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Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'People Made Fun Of It For A Long Time Afterwards.' Seth Meyers And Former SNL Writer Get Real About One Sketch Lorne Michaels Absolutely Hated
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Throughout the history of Saturday Night Live, there have been some truly iconic sketches to be filmed at Studio 8H. 'James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub,' 'More Cowbell' and (the viral) Beavis and Butt-Head' sketches are among the most famous. While a number of the show's vignettes may manage to penetrate the cultural zeitgeist, there are some that maybe don't receive as much attention years after they air. As it turns out, there's actually at least one sketch that series EP Lorne Michaels hated. Seth Meyers brought up an interesting relic from SNL's past during a recent installment of The Lonely Island with Seth Meyers podcast. During the chat, he asked his co-hosts if they remembered the 'Lamps' sketch, which was performed when Hugh Laurie hosted in December 2008 amid Season 34. Meyers reached out to former head writer Rob Klein about the skit, which involved singing lamps, to receive his and co-writer Andy Samberg's 'side of the story,' and Klein didn't hold back when sharing his recollections via voice note: I think Andy wrote the title, and we wrote the first page of it before we had any idea that the lamps were going to sing. So, at a certain point, Andy, as a lamp, just started singing, and we were having a blast. Little did we know that the sense of fun was going to soon be replaced by one of the darkest weeks of my professional life. Well, that last sentiment is certainly spine-tingling. 'Lamps' isn't available alongside the best SNL clips on YouTube, but it can be streamed as part of the whole episode with a Peacock subscription. The segment focuses on a lamp store populated by lamps (Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig and Hugh Laurie), who come to life and sing once the shopkeepers (Fred Armisen and Michaela Watkins) have left for the day. In this instance though, the owners catch them lamps, who then go to extreme measures to maintain their secret. Peacock TV: from $7.99 a month/$79.99 a year EVERY season of Saturday Night Live is available to stream on Peacock. To access them, you can pay as little as $7.99 a month. There's also the option to pay more for Peacock Premium. With that tier, you can enjoy ad-free streams and the option to download titles to check out offline. View Deal Rob Klein explained that the sketch was pitched during a week in which there were plenty of excellent sketch ideas on the board. Adding to that pressure was the fact that fellow writers were apparently already 'pissed off' by the title of the bit. And, if that weren't enough, the big man in charge also took issue with the concept: Soon, I find out no one is angrier about the sketch 'Lamps' than Lorne Michaels, who I thought picked it, so I'm not sure what happened. But I came in the next day, on Thursday, for rewrites. And I remember [producer Michael] Shoemaker telling someone, 'Yeah, Lorne can't tell about this one, this one thing in your sketch.' And they're like, 'Oh, does he just not want to do this sketch?' And Shoemaker's like, 'No, the sketch he hates is 'Lamps.'' And he looked at me, and he's like, 'Yeah, Lorne hates 'Lamps.' He doesn't think it makes sense. He doesn't understand why the lamps are singing. More on Andy Samberg Why The 'Special 50 Years In The Making' Tagline For SNL's Anniversary Was Frankly Hilarious, According To Andy Samberg Lorne Michaels has historically never been one to mince words when it comes to the creative direction of the long-running NBC show, whether it be cast changes or the handling of politically driven bits. As has been revealed, Michaels previously even disliked recurring segments on the show, though he later changed his mind on that. I can't even imagine being in Rob Klein and Andy Samberg's shoes when it comes to 'Lamps.' Michaels was evidently curious (or worried) about its reception and even uncharacteristically watched the blocking for the sketch. Against all odds, though, the sketch made it to air. It wasn't exactly easy for the actors, as they had to wear the hefty lamp costumes. Still, Rob Klein said 'Lamps' is one sketch 'we'll never live down.' After he finished playing the voice note, Seth Meyers made a comment about how Andy Samberg still feels the effects of the sketch today: I think Andy has real 'Lamps' trauma because people made fun of it for a long time afterwards. Despite how the creatives behind the sketch feel about 'Lamps,' it's still a part of Saturday Night Live history. And that's whether or not Lorne Michaels likes it or not. For more recent sketches, though, you can check out new episodes of SNL, which air on Sundays at 11:30 p.m. ET as part of the 2025 TV schedule.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SNL stars name their favorite sketches
