. It might be a quick drink. They were hung over from Luann. So hung over from Luann. But you guys look good. That's the difference. You still look really good. I put on concealer because you.

because the cameras today. - You put on concealer today? - Because the cameras, because I'm inches away from people. - I love it. If I knew how to do my own concealer, I would do it. Is it as simple as da, da, da? Kind of. - I don't know. I tried to do my makeup today and I probably will see this and be like, "Oh, is it coming from a matinee of playing Mrs. Lovett?"

Did you see Sweeney Todd? You did. I didn't get to. My husband went. I didn't get to see. I was touring. I try to use that Rare Beauty blush, which is great, but it's so pigmented that then I do it and I'm like, I'm either looking great or Baby Jane. Or just Mrs. Lovett. It's Baby Jane. It's Betty. Have you been, have you checked in on the new feud? I haven't watched it yet, but I think I will. I don't watch every part of the

of the Murphyverse. But that one, I'm like, you might get me. I do feel, I was like, okay, the PR is over time because there's so many articles now about it. I was like, are we, this is really what we're, this is top of mind in every paper, but it does seem interesting. It is a lot of fun to watch just because of the like,

of it all. I will say the entire story of it is just, well, you know, Truman Capote befriended these women and then he wrote an article and they never spoke to him again. And that's literally it. So I'm kind of interested to see how it's going to be a whole limited series because even in the first episode, you get it. Like, they're not talking to him anymore. But then I'm thinking like maybe every episode will be like a bottle-ish episode and be getting more into the specifics of who these women were, which is going to be great. I need more Callista though at this moment. I got three different line reads of Demi Moore calling

Tom Hollander, a faggot. A venomous faggot. Yeah, she with her whole chest gets to say a slur and it's really fun to watch her just let it rip.

They really let Demi go for it. Yeah. And she goes for it. Yes, yeah. And I loved it. Well, I do think that is, you know, that he is giving these actresses, like, he's making people's phones ring. Yeah. Who maybe their phone wasn't ringing that much. Molly Ringwald. Yeah. Like, her phone rang off the hook for this. And you know what Molly Ringwald has been doing in the meantime? Translating French books. Translating French books. Yes, yes. Okay. Lie with me. It's a really sad gay French novel.

What? Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's really smart. She's very good. I believe that. No, she's incredible. Yeah. She's a very, she's a great American. Well, one of my obsessions at this moment is Chloe Sevigny, now that this has all been happening. Yes. And apparently, Chloe simply broke down on the day where she had to shoot with Molly Ringwald because that was how much. Oh!

She meant to her. Yeah. I didn't know that. Uh-huh. Oh, that's so sweet. And Chloe, who's like the coolest, like you would imagine is like very unbothered about the whole thing. Yep. Actually, in interviews, like I watched her on Jimmy the other night and she's very like, like y'all. Like y'all? She's like everybody. Oh, yeah. She's like, I cry, I break down to Molly Ringwald just like you, me, and everyone else. Yeah. That's the shared...

I guess, American experience. I'm kind of tying this back to a national sort of narrative. Well, she also was like, they did this thing because like, you know, she's obviously a fashion icon, Chloe. And they were like looking back at all of her like iconic looks because she was like that fashion girl. She really was, yeah. She had nothing nice to say about anything she ever wore. She's like, oh, this, no, this, no, this, no. And I was like, maybe that's what makes her such an icon. She also needs to keep looking. Exactly. She didn't just find a uniform and stick with it. No.

No, exactly. She was never satisfied. Never. Have we found our uniforms? This is your uniform. Sure. Okay. This is a cream-colored...

Long sleeved collars. You're good at like a strong basic. Is it a knit? Is it a sweat? It's a sweat. It's a sweatshirt material. Yeah, it's good. But that's, I don't know if this is the uniform. It's the glasses. It's the, I mean, yeah. That's it. You've changed your glasses though. In the last year, yeah. Yeah. Yesterday, I had my contacts in for the show and then they had to audition different pairs of glasses for the sketch. And then one of them had an actual prescription in them. And I was like, oh, this one has a prescription in them. And then my dresser, Audrey, was like laughing and she was like,

Keenan earlier had the same thing happen to him and he said,

There's medicine in these. There's medicine. There's medicine in these glasses. By the way, Kenan Thompson, and I'm not, and this is perfect, but this is truly like an apropos thing for me this week where he was up until 4 a.m. with us shooting the sketch. Just rallying everybody, keeping the morale up, like getting everybody out of like the 4 a.m. overnight shoot, like doldrums or whatever. Team captain vibes. What a...

Again, as we continue to make the list of great Americans, who do we have so far? We have Sam Loomis, Kenan, who was somebody in between. Chloe Sevigny? Molly Raywald. Sorry, Chloe. I mean. You're a great New Yorker. Yes. Amazing New Yorker. Top 20 New Yorkers. Absolutely. Up there with Hamilton. Up there with Hamilton. And do you have any thoughts about what she has said recently?

I guess in a Rolling Stone thing about how New York is all Lululemon and dogs. Too many dogs. But as a recent dog owner, what do you make of this? As someone who's been in New York for a minute. Yes. Are there too many dogs? I haven't noticed anything. There's a lot of dogs. I mean, I don't go to the dog park and that kind of stuff. I have people that do.

My dogs poop inside every single day. Oh, really? Oh, they're a mess. Consistent places? Sometimes I'm like, guys, I'm the queen of Versailles. I can't have this. No. And the dogs are like, we haven't watched that. No. Have you watched the series, Queen of Versailles? No, someone just told me about this. I will watch it. I did recently rewatch the original series.

Excellent movie. Fascinating. Incredible. The series is a little bit of a cheapened version, I'll say. I'll say that on the record. Because like all documentaries, not all, but a lot of great documentaries, they started thinking it was going to be about one thing. And then it changes. That usually is exciting. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. The most famous example of that is probably The Jinx, right? Is The Jinx.

The Jinx and also Capturing the Freedmen. Oh, yeah. Have you ever seen that? I don't think I've ever seen it. Oh, yeah. Well, first of all, because it's supposed to be about this guy who's a party clown. And then it turns out that he has this dark family history and they follow that. But you know that Silly Billy, the party clown, used to play the SNL holiday party up on 17. He would come and do like party clown stuff. When I was a writer, when like Norm MacDonald's son would be there, that era. So I saw the doc and I was like, that's...

Oh my God, that's Silly Billy. Oh no, Silly Billy's family. Oh, now we know. Oh no. Did the party. He was not. What do you mean he did the party? There used to be a little, you know what it was they would have when the tree lighting was happening? Yes, yes, yes. They'd have bagels and stuff and people would bring their kids. Yeah.

Oh, they would bring their kids to that. Some people would bring... You know why? Because Lauren's kids were little. That's why. That's why. There are no children about. It's just the bagels and it's like the meeting's happening. Like your sketch might get picked. It might not. It's like there's a lot of weird tension. But then the lighting is always...

It's a nice moment. But we were talking, you asked about New York and does New York have too many dogs? Probably. Does it have too much Lululemon? I mean, it's a mix in my neighborhood. It's a mix of like there's a Lululemon and then everything else is vacant. Yeah. I guess I'm in LA most of the time where it's just all dogs. And so I just kind of accepted that me not having one is I'm wrong.

and I should get one I also like now I'm starting to feel a little guilty that I don't have one do you remember when I hosted that dog grooming competition I hosted a dog grooming competition show called Hot Dog H-A-U-T-E sure excellent and there was a day there was a day where it was like rescue dog day and they made me hold one of these dogs and give a direct to camera like

don't you want to save a life? Like, how would you feel to know that you could have saved a life and didn't? And then I like handed the dog back and was like, okay, see you guys later. And then I felt bad. It was like, we need to help. We need to help. The message, that was the help. Yeah. The PSA was the help. I did my thing. I can be fun uncle to these dogs, actual children. Yeah. I'm ready for parenthood with the dogs though.

With the dogs. You want one. Well, he would be a great dog owner. But I can't do it with the dogs. Because no one brings their dog to SNL. Oh, people bring their dogs to SNL. That would be a bridge too far. Oh, there's a couple people. But it's fine. They stay in the dressing room? They stay in the dressing room or sometimes they'll bring them out. It's okay. That's a different world. Yeah, would never have flown? No. No, no. I don't think so. Yeah, yeah. Right now, I think post-pandemic, we're all like,

We've had a rough couple years. Let everyone have what they need. Let's make sure everyone's fine. Which I culturally must feel wild. I remember, this just comes with starting out there, no matter who you are, no matter what job it is, if you start out there, it is always hard. And it is always a cultural adjustment.

But I just remember a time like pre-pandemic where I was just like, oh, I was terrified every day. Every day I was shaking. Just to be there? Just to be there. And yeah, I would have never thought to. Yeah, I went there. I was 97 when I went there. And I mean, I see with clarity now, like the 90s were so rough. Like, yeah.

rough, rough, rough. In what sense? What do you mean? Like kindness was not in fashion. And it would get worse from there. And no mental health was like, what? Yeah. What is that? What are you talking about? And that's why everyone ended up with some form of like temporary kind of OCD and, you know, but even just when you look back at

You just look back at, like, 90s Letterman interviews. Yeah, totally, totally. And you're like, oh, my gosh, he's just, like, haranguing a teenager. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And we were like, ha, ha, ha. Yeah, you got her. That dumb slut. He got her. Exactly. That was the culture. That 55-year-old man told that dumb teenager. Paris Hilton will never be the same after that. Well, but, like, the Paris Hilton thing...

