Variety
  • 2 days ago
Famous hosts, musical guests and “Saturday Night Live” alumni turned out in full force for Sunday’s “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” tribute.

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Transcript
00:00I'm wondering what it's feeling like for you to be back here. A lot of former SNL cast members talk about, like, stress and, like, almost like a PTSD feeling. Does that resonate with you?
00:10No. Because I'm gay, I think, I'm back where I belong. You know, I really feel like this is what I love to do. And when I didn't, you know, that season, everyone was let go from season 11.
00:22But I started writing, comedy writing, and I was doing movies, but I wrote Mad TV, so sketch is in my blood. And I wrote and produced that for five years and did another sketch show.
00:32So I was in the writing side, but I didn't work as an actor for ten years when I came out.
00:37Are there any sketches that you hold near and dear that you're hoping to see in some form tonight?
00:42I love my Nancy Reagan in Vegas sketch. I loved kind of needling Nancy Reagan. The Reagans weren't always so much helpful president and first lady to gay people.
00:54So I enjoy doing it. It's a very wild, old-fashioned kind of big musical sketch, so I'm looking forward to that.
01:01Did you ever hear from Nancy or any of the Reagans at the time?
01:04You know, Ron Reagan Jr., yes. And then people would write, Nancy's dead. Who is impersonating me?
01:10I once read in a gossip magazine, they go, someone's going around the country because I went around the country doing a one-man-woman show.
01:17And she goes, there's some drag queen going around the country doing me. And then I said, tell her I'm a character actress. And I'm in check. I'm highly qualified.
01:25So, yeah. So that's it. But no, she would never call or talk to me. I don't think so.
01:30How does it make you feel to like foray into political comedy? Is that like your sweet spot or does that freak you out a little bit?
01:36I think partly it is, but I think now that is kind of, we'll see what comes up. It's almost like, almost inevitable it looks like right now.
01:45So I'm interested to see how comedy is going to change and where it's going to go. Because something makes me, it's telling me it's going to be wilder.
01:53I don't know why, but when the government gets more repressive or it gets more, you know, kind of like, you can't do this. You can't have trans.
02:01Well, I think, you know, that's what people go, really? Well, they push back with comedy. So I bet it's going to be more political than we think.
02:08Have you noticed SNL changing at all in the years since you've been on?
02:13I think, well, more gay people in that lane definitely is filling up. I think that it's very much, they've expanded into different types of people coming on and I think that's cool.
02:26The hosts have been great. They're like kind of hosts that are out like, how did he host the show?
02:31And then sometimes very, I guess, controversial hosts, like Dave Chappelle, but his last, I lost his last monologue and he was better than ever and he was kind of getting off the trans thing, which was good.
02:47Is there a sketch from your time that never made it to air that you're still mad about?
02:53Yes. Ron Reagan Jr. hosted our show and we played two outrageous queens that were house fitting for Nora Dunn at the time.
03:02And we had faggotized her apartment and we threw fairy dust in every corner. We had made it like a gay palace.
03:09And she came home and threw a fit and he was acting as gay, like he was gaying it up, like you would not believe.
03:16And it worked in dress rehearsal. People went crazy.
03:20And then a man came down from the government and said, Ron, you can't do it. You cannot do that sketch.
03:28We're not going to allow it because they didn't want anybody to think he was already a ballet dancer.
03:32And they kept saying maybe he had Doria. So they were feeling that was just too much. It was too far.
03:37But I've always wanted to see it on air and do it.
03:40Did you do it in dress or when did that happen?
03:42In dress. He saw it and scared the you know what out of him. He goes, you can't do that.
03:47And then he made a call and whoever that call was to, maybe the president's daddy, daddy president.
03:53And it was a no go.
03:55Wow. Do you think that Trump would ever host again or should he?
03:59Wow. Well, yes, he has a record in, you know, morality TV.
04:06But I think maybe I think he's very busy changing the entire country into a different country.
04:12So I don't know that he would ever host. I don't know if he ever asked to host.
04:16I don't know if he wants to. You're busy.
04:19Is there a sketch that you're most jealous of that somebody else did that you might have thought, oh, my God, I wish I did that.
04:25Wow. I can't. One does not come to mind right now.
04:29I always say I never feel like that. I always feel like, oh, I'm glad they did it.
04:33Unless I was in Cowbell. Anything with Will Ferrell, I always go.
04:37I wish I read that sketch because I would love to work with him.
04:41My last question. Have you had any fun run ins yet this week now that everybody's in town for the 50th?
04:46Well, I just got I just got here.
04:49So I really it's not I haven't seen anybody yet, but I'm very looking forward to running into a lot of people.