NEW YORK, N.Y. (WSAV) — Legions of comedic talent have paraded through NBC's Studio 8H, whether as cast members, writers or hosts of 'Saturday Night Live.' As the sketch show marks its 50th anniversary with a host of celebration, its cast members and alumni look back on their favorite sketches and the enduring legacy of 'Saturday Night Live.' FAVORITE SKETCH: 'The Wizard of Oz' 'There's a 'Wizard of Oz' one that we did that actually John Mulaney wrote, where there's like this new footage of 'Wizard of Oz,' of a character that got cut out of a movie, and it's a weather vane,' said Armisen, who played Weathervane alongside Anne Hathaway's Dorothy. 'Something about it, I just I really love that sketch.' FAVORITE SKETCH: 'Everything is amazing,' the current cast member said, but she seemed to hope the anniversary special would see a reprise of 'The Californians.' 'All of it are sort of 'pinch me' moments and I feel like it'll be even bigger than the 40th,' she said of the upcoming special. FAVORITE SKETCHES: 'More Cowbell,' with Christopher Walken fixated on adding that signature sound to Blue Öyster Cult's 'Don't Fear the Reaper.' Forte named a few, but 'Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer' was another favorite. Then, of course, there's Adam Sandler's classic 'The Chanukah Song.' 'I hadn't seen 'The Chanukah Song' in a long time. … It just happened to be on the other day,' said Forte, who was freshly reminded: 'It's so good.' FAVORITE SKETCH: 'More Cowbell,' perhaps a universal favorite. 'I think 'Cowbell' would work if English was your like 10th language. … I think that's a safe pick,' he said. 'It's Will Ferrell at the height of his powers. … It's an all-time host Christopher Walken doing a thing that only Christopher Walken could do.' (Of the last 12 months, Meyers is also partial to Nate Bargatze's 'Washington's Dream' sketches.) WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: To Meyers, who now hosts 'late Night in Studio 8G, 'Saturday Night Live' is like sports. It's live. No one knows what's going to happen. 'It's so beautifully uneven. I've always said the worst show has something great and the best show has something terrible,' Meyers said. 'And there's no there's no host that can guarantee consistency. … If you laid all the Alec Baldwin-hosted episodes out there, there's a huge gap between the best one and the worst one. And there's no real reason to explain that, other than just everybody sort of had a bad week.' FAVORITE SKETCHES: 'Haunted Elevator,' with Tom Hanks as the spooky-yet-goofy David S. Pumpkins; 'Calculator Christmas Gift,' where Fred Armisen and John Malkovich have their odd holiday wish list fulfilled; 'Tennis Talk with Time-Traveling Scott Joplin,' which is somehow exactly what it sounds like. 'David Pumpkins always comes to mind as just, like, the weirdest thing we ever got on. And I love the idea of future generations trying to figure it out, as well,' said Moynihan, who added that he was drawn to 'amazing, weird sketches.' FAVORITE SKETCHES: 'Toilet Death Ejector,' an infomercial flogging an 'elegant' solution to avert the indignity of dying on the commode, and 'Monkey Trial,' featuring, yes, a monkey but not one on trial — one presiding over it. 'Those are two quality Simon Rich premises executed,' said Mulaney, who wrote the former with frequent collaborators Rich and Marika Sawyer and the latter with Rich. Both sketches date to Mulaney's hosting stints. FAVORITE SKETCH: 'Plato's Cave' from the Not Ready for Prime Time Players era, where Steve Martin plays a beatnik, and 'The Swan,' a parody of a 2000s reality show. 'I remember seeing there was a horrible reality show called 'The Swan' where they did this massive plastic surgery on people. And I think they did a parody of that with Amy Poehler and a bunch of other people. And it was the first time I'd seen her and I was like, 'My God, this girl is so good,'' Newman said. 'But as far as our show, I think that this one sketch called 'Plato's Cave' or the beatnik sketch, is, I think, a really good representation of our show. And it's the whole cast.' WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: There's a long list of people responsible, she says, but atop that list? Show creator Lorne Michaels. 'The fact that the show has remained relevant is because of the approach that Lorne has, which is that he always has new people, whether they be writers or performers with new perspectives and original ideas and characters,' Newman said. 'And that's, I think, what moves the show along in terms of tone and relevance.' FAVORITE SKETCH: 'What's Up With That?' a recurring series with Kenan Thompson as a game show host. 'Part of the reason I put it in there is because I feel very proud of the group, the generation I came up on and through the show … both on camera and behind the scenes,' Sudeikis said, noting the 'real wild' cameos like Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: It has good people, and they know where the line is. 