I still, I mean, it's rough. Like, I don't want to celebrate that interview necessarily. Yeah. It is incredible. It's so funny. And it's Letterman being the most Letterman in the best, not the best way, but in a way that you're like, it's Letterman. And then, I've talked about this before. It was the thing that Anna Dresden and I watched and we're like, so I guess the iceberg should be like, I want to talk about this thing and not talk about this other thing. Yes, yes, yes. You know what I mean? We modeled it after that interview specifically. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We watched that and we were like, okay, so like...

I just want to talk about my other thing. Yeah, but it was like, that was the 90s too. It was like really fucking making you squirm a bit. And there's just so many things. Even people like,

Have you seen that? Again, these are all people that I, you know, hold nothing against them. No. But like there's some old Conan clip where the lady from Melrose Place is on. Heather Locklear? No. Oh, gosh. Someone else. The other blonde lady. That guy. Courtney Thorne.

Courtney Thorne-Smith. Thank you so much. First of all, thanks for putting that in the atmosphere. Thank you. I believe it's Courtney Thorne-Smith. And I forget. Maybe it's like, I don't know if it's Conan on one side and Norm on the other side or something. And they're just like doing a bit. Yeah. Like some kind of bit that she looks really hot or whatever. And she's just trying to tell her story from whatever it is, the pre-interview of like a funny thing that happened to her. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's like two maniacs on either side of her talking.

And you're just like, oh yeah, we're not doing that anymore. Right, right, right. But at the time it was like, ha, ha, ha, ha. Yeah. And those are like, Conan is a lovely, kind, involved, intelligent person. We all were...

I should probably try to think of a story that I tell on myself instead of like... No, no, no. They were like... We were just hard. We were hard people. Well, we had Seth Meyers on the show like probably about a month ago. And he was saying that like the best time, like that he felt like the winning season was probably like 2008, 2009. Like obviously when you were on as Sarah of Return. Do you feel that way too? Well, I feel like that was a crazy good time. And Seth was head writer and was doing a great job. And...

the world wasn't as dark. And yeah, for me, I felt like that was my like prayer for Owen Meany moment where I was like, was I born to look like this lady? I guess so. Yeah. But now it all seems so gentle. Yeah. I was there. I remember I was, I was literally there. I remember one of the coolest ones was it was the, I guess, Weekend Update Tuesday. Yeah.

Or Wednesday. Oh, yeah. Those two specials, right? Yeah, the Thursday thing. Yes. They would add those things. And I was at the time like a standby person. Like I would wait all the time. Yeah. And so someone at the line like was like, yeah, they actually they give us tickets for Thursday thing. So here you go. And it was you, Will Ferrell, and I guess Daryl Hammond, right? Like doing. And he was doing Bush and stuff. Yep. I think I remember that was the one that my parents were like, that was a little too far.

They were, because they're Republicans. Oh, oh, oh, oh. That was a little too far. I forget what, I don't remember what the jokes were. Ah, right. They were on board till then. And then they got back on board. It wasn't a rift. They forgave.

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And I had researched the improv group at NYU in April of senior year of high school. And I'm reaching out to the Facebook page, throwback, and I messaged the Facebook page, when do you guys hold auditions?

Does it work against me if I'm not in Tisch? If I'm just a science major? Does it work against me if I'm not in Tisch? I was so... I know. I know what you're feeling. And then the person who answered me was Anna Dresden. She was like, hey. So funny. So funny. But just like cosmically there was something about that. And then she was like, don't worry. Good luck with your mini-fidge rentals. Like, bye. Yeah. And then auditioned for the improv group, made it to the final round.

And then I was like, I really hope I get this. Got the email from Anna Dresden saying, we're so sorry. Oh, fuck. We were floored by everybody. Please start your own groups. We shouldn't be the only game in town, blah, blah, blah. Game in town being NYU. The only improv group at NYU. I was like, okay, licking my wounds.

My sister had gone out. I had the apartment to myself. It was Saturday. Michael Phelps episode of SNL. Tina and Amy were just going on as Hillary and Sarah. I get the call during the cold open live from Anna being like, I made a mistake. We talked about it. Just kidding. We're taking on two people and you're in the group. And then it was like this crazy shift. Like something like...

The culture decided to be good. No, no, no. It was just... It's like, it's going to be a good time. The trajectory was, like, perturbed in, like, the best way for me possible. It's a little ricochet. But, like, you were... I caused it. You caused it. And no matter what, you were, like... And Amy didn't. It was just me. It was you. It was you. But anyway, that's what I, like, will always fondly remember. Not that you... Oh, that's a great memory. That's a great memory. Okay, but is this the thing, then? Like, starting at SNL when you did, or coming back...

whatever the after party culture is at any given time, is that informing what you and Amy do after the show? Where you're like, well, let's just go to bed. Oh, no. I mean, we used to, I mean, when we were at SNL, we used to go out until I had my first child. And then I would sometimes begrudgingly go out and be like, you have to sit with Lauren. I'd be like, okay. Okay.

Yeah. I'm at that stage, but I'm childless. I'm a childless homosexual. But we used to go, but I never was an after after. That was always, I'm like. Yeah. I can't imagine what that would even be. No. I remember, I feel like one time Tracy Morgan had like, he did like an illegal private casino somewhere that Dratch went to. And then like the next day was like, it was insane. Like she was like.

Of course. I mean, but speaking of all this culture, so that we're talking about in many ways, culture that made us say culture was for us. We have to ask you this question. And it is, of course, a difficult question that is really open to interpretation. But Tina Fey, what was the culture that made you say culture is for me? Okay.

I've been thinking about this question. I struggled to understand it, but I think I'm going to try to frame it like, have you ever done those I am from poems? Yes. Oh, yeah. So if we frame it that way, I'm also much older than you guys. And so I'm really going back. I may say things that mean nothing to you, right? We'll see. Like...

I am from watching Benny Hill as a family. Good for you. Yes, yes, yes. What? Yeah. Watching a weird old man, Ogle women bikinis being like, this is formative. I, um, as a family, like it's on PBS guys. Uh,

I am from, you know, a time when it just, our whole life was you go to Blockbuster. Yep. You rent the stepfather. You rent the now incredibly problematic Sleepaway Camp one or two. Oh, yeah. And you watch it with your, you know,

gay friends who, again, if you want to talk about how hard it is, like cackling at like, knowing like it's horrible. Or like, it's me and my best friend Marlene going to Pretty Woman when it first came out and immediately cackling being like, we're the only ones that know that she's a sex worker and this is grim, right? That like, okay, this week it's Richard Gere, but every other week it's Terry.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cackling. What else? I mean, Real World New York season one. Oh, yeah. Guys, I remember getting up early with my brother to see the beginning of MTV. Wow. The beginning. The first season.

Like downtown Julie Brown vibes. Like video killed the, like let's put it on. Oh wow. Getting up to see Live Aid. Yeah. And being so pumped that it was partly in Philadelphia. Wait, it was? You guys like Phil Collins is on the Concord. You guys see Phil Collins is on the Concord. Wow. Yeah, it was for whatever reason, because the quality of the venue, it was in wherever it was in Wembley, I guess. It was Wembley. And like Veteran Stadium in Philadelphia or something. Wow.

I must have been the vet. I'm silly and stupid and I thought it was just in the UK. No, and that was the big thing was they were like, Phil Collins is going to play with this band and then get on the Concord and play again. Oh, Phil. What else has formed who I am? You know, Sheila E., The Glamorous Life. Wow, thanks for that. You know, Kelly Clarkson just brought her back. Sheila E.'s on Kelly Clarkson's album and I feel like no one talked about it. Yeah, she's on the last track and she's...

tearing it up. Yes. Sheila E. Yeah. We gave her a special culture award. Sheila E? We did. We did. Oh my God, that's right. We gave her like a, we gave her something. She's been recognized by this podcast. Good. I'm glad. Yes, she must. What else can I give you? You know, the divinals, I touched myself. The divinals. That was like, or like me trying to have, to no success, trying to convince people that our junior prom theme should be, there must be an angel by Eurythmics. No,

Nobody was- The theme is they're a speed angel. I was like, just going to keep writing these papers and putting it in the box. No. What was it? Ultimately, Under the Sea? They needed to get real. Well, it was like Brian Adams, Heaven. Okay. And then I think maybe senior year was maybe like This is the Time, Billy Joel. Wow. This is the time. Which was a new song. Yeah. Yeah.

I love that. But this is the thing where I go, how would I have done? How would any of us do in like a bygone time? You would love it. The blockbuster of it all really resonates because it's also about going to blockbuster and only ever renting two things. Renting two things over and over. Over and over. Over and over. Watching another one was like...

