Connect with Deadline online!
https://www.facebook.com/deadline/
https://twitter.com/DEADLINE
https://www.instagram.com/deadline/
https://www.facebook.com/deadline/
https://twitter.com/DEADLINE
https://www.instagram.com/deadline/
Category
đŸ˜¹
FunTranscript
00:00Thank you for joining us again at Contenders TV, the nominees this time.
00:09My name is Peter White.
00:10I'm the executive editor at Television at Deadline.
00:13With us now is a comedian who is celebrating 10 years in late night, the swath of Emmy
00:20nominations and an increasing number of celebrity baby teeth.
00:26Before we get into it, let's watch a clip of Seth in action.
00:30And when I say in action, I mean eating ice cream with the president of the United States
00:34of America.
00:35Oh, boy.
00:36Shame on me, by the way, for forgetting the first rule of comedy.
00:40When the Middle East comes up, put your ice cream cone down.
00:45Seriously, cameraman, you didn't want to help a brother out and frame the shot a little
00:49tighter?
00:51Never before in my life has the curb your enthusiasm music been louder in my head than
00:56during this moment.
00:57We're close.
00:58We're close.
00:59We're not done yet.
01:00By the way, this is not the first time this has happened to me.
01:12Eagle-eyed students of history will also note that I was eating ice cream next to Ronald
01:16Reagan when he made his tear down this wall speech.
01:18I was standing next to Nikita Khrushchev at the U.N. during the Cold War.
01:22And I was there at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
01:24I'm the reason for the famous chocolate smudge.
01:28Seriously, you try exhibiting gravitas next to the president of the United States while
01:33licking some honeycomb ice cream surrounded by a group of strangers.
01:37You know, at least to my credit, I had a very suave, super charming ice breaker for all
01:43the customers in the ice cream shop.
01:44Hi, how are you?
01:46Hi.
01:47See you guys.
01:48You like ice cream, too?
01:51See?
01:53See, I don't need writers.
01:56There it is.
01:59There it is.
02:00I think a few on the staff might disagree with you there, Seth.
02:06So politics right now is full of conspiracy theories, right?
02:09I want to run a new one by you.
02:13Yeah.
02:14The week that the president of the United States decides not to run for re-election,
02:19arguably to save American democracy, you and many of your late-night peers decided
02:24to take the week off.
02:26Coincidence?
02:27You know, I will just say, while everyone celebrates how the Olympics bring all the
02:32nations of the world together for their academic competition, no one talks about how it affects
02:38me, how it affects the number one guy.
02:41I mean, we did leave for this Olympic-induced hiatus confident that we would miss massive
02:49news stories.
02:50I don't think any of us expected it to be...
02:53The hiatus hadn't even started yet.
02:55It was Sunday when it happened that we knew that we were going to be just off for three
02:59weeks.
03:00So, you know, like I said, confident we were going to come back to a different world.
03:04Not quite sure we realized exactly how different.
03:08Yes.
03:09Three weeks is a long time in politics in general, let alone at the moment.
03:13Yeah.
03:14Three feels like 30 now, I will say.
03:16I think we're at 10x times.
03:18How would you have addressed it?
03:20How did you feel about it?
03:22You know, I think it would have been both nice to have addressed it the day after it
03:29happened.
03:30But the reality is, I don't think many people...
03:34We all, you know, we have egos, those of us who do things like this, and we think it's
03:37very important for us to have our say, and then ultimately realize how quickly anything
03:42is forgotten with how fast things move.
03:44So while I think it would have been nice to have done the show the Monday after, we
03:50also are pretty confident that by the following Monday, people probably wouldn't have remembered
03:54exactly what we said.
03:56No, that's fair.
03:57President Biden, I feel like he deserves another cone right about now, doesn't he?
04:01Yeah.
04:02I mean, look, I'm incredibly impressed with the act of sacrifice and patriotism.
04:06I genuinely am.
04:08The next cone is on me because I do want the taxpayers to know he did pay for my ice cream
04:14that day.
04:15He definitely expensed that, we both know that.
04:19One of the challenges with the Kamala Harris election campaign and potential presidency
04:25is that it seems like none of you guys have got a particularly good Kamala impression.
04:29Is that fair?
04:30I think that's true.
04:31And I think that's for the best.
04:32I think instincts kick in.
04:34None of us are working on Kamala this week.
04:39But no, it's you know, look, I think it's, you know, anytime it's something new is very
04:45fun.
04:46And I think that's both true for American voters who were maybe a little frustrated
04:50with their choices, as well as, you know, American comedians who are who couldn't believe
04:57they were going through the exact same election, it felt like a flashback none of us wanted
05:02to have.
05:03Yeah, definitely.
05:04Stephen Colbert last night retired his Joe Biden, his old jokes.
05:08But what it does say is it's actually new material, right?
05:12You've got someone new to focus on.
05:14There's a whole new set of jokes to be made, I imagine.
05:18Yeah, you know, look, we're gonna get a new VP.
05:21You know, I don't think any of us have really had time to sink our teeth into J.D. Vance.