'We work with brilliant people. I think we all have a pretty solid sensibility, where we kind of know where the offense is and we work really hard trying not to tread in places that are uncomfortable or whatever without warrant,' the longtime cast member said. 'But at the same time, I can't please everybody and we're still trying to like, like lighten the mood, if you will. So, you know, we're doing that as long as we're not like overly stepping — like if you step on a toe, you say, 'I'm sorry. Excuse me.' Then that should be OK. … We should be able to just move on and continue to explore or continue conversations that may or may not be uncomfortable. That's kind of our job.' WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: At its heart, it's a variety show. 'I think with a show like 'SNL,' we have the latitude to be a little variety show and give you different sensibilities and different parts of that, different perspectives. I love it,' the current cast member said. 'It's a very pluralistic place for comedy because it's one of the last places where you can sort of have a grab bag of different kinds of stuff.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
'Saturday Night Live' stars name their favorite sketches and reflect on show's legacy
Legions of comedic talent have paraded through NBC's Studio 8H, whether as cast members, writers or hosts of 'Saturday Night Live.' As the sketch show marks its 50th anniversary with a bevy of celebrations, its cast members and alumni look back on their favorite sketches and the enduring legacy of 'Saturday Night Live.' Fred Armisen, cast member 2002-2013, one-time host FAVORITE SKETCH: 'The Wizard of Oz' 'There's a 'Wizard of Oz' one that we did that actually John Mulaney wrote, where there's like this new footage of 'Wizard of Oz,' of a character that got cut out of a movie, and it's a weather vane,' said Armisen, who played Weathervane alongside Anne Hathaway's Dorothy. 'Something about it, I just I really love that sketch.' Chloe Fineman, cast member 2019-present FAVORITE SKETCH: 'Everything is amazing,' the current cast member said, but she seemed to hope the anniversary special would see a reprise of 'The Californians.' 'All of it are sort of 'pinch me' moments and I feel like it'll be even bigger than the 40th,' she said of the upcoming special. Will Forte, cast member 2002-2010, one-time host FAVORITE SKETCHES: 'More Cowbell,' with Christopher Walken fixated on adding that signature sound to Blue Öyster Cult's 'Don't Fear the Reaper.' Forte named a few, but 'Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer' was another favorite. Then, of course, there's Adam Sandler's classic 'The Chanukah Song.' 'I hadn't seen 'The Chanukah Song' in a long time. ... It just happened to be on the other day,' said Forte, who was freshly reminded: 'It's so good.' Seth Meyers, cast member 2001-2014, former head writer, one-time host FAVORITE SKETCH: 'More Cowbell,' perhaps a universal favorite. 'I think 'Cowbell' would work if English was your like 10th language. ... I think that's a safe pick,' he said. 'It's Will Ferrell at the height of his powers. ... It's an all-time host Christopher Walken doing a thing that only Christopher Walken could do.' (Of the last 12 months, Meyers is also partial to Nate Bargatze's 'Washington's Dream' sketches.) WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: To Meyers, who now hosts 'Late Night' in Studio 8G, 'Saturday Night Live' is like sports. It's live. No one knows what's going to happen. 'It's so beautifully uneven. I've always said the worst show has something great and the best show has something terrible,' Meyers said. 'And there's no there's no host that can guarantee consistency. ... If you laid all the Alec Baldwin-hosted episodes out there, there's a huge gap between the best one and the worst one. And there's no real reason to explain that, other than just everybody sort of had a bad week.' Bobby Moynihan, cast member 2008-2017 FAVORITE SKETCHES: 'Haunted Elevator,' with Tom Hanks as the spooky-yet-goofy David S. Pumpkins; 'Calculator Christmas Gift,' where Fred Armisen and John Malkovich have their odd holiday wish list fulfilled; 'Tennis Talk with Time-Traveling Scott Joplin,' which is somehow exactly what it sounds like. 'David Pumpkins always comes to mind as just, like, the weirdest thing we ever got on. And I love the idea of future generations trying to figure it out, as well,' said Moynihan, who added that he was drawn to 'amazing, weird sketches.' John Mulaney, writer 2008-2013, six-time host FAVORITE SKETCHES: 'Toilet Death Ejector,' an infomercial flogging an 'elegant' solution to avert the indignity of dying on the commode, and 'Monkey Trial,' featuring, yes, a monkey but not one on trial — one presiding over it. 