Arachnophobia was a big one. I feel like there's a Martin Sheen one that I can't think of that was like a horror movie. Maybe that's right. And like also with my two good friends, Jim and Damien, who are brothers, who between the two of them are the amalgam that are the basis for the character Damien. And in their house, they had a back staircase that had been closed off and made into a pantry that was full of every kind of junk food. Absolutely. And we would just go over there and get after it. And also just like... Get after it.

It is like no one did fitness. Your outfit was like a high collar thing with a blazer. Everything.

It was just like, and there were no phones. Drinking soda? Did you drink a lot of soda? Drank so much soda. So much soda. Would eat like a cheese hoagie. So like a 12 inch hoagie with three kinds of cheese. Yeah. Really Philly. And then still able to poop. Yeah. Right. Exactly. Yeah. The body hadn't yet betrayed. And just think, I'm trying to think culturally too. It was like VC Andrews,

Flowers in the Attic. Flowers in the Attic. Reading those on like the beach at the Jersey Shore. Yes. Or like on the trolley to work. This is so evocative. I'm trying to think of other weird things that I don't realize are like, I was obsessed with Paul Young. Paul Young. That was like Every Time You Go Away. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You liked like boy music. Well, he was super cute. Oh, okay. Yeah. And like SCTV used to be on after SNL three weekends a month. And then the fourth weekend it was wrestling and he'd be like, uh-uh.

Who did you imprint on on SCTV? Was it Catherine? Oh my gosh. Andrea and Catherine. Yeah. For sure. Andrea gives me the frisson. The frisson.

As you say. Did I use that right? You used that right. You absolutely used Frisson right. Frisson is the word of 2024. It's like that feeling. We need Molly Ringwald in here to translate. It's just like a feeling of like something in the air. The euphoria. Like when something is like, oh, I have the Frisson thinking about this. Like when we mentioned Sam. It's the tingle. I got the Frisson thinking about Sam getting us on Guardians of the Galaxy. Oh, yeah. That's a beautiful ride. I think that the boy music thing is like,

That is also a thing. Like the men of the 80s and 90s. You were allowed to be. Yeah. But like there was something I'm going to say, like set aside, like ogling and stuff. But like the men of that time. Hot. I sound insane for saying this. You don't.

You could look up to men in a way that was like, fine. Yeah, you could look up to men and be like, I'm okay. I'm okay. Worry about what they were up to, maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not even that. I mean, I think they were good Americans. Good Americans. That's going to be the name of this. That's the name of this episode. No, literally, Good Americans with Tina Fey. But we also, I mean, we also were like Janet Jackson, Madonna, Go-Go's, like that's a long, Eurythmics. I remember also remember when Eurythmics came out, like when the first...

Sweet Dreams came out. And we were like, people were scared of them. Yeah, I would imagine it's dark. It was like, she had that short hair and she was wearing a suit and everyone was like, what?

She was haunted pop. And even when she did like Diva and like did do her own thing, like it was still there was something sinister about it in a way that I love. Yeah. Like, yeah, just gender bendy or the song Why by Annie Lennox. I want that as I'm lowered into the ground. I remember that. I do say revisit. There must be an angel. Oh, yeah. OK. And also, I mean, what can I broken glass like there's a reason for it. Someone's going to sample that song and it's going to be.

Just the piano. Or is Ice Spice on this? It's going to be on Stranger Things or something? Yes, 100%. Yeah, like that song taking off the Kate Bush of it all. I'm happy for the rediscovery as a culture. You guys talked about this, that it's the year of the needle drop. Yes. Yes. 100%. Do you watch The Bear? No.

No. Okay. I have seen some of them, but not all of them. Probably one of the most famous needle drops of this year is Taylor Swift's Love Story on The Bear. Oh, they did that? They did that. And to get the Taylor Swift song must have cost a lot of money. So thankfully it paid off on The Bear. The Bear, you're doing excellent. Yes. You guys are crushing it out there.

They really are. They really are. It's so wild to see her like slay drama like this. I am. Yeah. Yes. I know. I have to go back and get into it so I can see where her character arc went because. I know. She's so good. And I think it was like, I always like, of course, we coming up with her, like we always knew she was so talented, but then I was watching Bottoms. Did you see Bottoms? Yes. I was watching her on screen. There's a scene where the camera gets way up in her face. And I think she's having a moment with her love interest. And I'm like.

You got it, girl. Like, she got it. Big time. Big time. We were in the edit yesterday for this pre-tape. Every take, I was like, oh, Ayo knows. She knows where to find the camera, whatever, the camera. And then it would cut to me and it'd be like, what am I doing? Shut up. No, no, no. Bowen, you know what to do with the camera. Do we all have this? Do we all have this thing where it's this...

There is some dysmorphia. That might not be the right word, but it's like, I think it's getting worse and worse for me in terms of watching myself. I've reached a point where I don't do it. Unless it's something that I'm in charge of and it's like I have to edit it. I'm like,

oh, I'm going to make this movie and I have an idea. I'm never going to watch it. Yeah, I got it. And that's like freeing. Yeah, you know, when it came out about the four seasons, the gay group chats were popping off. Of course, of course. That's really exciting. I'm excited about that too. Yeah, this is going to be good. I hope so. That's a good link up again with Tracy. Oh, with Tracy and Lang, the best. Tracy Wigfield and Lang Fisher. Oh yeah, that's going to be good. Super funny writers. The gays that remember the movie were like,

Like, they were very, very excited. Oh, that's great. Oh, no, yeah. They're lining up already. I can't get over that my two movies from Blockbuster were The First Wives Club and GoldenEye. That was my personality. That's where it started. First Wives Club. That makes sense. Yeah, First Wives Club. Though you watch it now and you're like, it's so a movie of the 90s where it's just like, it takes a bit to get into...

being a movie and then it is. But I kind of miss the days where it was just like, no, the first half hour is just going to be a lot of relationship building. Like a lot. Is it any first talk stuff that actually ever pays off in the end? No, right? That felt like a 90s thing where it was like, you just... I think it's all worth it to watch them at the end sing You Don't Own Me. And I can't remember anything else about the movie besides that. And you know who else you forget is in that movie kind of

crushing it is SJP yeah she's great in that movie so good she's great in that movie she's great in LA Story yes yeah she's great in Ed Wood oh yeah wait a minute Ed Wood is so great that's a really good one okay I've got two weeks off yeah wow you do have two weeks off so excited I'm not going anywhere

I'm going to the Beacon. I was going to say, except the Beacon. Except the Beacon. So wait, when you would have a vacation from SNL back in the day, would you go or would you just sit? Would you bed rot? I think I mostly just sat. I feel like people at SNL do much better sort of self-care and living their lives. But I think in the beginning, my now husband was still in Chicago. So sometimes I would go back to Chicago for the week or whatever, but.

But no, I never took one real vacation. Yeah. I'm just still learning how to do that. I'm like, oh, right, you book a trip and then you go there. Yeah, right. Exactly. I've never developed, I don't think, I think my time is up. Like, I think if I haven't learned by now to like book a vacation on the two weeks off, I don't think I ever will for my remaining time there. I'm just like, I don't have that.

thing of like that admin thing of like let me book an Airbnb or something. So I think it's I think there's something about working there that like makes you want to stay put because you're just like moving around a lot or something. Yeah. You need to recover. Yeah. The thought of going to the airport doesn't seem good after that. No.

Never, ever. I literally did this when you were in town last season where I would do a show on Saturday. My flight was at 8 a.m. after daylight savings, after the spring clock jumped forward. So I lost an hour and then went to the airport to go to London to then shoot. And I was just like, this is actually...

this is CT. Yeah. There's a part of my brain that's leaving. Yeah. And so, I don't know. Oh my God, that sketch last night when I was like, and when the wind blows, I can't remember. Who wrote that?

Shout out to Asha Ward. She is crushing it. She's a new young writer. She co-wrote this elevator sketch with us as well. Yeah, that was great too. She is so damn funny. And yeah, she said that line to us on Tuesday night when she was pitching it. When she was kind of going around with the idea. She was like, yeah, it's based off this People's Court, this actual People's Court episode. The plaintiff did have, the haircut was...

that her scalp was showing, obviously, not her actual brain. But then Asha's like, I think we're going to make it her brain in the sketch. I was like, that's amazing. And then Asha goes, yeah, and I think I wanted to say, when the wind blows, I can feel my memories being blown away. And I threw my head back. I was like, you have to.

Yeah, you must. You must. I did want to ask. So like when you're at SNL and also you're at the same time writing Mean Girls, like I guess what I'm wondering is like how long did it take you to do that? Because I remember like literally at the time reading interviews with you where you were like, I just wanted to see if I could do it. Yeah. And then you so obviously could. But like how what was that process of like juggling that? Because that seems like a lot of work.

I am trying to remember. Yeah, I bet. I know I did a bunch of it in the summer. I feel like maybe it was over two summers because it was the first time we rented a house in Fire Island on—

We both love Fire Island. We both love it. On a gas tire, I had recommended just doing that. And we went and we trash picked a desk and we carried it. And I remember Jeff's arms got like a huge, because you never, it's not Fire Island if you don't get a weird rash. Oh, no, never. And he like immediately got a rash. And I was like, oh, I think there was deer pee all over the desk or something. And so the...

