Darrell Hammond Pays the Stern Show a Visit

Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” star Darrell Hammond came in to promote his new play, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

Howard asked Darrell if he was still married. Darrell said he wasn’t sure and admitted he’d married his wife twice. Howard was surprised that Darrell wasn’t sure about the state of his marriage, and asked Darrell when he negotiates his contract for the next season of “SNL.” Darrell said negotiations were coming up soon.

Artie Lange predicted Darrell might be asking for anywhere between $20,000 and $100,000 per episode, but Darrell played it coy.

At Howard’s request, Darrell did impressions of Pee Wee Herman, Jesse Jackson, Popeye, Porky Pig, Barney Fife, Ted Koppel, Sean Connery, Bill Clinton, Jay Leno, and Tony Soprano. Darrell said it took him five years to hone his “Jesse Jackson,” which Artie declared was his favorite.

Darrell remarked that he’d broken his nose three times because he “used to drink a lot.” Howard asked Darrell why he wore so much black, and Darrell said he was honoring a friend who died.

After Darrell did his Jay Leno impression, Howard claimed Jay was a robot, as he doesn’t seem to have a soul. Howard noted that Darrell looked uncomfortable, and Darrell said he was nervous about the Jay Leno discussion because he doesn’t want any enemies.

Howard pointed out that Darrell had nothing to do with his problem with Jay. After Darrell left the studio, executive producer Gary Dell’Abate said Darrell walked out with a sigh. Artie admitted that as long as Jay hosted “The Tonight Show” he still had a lot of power in the comedy community.