'Those are two quality Simon Rich premises executed,' said Mulaney, who wrote the former with frequent collaborators Rich and Marika Sawyer and the latter with Rich. Both sketches date to Mulaney's hosting stints. Laraine Newman, cast member 1975-1980 FAVORITE SKETCH: 'Plato's Cave' from the Not Ready for Prime Time Players era, where Steve Martin plays a beatnik, and 'The Swan,' a parody of a 2000s reality show. 'I remember seeing there was a horrible reality show called 'The Swan' where they did this massive plastic surgery on people. And I think they did a parody of that with Amy Poehler and a bunch of other people. And it was the first time I'd seen her and I was like, 'My God, this girl is so good,'' Newman said. 'But as far as our show, I think that this one sketch called 'Plato's Cave' or the beatnik sketch, is, I think, a really good representation of our show. And it's the whole cast.' WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: There's a long list of people responsible, she says, but atop that list? Show creator Lorne Michaels. 'The fact that the show has remained relevant is because of the approach that Lorne has, which is that he always has new people, whether they be writers or performers with new perspectives and original ideas and characters,' Newman said. 'And that's, I think, what moves the show along in terms of tone and relevance.' Jason Sudeikis, writer 2003-2005, cast member 2005-2013, one-time host FAVORITE SKETCH: 'What's Up With That?' a recurring series with Kenan Thompson as a game show host. 'Part of the reason I put it in there is because I feel very proud of the group, the generation I came up on and through the show ... both on camera and behind the scenes,' Sudeikis said, noting the 'real wild' cameos like Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. Kenan Thompson, cast member 2003-present WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: It has good people, and they know where the line is. 'We work with brilliant people. I think we all have a pretty solid sensibility, where we kind of know where the offense is and we work really hard trying not to tread in places that are uncomfortable or whatever without warrant,' the longtime cast member said. 'But at the same time, I can't please everybody and we're still trying to like, like lighten the mood, if you will. So, you know, we're doing that as long as we're not like overly stepping — like if you step on a toe, you say, 'I'm sorry. Excuse me.' Then that should be OK. ... We should be able to just move on and continue to explore or continue conversations that may or may not be uncomfortable. That's kind of our job.' Bowen Yang, writer 2018-2019, cast member 2019-present WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: At its heart, it's a variety show. 'I think with a show like 'SNL,' we have the latitude to be a little variety show and give you different sensibilities and different parts of that, different perspectives. I love it,' the current cast member said. 'It's a very pluralistic place for comedy because it's one of the last places where you can sort of have a grab bag of different kinds of stuff.' ___
Associated Press
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
‘Saturday Night Live' stars name their favorite sketches and reflect on show's legacy
NEW YORK (AP) — Legions of comedic talent have paraded through NBC's Studio 8H, whether as cast members, writers or hosts of 'Saturday Night Live.' As the sketch show marks its 50th anniversary with a bevy of celebrations, its cast members and alumni look back on their favorite sketches and the enduring legacy of 'Saturday Night Live.' Fred Armisen, cast member 2002-2013, one-time host FAVORITE SKETCH: 'The Wizard of Oz' 'There's a 'Wizard of Oz' one that we did that actually John Mulaney wrote, where there's like this new footage of 'Wizard of Oz,' of a character that got cut out of a movie, and it's a weather vane,' said Armisen, who played Weathervane alongside Anne Hathaway's Dorothy. 'Something about it, I just I really love that sketch.' Chloe Fineman, cast member 2019-present FAVORITE SKETCH: 'Everything is amazing,' the current cast member said, but she seemed to hope the anniversary special would see a reprise of 'The Californians.' 'All of it are sort of 'pinch me' moments and I feel like it'll be even bigger than the 40th,' she said of the upcoming special. Will Forte, cast member 2002-2010, one-time host FAVORITE SKETCHES: 'More Cowbell,' with Christopher Walken fixated on adding that signature sound to Blue Öyster Cult's 'Don't Fear the Reaper.' Forte named a few, but 'Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer' was another favorite. Then, of course, there's Adam Sandler's classic 'The Chanukah Song.' 'I hadn't seen 'The Chanukah Song' in a long time. ... It just happened to be on the other day,' said Forte, who was freshly reminded: 'It's so good.' Seth Meyers, cast member 2001-2014, former head writer, one-time host FAVORITE SKETCH: 'More Cowbell,' perhaps a universal favorite. 