I must have been doing first draft the first summer and then the shooting. I remember the second summer was the shooting draft because I would get Mark Waters, the director, I would get pages of notes every single day. And I'd be like, I think I did it. And then be like, okay, let's go through today again. He's like page four. And I'd be like, yeah, but he was right. It was like, it was stuff of like, where are they? This, that could this be short? It was like a lot of technical stuff.

And there was an amazing woman named Jill Messick who worked for Lauren at the time. She also was just like poking me, okay, like a lot of drafts in between unofficial drafts. So I don't think I was doing it. I must have been doing it on weeks off. I don't think, I don't have a memory of doing it, trying to do it at the same time as the actual show. Like only because like, and obviously like,

The movie is so perfect. It's just everything. It's one of those things that like just falls into place in every way. Like I remember we were saying it was one of those movies where you sat down and watched it and I knew I was going to and had to remember every line. I saw it with my cousin and I was just like, this is a really special thing. And then going to school, I remember like I was like all

all the track girls, I used to run winter, this is a specific, but I would run track and I would practice with all the girls because we would just talk about things like this. And everyone knew all the lines. And it was so funny because I watched my one friend sort of, I could tell she wanted to be like Regina George in a way where she didn't really get it. I was like, you don't want to be actually mean. But the way she started speaking, I'm like, it truly took over. I remember it was that anchorman.

Yeah. Where it was like, and I remember as a gay kid too, I learned the language of Mean Girls because that was what all the girls were doing. And then Anchorman was what all the boys were doing. And so it was sort of this like code switchy thing. You had to code switch. Yeah. And I remember taking my dad to see it and like,

He was so excited because it was coming from you. And I remember it was just like this like moment that felt like a unifier like in high school because everyone thought it was funny. Everyone thought the cast was amazing. And I really wanted to ask about Rachel McAdams because this is essentially is a Rachel McAdams stand podcast. Yeah. We could just talk about her and no one else. And we should. Yeah. But like I was reading an interview with you recently where you were like,

you mentioned like watching her act like change the way that you approached it. Yeah, because I had never been in a movie before and I didn't know what, I would go and be in the scene. I had only done SNL and I wasn't even really in sketches on SNL, just an update. So I would be like, I would literally be like, in my head, I'd be like, I don't know if I'm on camera right now. So I'm going to try real hard every time. Yeah. Like didn't know to even ask if I'm in this part of the setup. And she, her performance was so small that I remember being worried and going to Mark Waters and being like, oh,

don't know and then you get the dailies and it was like yes perfection but it was very it was small it was a film performance right it wasn't like me like we talk about that all the time like the sketch mentality of coming in in one mode especially like because we didn't have any acting training coming up we were like creatures of the basements you know like any of us and then all of a sudden you book a thing where you have to be on camera acting and they're like hey just throw it away and you're like I don't know

what are you talking about? But you learn. But the difference is that when you see people on SNL, when you see someone like Ayo who understands the assignment, to use a now old phrase. It's back now though. It's back. I brought it back. She understands what she's supposed to do and what sketch requires. And then you compare to, well, not name names, but you see people who come in who have only ever done film, whose performances are built in the edit room, who have no internal sense of pacing or even energy. Yeah. And you...

they can fuck up a show. But they can slay the pre-tapes. They can slay the pre-tapes. Slay the pre-tapes. Yeah, pre-tapes for them. Pre-tapes. Literally all we want to tell people now at SNL, like all I tell the hosts all the time on Wednesdays, especially at the read-through, I go,

Fast and loud. We were just like, just do it fast and loud. Fast and loud. Wow. And that usually dials it in. It's plenty. Yeah. That's what Amy talks about how, because we do a Q&A in our show and like we often get asked like, you know, who are your favorite guests and stuff? And she's like, I love athletes because they're used to being coached and they don't care. And you can just be like, just do that. They just do it louder and like say it and they're like, okay.

You also get a sense that anyone with like a Disney kid past comes in there and tears it up. Yep. Also, by the way, people who've done, there are fewer and fewer of these people, but it used to be people who had done soaps. Because you know who's got his start on soaps? Alec Baldwin. Wow. Julianne Moore. Yes, Julianne Moore. Make a choice. Make a choice and go. Get Lisa Rinna to host. Oh, come on, Lisa. Julianne Moore, I think, well, and that's,

I think our favorite movie of the year is May, December. We fucking love May, December. That's your favorite movie of the year? We love May, December. I enjoyed it, but... That and Four Things were my... I haven't watched Four Things yet. Oh, you'd love it. Oh, you'd like Four Things. Emma's another one. Like, comes in and like just... Yes, yes. Gets it, yeah. And gets it...

Gets it on camera, obviously. But Julianne Moore, I guess because what's so fun about the movie is it's like purposefully a melodrama, right? That insane music. That music when she's like, we're out of hot dogs. Yeah. With her insane accent. But then she was talking about like, she's like, well, you know, I started in soaps and I actually did the archetype of like,

The twins. The twins. The evil twins. Like the amnesia twin. Yeah. So it wasn't even just amnesia or just twin. It was both. Wow. Acting opposite herself. Wanting to kill herself. Incredible. Kill the other. That makes all the sense in the world to me. Wait, you said that about Alec too though where it's like the Rachel McAdams thing where it's like...

Just so quiet. Yeah. And then you watch the others like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. Yeah. And sometimes, you know, real stars, they don't really do what they're going to do till you're on their close up. And so, you know, you look at those first two seasons of 38 Rock and I'm like, hey, and he's like, oh, yeah.

You won that one, sir. You won that one. It really is wild, though, because you do a take and they're like, okay, we're moving on. And you're like, there's no way we can. I didn't do anything. And they're like, no, you get the performance of a lifetime. You just won't ever know because it wasn't fun for you at all. Right, exactly. But it worked for us. Yeah.

Back to Mean Girls really quickly. Yeah, please. How many times did you see it in the theater? Because you brought your dad. So I saw it. Four. Oh, my God. Bless your heart. Oh, come on. I mean, like, first of all, like, I wonder how this feels, too. Because to join this thing of like, it was like Heathers, it was Clueless, and then it's Mean Girls. And that has to be really meaningful. Very meaningful to me. Yeah. Because those, you know, Heathers and Clueless were hugely formative. Yeah. I mean. This is my thing.

This is my specificity with it. There was like a website, 2004, 2005, in that time of the internet called like the script database or something. And they would either have the screenplay, the original screenplay of the movie, any movie you could think of, if they had it, the original actual PDF or the scan or whatever of the script, or they would have a transcript. And then I remember reaching out to the admin of that being like, I will transcribe Mean Girls for you.

And then he's like, did you do it? And I did it. And then that's freaking. And this guy was like, God bless you. The demand for a movie has never been higher than the fact that you did. And I was like, I'm going to do it. And I wrote the fucking like the slugs and the description girls. I didn't write. I transcribed mean girls. He was 14. Wow. I was. This is what I said. I said.

I can get you the script. And then this guy, this like 30 year old man was probably like, you mean the actual like Tina Fey like draft? I was like,

no, no, no. I'm just going to type out what they say. I like didn't know. I didn't know what he was looking for. He was like, I don't care. I'll take a transcript. I was like, oh, that's yes, of course. Transcribing. Yes. I will write out what they say. I'll say, Katie says that, you know, like, yeah, that was the level of like, yeah, there's like joy in every scene. And I guess what I feel is like,

You forget that such big deals came out of that movie too, like Amanda Seyfried. She's just so in the fabric of the movie, having fun doing her part, that you forget that she would then become like,

Oscar nominee. Yeah, hello. And I mean, it's like that down to everything. And I wonder, like, in shooting it, did you know that it was like, did you have a feeling that there was something special happening? Which feels like a question, like, a boring question. Because it did end up being culturally significant. Thank you. I feel like, I mean...

Part of the reason that it worked is because those girls were so legit and took it seriously and played it so real, you know, if they had been campy about it. Because...

I think that's the thing I try to sometimes pass on in whatever writer's rooms or whatever. It's like no one, no villain thinks they're, no one's the villain in their story. Like Regina's whole thing is like, it's hard. Like she's going to come crying to me and then I got to help her. Like no one's a villain in their own story. Right. And I think they all played that perfectly because, you know, and you can see now like, oh, Regina's villain, Janice's villain, Katie's a huge villain. Like everyone's making mistakes and they played them all wrong.

But, you know, I think I was just at that place of like, basically like, is it going to air? You know, we're going to, it's going to get made. That was the triumph in my mind. That's refreshing to hear because I think Matt and I are in that mindset right now where we're just like, we're working on things and we're just like, let's just not worry about

the contours of this. Let's just like, the goal is just to get it made. You know what I mean? I read this book, I think it's called like Wild and Crazy Guys and it's just a little nonfiction book about that span of time where like, it's like Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Dan, it's like all of, when they all were blowing up and what movies got made and whatever. And so many of these movies that are just canon to us, they were like, didn't really open. And you're like, oh, I don't care. Like,

I watched it 100,000 times. Whatever, The Man with Two Brains. They just were movies. And to not worry too much about... How it does out the gate. How it does. How many theaters. It is just...

