Home / Arts and Entertainment / SNL writers reveal how they handled bombing monologues
SNL writers reveal how they handled bombing monologues
23 May
Summary
- Writers admitted to lying to hosts whose monologues failed.
- They told hosts their performances were for the home audience.
- Fake reasons were given for poor audience reactions.
During a recent panel at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival, former Saturday Night Live writers John Mulaney and Pete Davidson offered a humorous peek behind the curtain of the iconic sketch show. Mulaney, who wrote for SNL from 2008 to 2013, recalled telling Oscar-winning hosts that their opening monologues, which often faltered, were actually successful.
Davidson corroborated these stories, admitting he would assure hosts they "crushed it" regardless of the reality. Mulaney explained that actors often didn't grasp the lack of audience laughter, prompting the writers to advise hosts to "play for the camera." Davidson even confessed to lying about audience demographics, suggesting they were "tourists" who might not understand the humor.
Mulaney also recounted a situation where a "very big comedy star" struggled with his monologue due to being difficult during the writing process. When asked about his performance, Mulaney cited "bad acoustics" as a reason, despite the studio's state-of-the-art sound system.