'I think 'Cowbell' would work if English was your like 10th language. ... I think that's a safe pick,' he said. 'It's Will Ferrell at the height of his powers. ... It's an all-time host Christopher Walken doing a thing that only Christopher Walken could do.' (Of the last 12 months, Meyers is also partial to Nate Bargatze's 'Washington's Dream' sketches.) WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: To Meyers, who now hosts 'Late Night' in Studio 8G, 'Saturday Night Live' is like sports. It's live. No one knows what's going to happen. 'It's so beautifully uneven. I've always said the worst show has something great and the best show has something terrible,' Meyers said. 'And there's no there's no host that can guarantee consistency. ... If you laid all the Alec Baldwin-hosted episodes out there, there's a huge gap between the best one and the worst one. And there's no real reason to explain that, other than just everybody sort of had a bad week.' Bobby Moynihan, cast member 2008-2017 FAVORITE SKETCHES: 'Haunted Elevator,' with Tom Hanks as the spooky-yet-goofy David S. Pumpkins; 'Calculator Christmas Gift,' where Fred Armisen and John Malkovich have their odd holiday wish list fulfilled; 'Tennis Talk with Time-Traveling Scott Joplin,' which is somehow exactly what it sounds like. 'David Pumpkins always comes to mind as just, like, the weirdest thing we ever got on. And I love the idea of future generations trying to figure it out, as well,' said Moynihan, who added that he was drawn to 'amazing, weird sketches.' John Mulaney, writer 2008-2013, six-time host FAVORITE SKETCHES: 'Toilet Death Ejector,' an infomercial flogging an 'elegant' solution to avert the indignity of dying on the commode, and 'Monkey Trial,' featuring, yes, a monkey but not one on trial — one presiding over it. 'Those are two quality Simon Rich premises executed,' said Mulaney, who wrote the former with frequent collaborators Rich and Marika Sawyer and the latter with Rich. Both sketches date to Mulaney's hosting stints. Laraine Newman, cast member 1975-1980 FAVORITE SKETCH: 'Plato's Cave' from the Not Ready for Prime Time Players era, where Steve Martin plays a beatnik, and 'The Swan,' a parody of a 2000s reality show. 'I remember seeing there was a horrible reality show called 'The Swan' where they did this massive plastic surgery on people. And I think they did a parody of that with Amy Poehler and a bunch of other people. And it was the first time I'd seen her and I was like, 'My God, this girl is so good,'' Newman said. 'But as far as our show, I think that this one sketch called 'Plato's Cave' or the beatnik sketch, is, I think, a really good representation of our show. And it's the whole cast.' WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: There's a long list of people responsible, she says, but atop that list? Show creator Lorne Michaels. 'The fact that the show has remained relevant is because of the approach that Lorne has, which is that he always has new people, whether they be writers or performers with new perspectives and original ideas and characters,' Newman said. 'And that's, I think, what moves the show along in terms of tone and relevance.' Jason Sudeikis, writer 2003-2005, cast member 2005-2013, one-time host FAVORITE SKETCH: 'What's Up With That?' a recurring series with Kenan Thompson as a game show host. 'Part of the reason I put it in there is because I feel very proud of the group, the generation I came up on and through the show ... both on camera and behind the scenes,' Sudeikis said, noting the 'real wild' cameos like Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. Kenan Thompson, cast member 2003-present WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: It has good people, and they know where the line is. 'We work with brilliant people. I think we all have a pretty solid sensibility, where we kind of know where the offense is and we work really hard trying not to tread in places that are uncomfortable or whatever without warrant,' the longtime cast member said. 'But at the same time, I can't please everybody and we're still trying to like, like lighten the mood, if you will. So, you know, we're doing that as long as we're not like overly stepping — like if you step on a toe, you say, 'I'm sorry. Excuse me.' Then that should be OK. ... We should be able to just move on and continue to explore or continue conversations that may or may not be uncomfortable. That's kind of our job.' Bowen Yang, writer 2018-2019, cast member 2019-present WHY 'SNL' ENDURES: At its heart, it's a variety show. 'I think with a show like 'SNL,' we have the latitude to be a little variety show and give you different sensibilities and different parts of that, different perspectives. I love it,' the current cast member said. 'It's a very pluralistic place for comedy because it's one of the last places where you can sort of have a grab bag of different kinds of stuff.'