05:25So you know, ultimately, it does feel as though a new set of characters is both better for
05:32American democracy, as well as probably the monologues of our nation's great talk shows.
05:38Yes, it's like the Neil, Neil Brennan joke.
05:42What are the clowns think?
05:44Yeah, exactly.
05:45Late Night with Seth Meyers was nominated in the Outstanding Talk Series category a
05:52third consecutive time.
05:53So congratulations.
05:56Last time you were nominated, I think you told me you went out without your phone for
06:00a run.
06:02Yeah.
06:03Did you do anything this time?
06:04Well, this was, you know, that was actually so the first time was the run and then I guess
06:07last year was as well.
06:08But, you know, of course, last year was bittersweet because it was the middle of the strike.
06:13And so it felt less celebratory.
06:15And then what was wonderful about this year is it's the first time, you know, again, there's
06:19only been three, but it was the first time our show got nominated when we were in the
06:23office because we had a show that night.
06:25And I will admit, I was not particularly bullish on our chances.
06:30And I, you know, I found out the best possible way, which is I heard our staff cheer through
06:36my shut office door.
06:38And you know me, Peter, I don't ever want to hear my staff, nor do I ever want to open
06:41my door and engage with them.
06:43No, it was.
06:44No, it was really great.
06:45I mean, I was shocked.
06:47And I know sometimes people doubt the sincerity of someone saying they were shocked at a nomination,
06:54but I really was.
06:55So to walk out and share it with a staff who were really genuinely happy, it was a cool
07:01thing.
07:02And, you know, there have been many years where I found out we weren't nominated in
07:07the early years of our show by hearing the muted curses of our staff through my door.
07:11So I will say this was far preferable.
07:15This suggests that they are watching the nominations and you are not.
07:18That is 100% true.
07:20Yeah.
07:21One of the reasons I believe you, why you might have been shocked, is this year there
07:25was a lot of talk about other shows, Hot Ones was in there, but particularly John Mulaney
07:31presents Everybody's in LA.
07:32Everyone was talking about that.
07:34How did it feel?
07:35Obviously, John's a good friend of yours and briefly was a writer on Late Night with Seth
07:39Myers.
07:40Did that, was there any pressure that, hold on, this fourth spot, if it is not mine, might
07:45be John's?
07:46Well, look, I mean, whether it was, you know, if it had been Mulaney, if it had been, you
07:51know, I did a Paley Center panel with Sean and the team at Hot Ones earlier during the
07:57Emmy voting window, because that show I also think is exceptionally novel.
08:01So look, I, while it personally would have been a drag, I would not have complained if
08:08either of those shows had been nominated.
08:11And it's, you know, for me, as I think it's true of any viewing audience, it's always
08:16cool when someone does something different with the format.
08:18And certainly both of those are really good examples of that.
08:21And you know, again, anytime, like John and I, I think if there's anything we agree on
08:26more than anything else, it's that Richard Kind should be on camera more than less.
08:32Yeah, I agree with that.
08:34He definitely deserves the nomination.
08:37You've had a good year.
08:38We saw there, interviewing the President of the United States.
08:40That doesn't happen very often.
08:42Your day drinking segment has also been gaining popularity.
08:46Hot year.
08:47Hot year for day drinking.
08:48Hot year for day drinking, absolutely.
08:50Recent episodes, you had Dua Lipa, you had Kristen Stewart.
08:54It's much easier to day drink in your 20s and early 30s.
08:59Yeah.
09:00Given that, does that not put you at a disadvantage?
09:03You know, I, look, some of us have a gift, right?
09:06And, you know, it's like a lot of people would say, what's LeBron James doing in the
09:10Olympics at his age?
09:13But some of us, you know, I would like to think that when this is all said and done,
09:17they'll say he was the LeBron of day drinking, you know, right when everybody else his age
09:22was hanging up their cleats, he was still putting them back with the likes of Dua Lipa
09:27and Kristen Stewart, who I think if you ever, you know, off the record, got them to comment,
09:32they would say they were really impressed with this old man and his moves.
09:37I love you noted that off the record, they wouldn't want their names attached to that.
09:40No, I will say I had a wonderful moment.
09:43The first time I saw Lizzo since we went day drinking, I walked over to say hi to her and
09:47she just like gave me like a your trouble finger.
09:51And I do like that.
09:52Ultimately, like as much fun as people have when they see me, I'm just, I'm just a floating
09:57hangover to them now.
09:59Absolutely.
10:00But joking aside, I mean, one of the reasons I have to assume you do it is because it just
10:05adds a different way of doing a celebrity interview.
10:08Yeah.
10:09I mean, you know, and again, you know, I think it has something in common with Hot Ones,
10:15certainly, although, you know, nobody ever has a intervention for their friend because
10:18they eat too many chicken wings.
10:20So there is certainly a difference with day drinking.
10:22But Conan's friends might disagree with you.
10:26Yes, exactly.
10:27I will say that, you know, I think it both, you know, the guest guard goes down a little
10:33bit and it's a lot, you know, it's my guard goes down in a way that is, I mean, the most
10:42scared I am is when I watch a first cut of day drinking because I do have sort of a foggy
10:47enough memory of what happened.