You wonder like how many things we would actually love so much that it just get written off. I wonder about that all the time, like with the way the industry is now, like how many things aren't getting made that like are actually going to be things that we think about in 15, 20 years. You know what I mean? Like it feels very far and few between that you get something, you know. Yeah.

Yeah, well, I think movies still are tighter. Yeah, like, I feel like TV, because there's just so much more, like, you are getting, like, you're getting Reservation Dogs, you're getting, you know, Simon Rich's weird show where the people, you know, like, Simon, you know, it's what Bottoms felt like. Yeah, totally. So refreshing. Well, she's incredible. Emma Seligman, the director of that, she's like, I think she can do anything. She can. Between Shiva Baby and Bottoms, I was like,

And we love Rachel. Yeah. So it's happening. Like, and you know, my daughter's 18, my older daughter, and that is, bottoms is everything. Really? Everything. Right. Yeah. It's her Mean Girls in a way. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's so cool. That's so cool. I mean...

it is this thing where like, maybe we're just, cause we're like in, we have some awareness. We're like reading like the ink or whatever, but I'm just like the survivorship bias of it all is really hitting me where I'm just like, Oh yeah. If I think too hard about the things that aren't getting me, then I start to, I start to lose my mind. Yeah.

I'm Bowen Yang from Las Culturistas. Intuit QuickBooks wants you to achieve your dreams of starting your own business and working for yourself. And if you're a small business owner launching a company, then you'll want to check out Mind the Business, small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks. Season one and two are out now and season three is launching Thursday, January 9th, with new episodes coming out every other Thursday after that.

I'm still going to the couch.

Did everyone audition for that? Like, did you get a tape from Lizzie Kaplan or were you like? Gosh, I think so. Yeah, probably. Yeah. It just feels like there can't have ever been a time when there was like not those people. It's one of those things. It's like. Yeah, I think so. And Lindsay had worked with Mark before. Lindsay was coming. She had a lot of heat coming off of Freaky Friday. And there's also Mark Waters.

I think maybe. I can't remember. We should fact check for sure. But yeah. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. And she came and she came by SNL just to like hang out and be seen because she I think she wanted to be considered. Yeah. She wanted to play Regina, which I think. Yes. Yes. Yes. And Lauren was always wise, was like, no, you want that person to be the person who takes the trajectory to Regina. Yeah. He's like, he's basically like, that's the

the part that you want. She's like, okay. Was that when both you and Dennis were head writer? Probably, yes. That's so funny. She was also a killer on SNL. Of course. People who acted as kids also, they're just like, where do I stand and what do I say? Let's do it. Miley Cyrus, where do I stand and what do I say? Kiki Palmer. Locked and loaded. Kiki Palmer. Kiki Palmer everything. Yep.

Kiki Palmer. Which is why we need to push more children into shows. 100%. We need to feed the SNL host pipeline by ruining children. If there is like some sort of surgical Neuralink type procedure to just to implant that thing in actors of just like

stand here say it loud say it fast fast and loud I never you guys had that at the same time too that must be like a thing fast and loud yeah that's not what the studio would say that and then the Celestine would say that now like to all the hosts we're just like just project that's our thing but we're nice but we're not like we're just like yeah just fast and loud I bet it does anyway

I mean, vibes are incredible. Vibes are incredible. They really were. I mean, from home. They were nice. Yeah. They were nice. Are you watching every week? Not every single week, but I try, you know, what sort of got me back into the, was Alice being old enough to, and like wanting to stay up and watch it. But she was not home last night because she was at the cast party for her own high school musical. What are they doing? Well,

the prom. She killed it. They all killed it. They were all great. That sounds like a tour de force opportunity. Oh, really? Oh, that's even more. Oh, that's beautiful. I love that. I know. It was super cute. Of the prom. Okay, so that is a hilarious idea to think about someone playing Dee Dee as like a child. By the way, this girl killed

Oh, I wish I had video for you because she killed it. I bet. Oh my God. That's the... People are like, if you could do one role, what would it be? I'm like, I know it'll never happen, but I'd love to do Dee Dee in the prom. I had to do drag for the show I was in last year. And like, I put this little wig on like a little, you know, side swoop, like not exactly Catherine Zeta, but in the world. And I was like, I think I am Dee Dee. I know I am. You're Dee Dee. You know, Jeff, my husband, Jeff. Yeah. Yeah. So he...

often brings up that like back in musical theater, like major college, you take makeup class and part of makeup class was always like you had to do drag or whatever. Like you had to like do a gender swap with your makeup. And he really likes to brag that he looked, this may be too old to reference for you, but he's like, I was very pretty and I looked like Barbara Mandrell. Oh my God. He's like, I was very pretty. Have you seen photos? Could you confirm? I have not seen photos. Okay, well. You should tell him to put on a face again. I know he's, we'd have to, he has a beard right now, but. Oh, right, right, right, right, right. But I,

He might shave it for the opportunity to show off Barbara Mandrell. Just tell him if he wants a stage, we do something called the Culture Awards every year. He's welcome to come out and give his full Mandrell. And then you can judge whether he still looks like Barbara Mandrell. Barbara Mandrell, also, you're kind of almost there with the drag name anyway. Totally. Mandrell. And then...

This is what I'm saying. This is what we're saying. The opportunity is like a riper and riper. We're not going to judge him. It's going to be like a fucking VMA situation where he knows ahead of time that he's winning the award. We're saying that's the VMA because the Grammys are today. And we're like, we think people don't know if they're going to win a Grammy. But I think, you know, if you're winning like a VMA. Yeah, I bet. Yeah. Because Taylor Swift has changed her. Flight? No. She's changed her Instagram to all black and white. What?

which we believe means there's an announcement coming. And I'm like, well, I wonder if Taylor Swift could find out in advance if she's winning a Grammy. Because if someone could, it's probably Taylor Swift, right? Probably. You don't know what the Oscars, you don't know what the Emmys, you probably don't know what the Grammys. It's not people's choice. No, no, no.

You would know. You've won a ton of these things. They call you before? No, no, no. I feel like I do remember one time with the Golden Globes, like Alec was nominated for 30 Rock and he wasn't. And he was like, can we just call them and ask them if I won? Yeah. Because I felt like with that one, maybe you could have. And I don't think he was able to. And I don't remember if he won or not. But I don't. He was like, surely this one, they'll just tell me if I have to go. And well, I mean. I bet they would. If it's Alec.

Especially the Globes at that time. Oh, by the way, your guys' host, will you guys go back and host again? Oh my gosh, I don't know. It's a shame because we ended, the last time we did it was this weird Zoom one that was a bummer. But we did used to have so much fun doing that. We really did. You guys were the best at it. The Zoom one can't be the period on the piece. That's a tricky one, yeah. Not to put the pressure on. I know, but we could either try to erase the Zoom one or, yeah. Well, NBC doesn't own it anymore. Right. And, you know, me, you, Countess Luann, we work for NBC. Yeah.

You got to. We're Comcast, girl. You don't want to upset Lou, who's in charge of NBC these days. Right? I will say she was on one the other night. She is alive up there. Yeah. That's great. She goes for it. And it's so funny because you watch the early seasons and you're like, this woman's never going to become a cabaret star. And then you go to 54 Below and she was doing covers of Oh, What a Night. How do I ask this delicately? Has she been working on her singing? No.

Because everyone does. It's so deeply- Taylor Swift did. Yeah, you know what? 100%. Here's what I'll say. There is a quality to her voice that I think limits what it can do. Yes, it's low and raspy. It is so low. It's a Bea Arthur. It's a Carol Channing. It's a Channing, yeah. It exists where it exists. And so I think we're picking songs that just the keys are two steps down from what they even are for the men she covers. Yes. But I will say there's something sort of-

She really knows her range. She's matching pitch. 100%. And you're never going to see her like go for the money note. Right. In fact, one time she did go for the money note and it was more like I'm joyfully making a big sound than it is I'm hitting a note. Yeah. It's just about the selling and the delivery of it. Yeah. I think her range being what it is, is the perfect match.

extra dimension to her performance. And I think she knows that now and I think she's like, let me just have fun. Yeah. No, I'm not the best singer. And we're saying this with love, Lou. Well, there's a lot of people who, yeah, if it's like, if you know how to put your show together. Yeah.

And also if people know what they're signing up for. Yes. We were signing up for four red sangrias I found. Yeah. Sangria. I don't know what it was about it that made me feel like this is the drink tonight. Sugar and wine. I don't drink sangria. And this is also what got me really – I make like a quote-unquote famous sangria, winter sangria for holidays. Okay.

It's just so much booze. And I literally was just like, yay. And I realized no one likes it as much as me. But because I made it, I feel it must get consumed. And then you're blacked out on Christmas. And I don't even get drunk like this. It's only when I'm drinking red sangria. NYU, pre-21, if you didn't have a fake, the place to go is Little Italy. You would just order like a...