Los Angeles Times
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How do you create 200 costumes a week? ‘SNL' designer Tom Broecker takes us behind the scenes
NEW YORK — The first thing you are likely to wonder about Tom Broecker, who has spent more than 30 years as the costume designer at 'Saturday Night Live,' is whether he ever sleeps. Indeed, he does — but not much. Broecker says he averages about five hours a night, and tends to get more shut-eye earlier in the week. But from Wednesday night, when executive producer Lorne Michaels selects which sketches will be moving forward after the initial table read, until the cast waves goodnight on what is technically Sunday morning, it's a mad, sleep-deprived dash. For each episode of 'SNL,' Broecker oversees the team that creates costumes for 12 to 15 sketches, of which 10 to 12 ultimately make it to air. He's played an integral part in the visual language of 'SNL,' shaping its funniest moments, from the ribbed V-neck sweater that clung to Will Ferrell's midsection in the legendary 'More Cowbell' sketch to the shiny rolls of simulated hippo flesh Bowen Yang wore to play Moo Deng on 'Weekend Update' last fall. The job has brought him in close contact with legendary movie stars, musicians, athletes and politicians, and given him a front-row seat for iconic moments in pop culture history. Yet even as the show celebrates its 50th anniversary with a live, all-star special Sunday on NBC, Broecker is not one to spend a lot of time looking back. 'I'm not a nostalgic person. That doesn't mean I don't have feelings — although most people will tell you I don't have feelings,' he says with a wry laugh. 'The trap with nostalgia is that it keeps you in the past. It keeps you in a place of warmth and comfort and this show is not about that. This show is about constantly pushing forward to the next thing. You bring it up, you take it down, you bring it up, you take it down. That is what this show is: ever-evolving, ever moving forward.' This philosophy extends to the hours of labor he puts into countless sketches that never get seen by anyone outside of Studio 8H. After decades at 'SNL,' Broecker has mastered what he calls 'the art of detachment.' 'The art of detachment doesn't mean that you don't do your job 1,000%,' he says. 'It just means you have to learn how to invest without emotionally getting connected to the thing too much.' 'Everything is changing all the time' A few days after Timothée Chalamet's double act as host and musical guest, Broecker is perched in his office at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. A few yards in one direction is Studio 8H; immediately around the corner is the control room. This geographically central location reflects Broecker's importance at 'SNL,' where he has also served as a producer since Season 43. Broecker is 'in all the meetings where decisions are being made,' Michaels says. 'The writers just assume Tom and his team can do anything. They don't know how all that works. They just know if your piece gets picked, go to Tom. He gives it both the visual unity and the brilliance. He's very sympathetic to carrying out the vision of what a writer or a performer is really trying to do.' He not only understands design, Michaels says, but how it can be used to elevate a sketch: 'He'll make sure the comedy has a friend that understands what they're trying to.' The show is dark this week, so the halls are deceptively empty. But Broecker's workspace is brimming with signs of activity connected to the show's 50th anniversary: shopping bags piled under his desk, fabric swatches splayed on a cork board, a rack heaving with garments including the velvet jackets reserved for members of the 'Five-Timers Club.' From an interior window in his office, Broecker's desk overlooks the area known as 'Main Street,' the central corridor connecting the studio to the backstage hive that thrums with controlled chaos every Saturday night. The hallway is lined with seemingly ordinary black cabinets that open to become booths where cast members scramble to get into (and out of) their costumes between sketches. (They each have an assigned dresser to help them.) Some cast members decorate their booths, which are lined with full-length mirrors, like high school lockers. (Yang's booth features a photo of a French bulldog and stickers with line drawings of Patti Smith and John Lennon.) 