12 Things We Learned From the ‘SNL’ on Stern Roundtable
"Saturday Night Live" alums discuss the iconic sketch-comedy show with Gary Dell'Abate and Jon Hein
February 10, 2025
Fifty years of comedy greatness were represented recently when cast members from all five decades of “Saturday Night Live” joined Gary Dell’Abate and Jon Hein for a special “SNL on Stern Roundtable” that aired on Howard 101. In conjunction with the variety show’s 50th anniversary, original Not Ready for Primetime Player Laraine Newman and current star Mikey Day were joined by alumni Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, Ana Gasteyer, Chris Kattan, and Bobby Moynihan in what amounted to an in-depth, freewheeling, and hilarious conversation.
“It’s so much fun to hear comedians who work on ‘Saturday Night Live’ talk about the process,” Howard said on Monday morning’s Stern Show before announcing SiriusXM was set to air an encore performance of the roundtable later that evening. “It’s a great special hosted by Gary and Jon,” he added.
Check out just some of the many takeaways and highlights (below) and watch the full special here.
1. Ryan Gosling had second thoughts about the ‘Beavis and Butthead’ sketch
After pitching the idea to Mikey Day to show up to his movie premiere dressed as their “Beavis and Butthead” sketch characters, Ryan Gosling looked at Mikey in full costume asking last minute if it was a dumb idea. The sketch wound up killing, of course, and quickly went viral.
2. Catchphrases follow them for life
Kevin Nealon still has fans yelling for Hans and Franz during his standup sets, while Ana Gasteyer heard someone yell “Schweddy balls!” from the stands while singing the national anthem at a World Series game.
3. COVID changed the show forever
Current cast member Mikey Day revealed that the legendary weekly pitch meeting in Lorne Michaels’ cramped office was permanently moved to Studio 8H after the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. There was a female renaissance in the ‘90s
Female performers were often relegated to short character-driven appearances on Weekend Update before Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon, and Cheri Oteri proved they could anchor watercooler-worthy sketches just as well as the guys.
5. Comedy runs in the family for Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan’s father, Kip King, was an original member of the Groundlings comedy troupe in Los Angeles, alongside original “SNL” cast member and Groundlings co-founder Laraine Newman.
6. Going HD was a nightmare for the makeup team
Bobby Moynihan’s fourth episode of “SNL” was the first ever broadcast in high definition, sending the makeup team in a tailspin because viewers could suddenly see each seam in the bald caps and every crack in the makeup on screen.
7. The best ideas come at 4 a.m.
During a bout of writer’s block in the middle of the night, Mikey Day and Bobby Moynihan invented the iconic Halloween mascot David S. Pumpkins for host Tom Hanks in a sketch they said “never should have worked.”
8. ‘SNL’ had a very famous fan
Ana Gasteyer was a childhood friend of President Jimmy Carter’s daughter and remembers a late night at the White House seeing President Carter laughing at an episode of Dan Aykroyd lampooning him.
9. Pee-wee Played a Nazi
Original cast member Laraine Newman hired her Groundlings friend (and future Pee-wee Herman star) Paul Reubens to play a Nazi in a short film produced during “Saturday Night Live’s” early seasons, and that’s apparently how Reubens first earned his SAG card.
10. An electrician greenlit a recurring character
Jon Lovitz said an electrician working in producer Lorne Michaels’ office told the executive producer that Lovitz’s character Tommy Flanagan the Pathological Liar was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. That inspired Michaels to bring back the liar as a recurring character, resulting in the memorable catchphrase, “That’s the ticket!”
11. ‘SNL’ still gives them nightmares
Former cast member Ana Gasteyer and current cast member Mikey Day still have anxiety dreams about not being able to see the cue cards or being unable to find the stage during a live show.
12. The writers work in secret Howard Stern references
Mikey Day and Bobby Moynihan took their Howard Stern fandom to the next level by sneaking subtle Stern Show references into their sketches as a nod to the King of All Media. Baba Booey! Baba Booey!