The House Chianti? The House Chianti. Well, no, you would order like a huge pitcher of sangria. Cottage, too. It got you there. Well, cottage, it's a Chinese restaurant. Do you remember the restaurant? The Chinese place? Yeah, the Chinese place. Yes. So they're long gone now. Two of us and Steph Hsu of everything, Oscar-dominated Steph Hsu would go there in college and get wasted at 19. And drink red wine. What was that? It was worse than two-buck chuck. It was something worse than two-buck chuck. It was like fermented Welch's grape juice. Yeah, 100%. I had my birthday there.

It was like a party of 25 underage kids getting so much of this red wine. So much. But wait, in terms of putting together a show though,

just quickly was it like you and Amy being like what do we want to do do we just want to sit down because it would be easy to just do that I mean we do it all the time right just sit down do a Q&A we did a little test run of like Netflix is a joke yeah yeah yeah it's just mostly a Q&A and a couple little like really undercooked bits and it was easy and fun but we sort of thought like oh we should have a little bit of structure and so we do I feel like this is a really nice little structure I don't know if I should give it away because we may keep touring but like yeah it has sort of like

Four parts. There are wardrobe changes. Oh, love. There are one to four wigs. Yes. Oh, good. Depending on the night. There is a little bit of... Okay. There's a little bit of... Come on. And a special guest. And a special guest. And so the structure, it reminded us of Golden Globes times because we always have, we have such, it's over 30 years that we know each other. Very special. So we do really have a shorthand of like,

What if we go X, Y, Z? Like there's no ego in it. There's like we, and also we both been producing things for a long time. So I do feel proud. I feel like we're giving the white women that come to see us and other people too. But let's not fool ourselves. And 30 something Asian. And beautiful Asian gamut. All are welcome. I feel like we're giving people like what they want. But anyway, but also it's like hopefully a little bit. Yeah.

surprising as it goes along and but the answer is like basically I was on set we were finishing filming the Mean Girls movie in Middletown, New Jersey and we had Amy and I had been working like once a week over Zoom being like talking about what the show could be whatever and then we had from the day I finished and it was a brutal it was a very tiring fast shoot it was like a lot of late nights and whatever and um

So that was, say I finished on like the Monday and then like Saturday, we were like, our test show was in Port Chester. So she came and we had like three or four days. It was very much like the Golden Globes. We were like, okay, we got this, we got this. And we just sort of finished figuring out the show and we've honed it some since, but it is sort of like, you know, when you write stuff and it's born quickly and it just comes right out, it's usually a good sign. And the structure kind of just,

When did you realize there was music to you and Amy? I wonder, because you guys have always been friends. I don't know how true this is, but you were at SNL and put

put her name in their ears and then she came. Yeah, so we started, you know, we were in, we started together at ImprovOlympic. Yeah. Sharna Halpern said to both of us, this girl, you're gonna like this girl. We'll put you on the same team. And we were the only two girls on a team inside Vladimir. Which is a gay porn title? That's what it was named after. A gay porn VHS tape that was on display at JJ Pepper's on Clark and Farway. Oh my God. It's good for them.

I remember we also were like, we named it after that. And then as a team, we're like, we should all watch it once as a group. And then we're like, oh, we watched like the first 10 minutes and then people drifted to other parts of the party, except for like one or two of the straight guys that just hung in. Yeah, right? Code switching. Yes. And so we toured together and then she, and we were both understudies for the main stage and she was 100% the A team and I was the B team. Like, I remember one time Kelly Leonard was like, you know,

so-and-so's going, Dratch, Dratch is going on vacation and Amy can't, she can do all of the nights except one. And I was like, so I get it? And he's like, no, you're going to, she's going to do all the nights except one and you're going to go on one time. And I was like, oh, okay. But, and then she left to go do UCB show in New York. And then, and then I did main stage literally only because she left or I would have been waiting another two years behind her. I was John Glazer's understudy.

Oh wow John Glazer In Pinata for the Bees And he is such like a gender neutral in his comedy that I just like yeah you can just step right in Totally Cause it's all just like wonderful weirdness Um

Matt and I both read for a John Glazer assistant part. And you both. We love you, John. He and his wife listen to the podcast. Oh, they're the best. Yeah, they're the best. I see them on Fire and Smokers in the summer. By the way, I'm actually, I didn't even mean to do this, but I realized I had my merch. Fire Island Pines. Show it, show it. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Go. So then I ended up trying to find

trying to get a writing job at SNL and Adam McKay hired me and I started. And then, yes. So at some point, I guess after the UCB TV show ended, I was like, but would you ever, but would you ever come over here? Would you ever audition? And, and I feel like it was sort of brokered that she was like, basically like, I am not doing three through the door. Like I'm not like I'm too established to come with my characters in my box of wigs. And so it was some kind of

In between, it was more like a camera test. Right. There was something where it was like, I'm not going to work too hard. I see. Yeah. Forever the Enneagram 8. The challenger. Enneagram 8? What is that one? The challenger? What are you? Do you know you? Three. I'm three. I think I'm three. What is three again? The achiever. Oh, now that I know this is a thing, I'm going to become obsessed with it. Amy's obsessed with it. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You need to take the test tonight. Okay, I will. Oh, Amy's an eight. Amy's an eight. Is it one through eight? It's one through nine. Nine. Okay. What's up?

It's nine. I forget what nine is because I don't know a lot of nines. Nine sounds dangerous. What's it called? Like your echo four? What is it called? Wing. Wing four. Wing four. I think I'm wing four and I forget what four is. Oh, this is exciting. Oh, this is going to take over your life. Do you ever dabble in astrology? I know I'm a Taurus. I don't believe so much in astrology because it's random. But why? Which is and again, I'm not.

The Enneagram stuff, it's because I've been on tour with Amy for the last 17 weekends. So we're talking about a lot. But I do put more stock in it because it's based on you answer a million questions. And it's like based on you and what you think and how you react. That's the word, qualitative. Yeah. So with the you and Amy thing, like, would you consider yourselves opposites?

No, we're not opposites. Because it presents us that in the comedic duo, which I guess we've been talking about this a lot being this, but it's funny how you present that and are that. Our personas are opposites, right? Because it's more like I'm sort of tightly buttoned up and then she's more like

little like Boston dirt bag, but we're both actually pretty bossy. But yeah, I just, to answer your question, like when did I realize that we're sort of more powerful together? I remember before like Jimmy, I was doing an update with Jimmy and then he left and I was felt very abandoned because I was like, he left, like he left. We had a good thing going. And I did tests with other people and stuff. And then Lauren was doing that. And I think he was like, what do you think? Like leaving it sort of up to me. And there was a part of me that was like,

oh God, I think I'm supposed to want to do this by myself. Right. Like that's the power move. And, but I was like, but I'm a sketch person. I'm not a standup. You wanted a partner. Right. And at the very like last minute, I remember I was coming back. This is too much information. I was coming back from a train trip from Washington, DC, where I had weirdly and presciently taken a photograph for like,

cover of, I don't know what. Oh, is it the John McCain thing? With John McCain, like in 2000, whatever, but way before 2008. And I had to make the decision on the Amtrak ride back. And I called Amy and I was like, would you do me the great honor of being my wife? And then it just worked from there. And I think by the time the Globes and the Hillary and Sarah, all of it all, it just was like, oh, people do like us together. A hundred percent. Yeah. That's the music to it that you're

asking about. Yes, I mean, I just, because it feels like, again, it feels like that thing that always was, but there had to be a time when it was decided.

Like, oh, yeah, this feels really good. Yeah. And I think that's like just feels like the synergistic thing that must have always been. Right. You know what I mean? I mean, it kind of has been for a long time. Maybe the credit goes to Sharna. I mean, it sounds like it sounds like. Yeah. But like in terms of you guys building out the structure for the show for Restless Leg, like that is interesting to hear about because I feel like with Globes, it was you guys looking at the established structure of like what an award show looks like and then being like, let's go out.

with mustaches and be like nominees for dog president. A movie called Dog President. Oh, Dog President. Like, form breaking. Like, I was like, I remember just watching, I was with my friends watching that first year of the Globes and just being like,

Oh my God. This is incredible. - This was also the joke structure they handed to you guys, which they don't do anymore, which as a woman who dot, dot, dot in a dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot,

Who looks terrible until the end. Who looks terrible even now. Yeah. Matt Rogers, dog president. Yeah. The things I think we knew from, like, I felt that we brought producer brain to the table, we were like,

Front load it. Yes. Don't come out. And I've watched other war shows since where I've been like, oh, no, no, no, my darling. Yeah. At the end of like the Oscars, don't come out at like 1050 with a long ass bit. No, no, no. Everyone's tired. Everyone who's still in the room has lost. Yeah. Get out of there. Yeah. So like front load it. Don't go too long. Right. Work the room. And also literally just like say who you are.

and remind people how they know you. I feel like we had just training from SNL of just watching a million monologues. That's the Lauren thing of like, okay, most times you're going to be in the cold open in a monologue and before update, that's above the fold in terms of newspapers. It's common sense to us, but it's also things that I guess people don't think of all the time and that's okay, but it's also like,

I feel like the biggest boon of working there is to like see a different version of, let's just say like fame every week. And then to be like,

oh, I can behaviorally adjust myself based on what I'm witnessing. Which of these paths seems like a good path? That sounds weird to say. So speaking of like the famous of it all, I wonder like you've probably met everyone at this point, but then you're in the Golden Globes room and it's literally like, is there anyone who throws you off?