10:49But I'm always worried something happened that I don't remember.
10:52You know, I think it's very in line with everybody's experience with drinking.
10:56But it's still, you know, it's an incredible social lubricant.
10:59And it also, you know, there's a safety element to it because, of course, you're surrounded
11:02by a film crew.
11:05But it's lovely.
11:06And, you know, I think there's never been a case where it's gone worse than we thought.
11:14And almost every single time it's gone better.
11:18Your BFA is being filmed by a major broadcast network.
11:22It's most people's isn't.
11:24Right.
11:26Other big news from the Emmys was Corrections is back in the mix.
11:31You took a year off last year.
11:33We took a year off and, you know, the Academy came to their senses.
11:40It's very funny to me that Corrections would one year would be better than another.
11:43I think this is very much a case of whatever happened to the field of other nominees.
11:48But look, we, you know, I don't have to sell you on it, Peter, but it is still one of my
11:53favorite things about the show.
11:55It's deeply funny to me that it exists.
11:58And it is also really it's so fun that it got nominated.
12:02It's deeply funny that it gets nominated for what it is, essentially, especially when you
12:06go up against certain types of shows that are very much professionally produced or in
12:12a slightly different manner.
12:14Right.
12:15I think a lot more thought goes into an episode of any of the nominees.
12:19I mean, again, a full day's worth of thought goes into Corrections, but maybe that's the
12:25magic of it, is that you are getting to watch a show that was completely conceived of in
12:31the six hours that leads up to it.
12:34And it is very crowdsourced.
12:36It couldn't work without our YouTube commenters and all the nonsense they sort of throw into
12:42the section that bears their name.
12:44But yeah, it is it's it's been a really fun community to build and be a part of.
12:52And it's yeah, it is really fun to be able to tell them all that we got nominated for.
12:58Yeah, absolutely.
12:59I need to ask about Celebrity Baby Teeth.
13:02I mentioned it at the top.
13:03What's going on there?
13:05So Celebrity Baby Teeth, for those who don't know, is a sketch that came up in Corrections
13:09and then I decided, Charles Dickens style, to read one page of it for the course of nine
13:13Corrections.
13:15I think in my head I thought it would be more fun to do.
13:17It's a disaster.
13:18But, you know, once you're pot committed, you're going to finish Celebrity Baby Teeth.
13:22And so I'm very, you know, in August when we come back, everybody will see the conclusion
13:25of a sketch that really I would love to tell you, Peter, stick around.
13:28It really pays off.
13:29But it really doesn't.
13:30It's just going to peter out.
13:32And that's the really the joy of Corrections.
13:34If you did it, if we worked on it six months in advance, we would have cut that part.
13:39But we don't.
13:40We find out in real time what's working and what's not.
13:43Your band, unfortunately, coming to an end on the show, getting an Emmy nomination on
13:48their way out.
13:49That's going to be a little bit bittersweet.
13:52The whole thing is bittersweet, but, you know, as the gratitude I have for any of our nominations
13:58is dwarfed by the gratitude I have for.
14:02You know, the Emmy voters honoring the band and what Eli Jani and Fred Armisen have done
14:08for the last 10 years.
14:09It was really cool and it means a lot to everyone.
14:13It is bittersweet.
14:14You know, we will we have them through August and then, you know, we'll start the new season
14:19without them.
14:20And we're really going to miss them.
14:21You know, it is.
14:22You know, there's so many incredible luxuries about getting one of these shows to host,
14:27but one of them is having a live band that, you know, plays you on and plays you off and
14:31plays during the commercials and, you know, my music tastes align with theirs.
14:36Being able to work with Fred for another 10 years felt like an incredible life hack that
14:39I will I will miss a great deal.
14:42So, you know, we are you know, we feel incredibly fortunate to have had them for a decade and
14:48and also, you know, really, yeah, sad to see him go.
14:51As we head into November, once you're back in August, how are you feeling?
14:55I mean, you and I have talked about this before.
14:58I think we'd all like to be in a position where you didn't worry about the future of
15:02democracy in the country, but you get the sort of nice thing of being able to make jokes
15:07about it.
15:08Yeah, I mean, you know, it is.
15:11I always say it's cathartic to be able to be in front of an audience full of people
15:14that want to hear you talk about it and want to laugh at it with you.
15:19And I certainly feel better.
15:20Look, I feel better than I felt a week ago about the fact that it should look different
15:27than it did four years ago.
15:28And now it does.
15:29And I mean, it's not if I could have picked which candidate would be different.
15:35You don't look and again, I'm very close to the vest about my politics, Peter, so I don't
15:39want to let it loose here on a deadline contender soon.
15:41But certainly, if you said four years ago, there's one of the parties going to have a
15:45different candidate.
15:46This is not what I would have thought.
15:48But again, we live in interesting times.
15:51We certainly do, Seth, but thank you for humoring us while we did.
15:56Seth Meyers, everyone.
15:57Thank you very much.
15:58Thank you so much, Peter.