The history of Saturday Night Live is filled with tales from some of the funniest individuals in the entertainment world, and it appears as though almost every well-known cast member has stories about how challenging it can be to get material ready for weekly episodes. One might not expect this problem to affect Mike Myers, one of SNL’s most successful alumni so far, but the Shrek actor shared that he would often fall into a depressed state due to cut sketches, and he attributes Conan O’Brien with helping him overcome this feeling.
As a die-hard film fan, I found myself thrilled to see Myers back on SNL for the 50th season during the 2025 TV lineup, portraying Elon Musk. In a fascinating roundtable discussion with Colin Jost, Marcello Hernandez, and Sarah Sherman at Variety, the conversation veered towards the ease of dress rehearsals for regular cast members versus guest hosts. However, when Sarah and Marcello suggested that it might be simpler for seasoned players, Myers respectfully shared his contrasting perspective, expressing:
“I personally find guest hosting more challenging than regular rehearsals.
Instead of feeling energized during dress rehearsals, I find myself feeling drained and anxious. However, if my sketch makes it into the final show, I’m all excited! It’s the anticipation of being part of this week’s performance that gets me pumped up. In the past, when my sketch was cut, I used to fall into a period of sadness or despair.
While not every dress rehearsal sent Mike Myers into deep emotional lows, as not every week saw his sketches being discarded. However, there were enough times that such unfavorable emotions have lingered with him till this very day.
I’m grateful that during my six-year tenure (1989-1995) on Saturday Night Live, I didn’t have to go through what Conan O’Brien did in his preceding year. Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator, had brought Conan onto the writing team the year before, and even though he was only there for three years, it was a groundbreaking and inspiring chapter in SNL’s history.
SNL Alum J.B. Smoove Wrote A Wild Sketch For Johnny Knoxville, And Urine Was Involved
Conan didn’t just stick with comedians he met throughout his career; he also inspired others to be more lighthearted, spontaneous, and resilient to failure. In the realm of late-night television, no one mastered self-deprecating humor like Conan does.
What ultimately seemed to lift Mike Myers from his usual slump related to pitch ideas for SNL was this specific thing, as he himself explained it this way:
One week, I found myself working alongside a relentlessly tough host who pushed me to my limits. I was a hot mess, but when a sketch got cut, Conan quipped, “Perfect. Everything’s going according to plan.” It earned a huge laugh, and I couldn’t help but wonder, “Can you really be this upbeat? Don’t you have to be downhearted?” Through his example, he showed me how to adopt the mindset, “Alright. It’s not the end of the world.
It’s unclear if Mike Myers was referring to Steven Seagal, a celebrity often criticized as the worst “SNL” guest host of all time and one of the least funny performers in sketches, or one of the other notoriously bad hosts who have been discussed. Regardless, that awful encounter did result in at least one positive outcome: it motivated O’Brien to brush off similar temporary setbacks, which in turn inspired Myers to do the same.
It’s worth noting that Conan O’Brien parted ways with SNL in 1991, primarily due to exhaustion from his professional commitments and a troubled personal situation involving a broken engagement. However, he has remained a prominent figure in TV, through late-night talk shows and travel series, which underscores the importance of finding humor amid hardships.
At the moment, we don’t know who will step into the roles of hosts and musicians for Season 51, but keep an eye out for further announcements as well as the exciting return of a certain ogre when the spectacular Shrek 5 arrives in cinemas in December 2026.
Read More
- How Angel Studios Is Spreading the Gospel of “Faith-Friendly” Cinema
- Hero Tale best builds – One for melee, one for ranged characters
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Comparing the Switch 2’s Battery Life to Other Handheld Consoles
- Castle Duels tier list – Best Legendary and Epic cards
- Mini Heroes Magic Throne tier list
- EUR CNY PREDICTION
- 9 Most Underrated Jeff Goldblum Movies
- Kendrick Lamar Earned The Most No. 1 Hits on The Billboard Hot 100 in 2024
- Pop Mart’s CEO Is China’s 10th Richest Person Thanks to Labubu
2025-06-17 18:40