That is a great question. I have to say, after so much time at SNL and also just being 53, where you're just like, I don't care. Yeah, right. And you've seen so many waves of culture and you're like, guess who used to be a big deal and isn't anymore? Whoever you are, it will pass, right? And also having had to go make crazy phone calls and have crazy meetings and be like, I've had to do things like,

Can you call Mariah Carey and ask her for the rights to, you know, this song? And once you've done like, I don't know if I can think of a person that I'd be like, you're such a big deal. Because even Oprah has been your colleague. I have met Oprah. Yeah. I mean, I'm one of the most iconic. So there you go. But the winning over Mariah is huge.

Because you got her with Mean Girls and you have her for life. She loves Mean Girls. She loves Mean Girls. I know and I love her. Wrote a whole song about it. One of her best songs. Yeah. To our... I'm so obsessed with me. Do you like the new... Do you like the new... The Renee and Megan song? Love it. Love it. It's all I'm listening to. Do you like it? I listen to it all the time. Do you like it? Renee is a real one. A real star. She's a real star. A real star. She came on this podcast and it's like...

Her voice in that movie. Were you at the Jimmy Awards when she won? I was at the Jimmy Awards. Do you know this? You were at the Jimmy Awards? There. Me, Joel Kim Booster, Brandon Scott Jones, Matt Whitaker. We were cruising. Oh, no. We were there. And then Renee came out. And then Laura Benanti was hosting the whole thing and being like, and just on stage, Laura Benanti saying like, if I had the confidence of that girl, I would have no problems. And it was just, you could tell from that night. Yeah, she's a star.

It was just sick. And the kid that won was Andrew Barthelman. Andrew Barthelman. The Jennifer Lawrence movie, No Hard Feelings. Yes, and Evan Hansen, right? Evan Hansen. That was a big year for the Jims. Yeah, yeah. The Jimmys of the future. 100%. The other thing that I loved about Renee on SNL was her live vocal was right up front in that mix. Right up front. Right in the zone. Mm-hmm.

Totally. You could hear it was live. Yeah. 100%. It was great vibes. And then at the after party, she was like, I don't do like big spaces. I was like, you're so cool. Great Americans. Great Americans.

I'm Bowen Yang from Las Culturistas. Intuit QuickBooks wants you to achieve your dreams of starting your own business and working for yourself. And if you're a small business owner launching a company, then you'll want to check out Mind the Business, small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks. Season one and two are out now and season three is launching Thursday, January 9th, with new episodes coming out every other Thursday after that.

Thank you.

I think it's time to move on. Shall we move to I Don't Think So, Honey? Okay, so this is the segment, Tina, where we take one minute to rant and rave against something in culture.

And I'm going to get a little specific, and I apologize to you in advance. Oh, no. But I think you need to make some changes. Oh, God. I know, but don't be scared. Okay, okay. This is Matt Rogers. I don't think so, honey. About me, I guess. Time starts now. I don't think so, honey. Bo and Yang, no deodorant in your dressing room. Oh, get out. Because I think it's a staple, right? I don't need it. I don't need it, babe. My thing is I needed it. And remember that you have guests. Yes.

And some of them are going to be in that hot little stuffy dressing room. Your dressing room is stuffy. And I'm turning around and as I said before, no, not a deodorant in sight in my apartment. Only Axe, which I didn't find until this morning. I feel like Bowen, we need to rethink and restock your dressing room with the essentials. 30 seconds. Because there's a lot of...

fancy good whiskey and no deodorants, no nothing that's going to actually get us to the end of the day, the end of the week. Oh. Because it was smelling in there and I apologize to you, but you had a lot of men in your dressing room last night and it stank by the end of it. And I'm telling you, like, I just couldn't believe you didn't have your little essentials. You do have a lot of good cologne. I do. Which is better than Axe by a second. Okay, but I'm just saying, like, in terms of the sweat and the antiperspirant, you could be doing better. I don't think so. And that's one minute. Okay.

I had Tums available for our friend Dave because he had an upset stomach. Yeah. I have so many other... This is the thing about working at SNL that I'm never going to get over. You could have had the worst week ever.

professionally, not the worst week, but just a rough week at the show. It feels bad. And then you still have to host your friends and make sure they have ice and get drinks for them. I'm like, this is the thing that I don't love. And then your aunt and uncle are coming to take them to the party. And you're like, oh, it's a light show for me. I will say I did check myself when, I think it was a couple years ago, a few of us were in your dressing room just having a time. And I think it was a week where you were having a hard time. You came and we were just like...

What do you mean? Just because like you don't want to be like, woo! Like, come on, get them up on our level when it's like, I am at work still. And I do respect that. I'm sorry, I didn't have deodorant. I'll get. I just felt bad because I reeked. You needed to have a little basket like in a wedding reception ladies room with like mints.

Oh, yeah. I have Grothers Pastilles. I'm going to get mints and deodorant. He does have Grothers Pastilles. Does everyone know where you got the Grothers Pastilles? Yeah, and tampons. Yeah, and tampons. Cynthia Erivo gave me Grothers Pastilles. Cynthia Erivo gave him the best singer lozenge in the world. Yeah, it's great. It's great.

I.O. Debris. Also, Big Brother's Pastils. Big Brother's Pastils. Yeah, she had them at all the greats. Well, I'm sorry. I will do my best to... No, I'm kidding. I just didn't want to smell so bad. That's okay. And also, I'm being a little like... I'm erring on the side of caution. I don't think it's funny because I got absolutely dragged for the one I did last week, which was people should not be...

riding Taylor Swift so hard for the private jet usage. Because you don't want her to ride commercial. I saw that. And you're like, what is she going to fly? Is she going to be in the Delta lounge? Yeah. I was teasing everyone and the girls absolutely dragged me. Because I'm harmful. No, no, no, no, no. I'm harmful. You're the real problem. I'm the real problem. Apologize to everyone. I've got one. Okay, bone you. I might be biting my hand. Oh, baby. We'll see.

We'll see. This is Bowen Yang's I Don't Think So Honey as time starts now. I Don't Think So Honey, my co-host doing ads for The Tiger's Apprentice now streaming on Paramount Plus and naming off the cast list, Henry Golding, Greta Lee, Sandra Oh, Michelle Yeoh, but no mention of Bowen Yang. I didn't. I normally don't mind. Okay. But I...

It's my own podcast. I'm giving Paramount a platform. I saw Mean Girls in theaters four times. I went to go see Mean Girls the musical in 2024. I'm a supporter of Paramount, of CBS, of Viacom. I've had many wonderful experiences with Viacom, CBS. And I...

I can't even get a damn mention in the ads and the promo material for this movie that I had a great time doing. I play Sidney the rat. 15 seconds. The movie where the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac team up to fight an evil in San Francisco. Oh. Michelle Yeoh plays the villain. Oh,

A mutual co-worker with our guest, Tina. Thank you for doing that. Paramount, please put me in the damn credits. And that's one minute. I personally like to apologize for not improvising in the ad that you were in. But I don't think... But, deadass, you did not know that I was in that movie. No, deadass, I do know that you're in the movie, but you know what it's like to do ads, and this is sort of a peek behind the curtain. It usually happens at the end of a podcast when you just want to leave. Yeah, I know. And so you're like, coming soon to Paramount Plus. It's going to be everyone but Bowen. All right, see you later, everybody. I...

I apologize. I didn't go to the mat for you. When I Love That For You came out and we were doing Answer I Love That For You, I made sure to really make your name an emphatic part of that. I just expected better from you. I expected better from you. It's really horrible. Can you imagine if Amy said that to you?

if your best friend and coming to partner said I expected better from you on the air oh my gosh that's rough that's rough no I expect better from myself I'm sorry and from now on I will always say your name I'll sneak your name into projects you're not even in thank you and then maybe just like and you have deodorant for me let's have each other's backs more in the future because there's a magic here and there's a music here I've always known it that's an equivalent exchange you're the Tina and Amy of your generation you know what don't don't

Should we host the Globes? By the way, yes, you should host the Globes together. That room is going to be like, who the fuck are those guys? No, they wouldn't do that. Two Joe Coys. They're like, who? They're like, who is that guy? They would be like, it's Joel Kimbooster. Because that keeps happening to you guys. And Zachary Quinto. No, but you really should do that because together is so much more fun. I would only do it with someone with you.

I'm throwing our name in there. I was like, yeah, we're going to do it. And Bowen was like, no, not the Globes. And I was like, well, I think they're back. I think now we know they're back. You know what I mean? Yeah, they're back. Yeah. Okay. Are you ready for this? I think so. Okay. So I will say I was like, I was kind of sweating this because I...

Again, 53, I have nothing but opinions. I have violent opinions about everything, but I'm also constantly afraid of getting in trouble. Do you want to audition some? No, I think I'm in an okay area now, but also I do have backups if we do it and you'd be like, no, do a different one. If we're like, no, you'll get crucified for that. I was thinking about my own fear of crucifixion and it led me to...

My choice of topic. Okay, here we go. Okay, so, and I may look at my phone because I'm old. You have to, you have to. This is Tina Fey's I Don't Think So, Honey. Time starts now. I don't think so, honey. Bowen Yang giving his real opinions about movies on this podcast. I regret to inform you that you are too famous now, sir. I know. What's going to happen? You having a problem with salt burn? Shh.

Quiet luxury. Keep it to yourself because what are you going to do when Emerald Fennell calls you about her next project where you play Carrie Mulligan's co-worker in the bridal section of Harrods and then Act 3 takes a sexually violent turn and you have to pretend to be surprised by that turn.

You have to have a clean paper trail. Nothing negative. Everything everyone does is amazing. You hang out with Ariana and Spongebob. Now that is your life. Okay. And Matt Rogers, I can tell you, you got about one year left. And then you, yes. Learn from my mistakes. Learn from IO. Podcasts are forever. Authenticity is dangerous and expensive. I don't think so, honey. This is actually, that's one minute. And that is so real. Wow, that's an all time.

Alzheimer's. And you know, they're starting to come for us, the people that listen to this, and like, they don't say their real opinions. And it's like, yeah, I don't think that...

Anyone needs that. But sometimes I can't help it. It gets harder. I know. I bet it does. And then they're also digging through our stuff being like, well, there was a period when they didn't like Taylor Swift. Yeah, there was actually a period where they didn't like them. So to hear them be so sycophantic now is really crazy. They call us bootlickers. I'm like, you guys, it's a walk doing this. And it's a dangerous dance. Yes. And it's impossible. It's really crazy because the fact is we do have strong opinions about almost everything. And that's what people...

want and why it's authentic, but also what do I do when Emerald calls? What are you going to do when? Yeah. But I personally, and I cannot expect this of everyone. If someone's not a fan of one thing that I've done,

If someone was like, I didn't love Fire Island, I'll be like, no problem. I'll still be in a sketch with you. I'll still like take a meet. Yeah, but if Emerald Fennell, if I'll still take a meeting. If Emerald Fennell had gone on a podcast and absolutely destroyed Fire Island and said, this is bad. I didn't get the performances. And Emerald Fennell said the words, I don't think Bowen Yang has ever pulled it off. You would feel crazy. I would feel crazy. But I'd be like, that's, I was like, no problem. But she's entitled.

That emerald. I forgot my one note that I didn't get to as the bottom was going to be. Listen, I don't expect you to stand with Dave Chappelle at good nights. I'm not a monster. I'm not crazy, but I do need you to hug Mark Cuban like he is your long lost father. Like Jimmy did. And also, why did Jimmy do that? Why was Jimmy hugging Mark Cuban like they won the Super Bowl together? Jimmy was so happy. I know, but Jimmy was so nice and he sent me milk bar cookies. Well, that's why Jimmy's the best because he's capable of joy. Oh my God, no. And we need that. And I was...

By the way, people are like reading me for like in the Barry Gibb talk show sketch, like looking agitated. I was like, no, I was like playing in the sketch and being like, oh, there's the guests are supposed to be like a little perplexed. I was like, you guys. But that was...

Honestly, though, this is a genuine question. How would you do this podcast? You know what I mean? Like, if you're us, how would you continue to do this podcast, which started in 2016 when we thought there's no way anyone will ever listen to it even once. And we sort of established this thing of like, we see things, we talk about it, we're honest, we have our little fun with things in the pop culture. And then all of a sudden that does become hard because someone who might be a dear sister to you might be,

Right. I mean, I do think you guys are thoughtful and gentle. And if you say you don't like something, it's not just like just to be jerks. You know, you obviously were very thoughtful about those movies, but it does become a thing where it's like, oh, do you want to be people who keep it real and have their podcast forever? Or do you want to be goddamn movie stars? There you go. What about the former?

Then go, then, then I think we're doing amazing. But like my, like my, my trail of mistakes lives behind me. Like fucking Jacob Marley's train, like just chains of shame. Like I, from like, oh, I'll just use this real name from my high school in New York. Like, and then hit this person like that wasn't even, like,

it just like, I liked their name. Like it's nothing to do with them. Yes. And then I'm like, that's a level of shame. And you hear they're now going impatient because of what you've done. I mean, God forbid. And then like, just, and then like update jokes that you're like, I'll do it. I don't care. And then you're like, oh, right. And then, yeah, like so many kinds of, of these mistakes that you're like, why did I? Right.

Right. Especially the thing with the Ayo thing. It's like, so someone like J-Lo is so famous and has been so famous for such a long time that literally everyone in the world has said something probably incredibly positive and negative about her just because that's like a colloquialism almost. And so for her to get dragged so much for this, not only do I think it's like uncool, but I'm like,

Guys, this is not a Pandora's box you want to open of let's dig up everything everyone said on the internet. No kidding. It will be an apocalypse. That sketch was like, why did you say it? That was funny too. That was great. They threw that line in after Friday, after that news broke. It was just...

fortuitous or the opposite in terms of like it's IO and JLo being on the same bill for SNL like that's the only reason yeah that's but that's like even that is just like guys it's just I don't think anyone's gonna stand by every single thing they've ever said and it is tough and then when a lot of people do start listening there is a weird rub and so like honestly that I don't think so honey comes at a really interesting time because I'm thinking about it a lot I

catch it all the time and like I honestly also sometimes I only ever think don't take my opinion seriously I'm like a dummy with a podcast like I'm just trying to have fun with this but people do take it very seriously that's not up to you and that's not up to me and also like however and I've never heard I've literally never heard from like an artist or anyone that's done anything out there and said what you said on your podcast really hurt me but like I don't know it

if I were to hear that, I would definitely certainly feel bad. Right. Like, I don't want anyone to feel anything but good after having listened to it, but it is a thing. Yeah.

That was a good impartment. You've imparted on us. I've imparted. It's been so long since we've been imparted on. Open a window. We imparted in here. Oh, yeah. To be imparted in this way. We needed it. Well, this was just a joy and a half. Oh, what a delight to talk to you. I enjoyed the podcast so much. Thank you for even saying that. And I just mean like truly like this was wish fulfillment for us to say the least. To even have you here and even know who the hell you are. Absolute pleasure.

Oh my gosh. We love you. We love you a lot. And oh, by the way, get tickets to the show. Is it all sold out? The Beacon might be sold out. We have some, we still have a show coming in like Seattle. Thank you for knowing that. In Portland, there might still be tickets because we have to go back because the city froze and we had to cancel the show. But everyone who was mad on Twitter, if you couldn't get to the show that still happened, you can, I think you can get tickets. Like we're not, we're doing the right thing. So everyone...

Calm down. Calm down. We're doing the right thing. It's real culture number eight. Calm down. We're doing the right thing. That's just generally applicable. And then let me see. What else should I be a professional about? Oh, yeah. Girls by Vava. Meredith Scardino's amazing show. Oh, it's so good. All three seasons come to Netflix. So you can see Bowen Yang. You can see so many wonderful people. I believe March 14th. I hope I'm right about that. March 14th. One of our dearest friends, Matt Whitaker.

Oh, the best. I love Matt Whitaker. I still text with him sometimes. He's a big... We saw Appropriate the other night on Broadway together. He's a great theater-going friend. Yes, he is great. Yes. He sees everything. He sees it all. And then...

Mean Girls 2024. My mom and aunt saw it the other night and their review was this. We loved it. You know, it was different because it was a musical. And I said that. Yeah, that was one of the ones that I was like, oh, I can't do this and I'll get to be like, I don't think so, honey. Little Broadway cunts complaining about two

lines of revenge party when I bring you fucking Rene Rapp. I bring you Ali Iqbalo, Jaquel Spivey. This is why we can't have nice things. Avantika. Avantika. She showed up to the after party yesterday. I was like, she did? I was like, that's fucking, that's her. Yeah. When the real, the original movie came out, she wasn't born. No, this is, see, and I wonder if that's going to happen is like now we're going to start watching it and it's going to look like in terms of fashion, like really dated.

And I'm going to be like, oh my God, no, it's becoming the clueless of it all. Where you watch Clueless now and you're like, oh, can you imagine wearing that? It's going to be like that so soon. No, no, but for me, like the fashions of those movies are like Frozen and Amber. You know what I mean? Because they're all back now. If you walk out the room looking like Sharon Dion, you'll get the coolest bitch at the party. It's not even the loop back around. It's just like, that just kind of looks cool in the world of the movie. Anyway. Okay, we end every episode with a song.

It's not my fault. You can't have it. Sing only with me. It's not my fault. Now, who wouldn't want to fall in love with me? Are you off book? No, I don't know. Okay, well, you should be off book. You should be off book. Readers, bye. Las Culturitas is a production by Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and iHeartRadio Podcasts. Created and hosted by Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. Executive produced by Anna Hosnier and Hans Sani. Produced by Becca Ramos. Edited and mixed by Doug Bame and Monique Laborde. And our music is by Henry Kaburski.

Hey everybody, it's me, Matt Rogers, letting you know tickets are on sale now to see me on tour. The Prince of Christmas tour, that is. I'm doing my whole album, Have You Heard of Christmas, plus a lot more with the whole band all throughout December. Go to www.mattrogersofficial.com to see me in a city near you.