'Most of us like routines. They are helpful to us especially when everything is changing all the time,' Broecker says of the booths. Broecker sheepishly admits he wasn't always a huge fan of 'SNL.' He vaguely remembers watching the episode hosted by Madonna in 1985, but otherwise, 'I grew up on Carol Burnett,' he says. He started on 'SNL' as a production assistant in 1986, with a cast that included legends in the making such as Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks. After a few seasons, he left to study design at Yale, then returned to the show in 1994. He's remained there since, with occasional side hustles on projects like '30 Rock' (where he also did some acting, playing a costume designer on 'The Girlie Show') and 'House of Cards.' Over the decades, technology has made some aspects of his job easier. When he first worked at 'SNL,' one of his regular tasks was going to the New York Public Library on Thursday morning to conduct research for the costume designer. Now, he can pull up visual references with a quick Google search. Other technology, like 3D printers, have made it possible to re-create items like vintage belt buckles that prove impossible to find. There's a centralized digital archive where, with a few clicks, he can look up any sketch performed in the live show or dress rehearsal since 1975. But over the years, the show has also grown more ambitious and production values have soared. There is now a film division that creates cinematic pretaped segments in a matter of days. When he first worked at 'SNL,' the costume department consisted of four people. Now there are more than a dozen people on the design team alone. His work begins in earnest on Wednesday nights. The read-through ends around 8 p.m. Then, executive producer Michaels whittles a pile of 40 or so sketches down to about 15 — maybe 10 that everyone agrees on, plus another five outliers. Around 10 p.m., once the picks have been made, Broecker and his team will confer with the writers to come up with ideas for costumes. He often sketches directly on the script pages, which he prefers to print out even though they're distributed on iPads. 'That's when it all really begins to take shape,' Broecker says. From sketch to diner lobster On a massive whiteboard in the wardrobe department is a grid listing the sketches for the week and who's starring in them. If a cast member is slated to appear in a sketch, there's an X under their name. Red ink indicates they're playing a real person (e.g. Lionel Richie); blue signifies a recurring character. On Thursday, he gets in around 7:30 or 8 a.m. and does a breakdown of the costumes for each sketch before a 9 a.m. meeting with his team. They spend most of the day assembling the looks for the week — shopping at stores like Macy's or Bloomingdale's, renting from high-quality vintage houses, creating looks from scratch, or pulling garments from the show's vast costume closet. Much of Broecker's work involves figuring out how a costume can enhance a joke instead of overwhelming it. Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places. Back in 2018, Broecker was pulling together looks for a celebrated 'Les Misérables' musical parody in which Kenan Thompson plays a lobster in a New York City diner who pleads to be spared from a customer who wants to eat him. Figuring out the head piece and the lobster hands was a particular challenge for Broecker. He was at Chelsea Market, the popular foodie destination, on Friday afternoon when it dawned on him: 'Isn't it easier just to see the actual thing in person?' So he bought a steamed lobster, with a side of melted butter, and brought it back to the office. That way, he says, 'Everyone could have a taste of lobster before we dissected it to see exactly what the color looked like, how the antennae go out and how the eyes interface.' Friday brings additional rewrites and costume fittings that can end after midnight. Saturdays are predictably crazy. At 12:30 p.m., there's a tech dress rehearsal, which is the first time the host gets to run through their sketches with wigs, costumes and specialty makeup. It goes until about 5:30 p.m., and is followed by more fine-tuning. 'We usually work through dinner,' Broecker says. Then it's time for dress rehearsal at 8 p.m. with a full audience in studio. After that, three more sketches usually get axed. During the live show, Broecker tends to hang out near the control room so he can track any additional changes and disperse the relevant information to the cast and their dressers. 'Sometimes a cast member will be in either one sketch or another, so they're not sure whether they should be in this outfit or that outfit,' he says. The show wraps at 1 a.m. Then it's back to work on Monday, with a new host, whose acting ability and artistic sensibility can have a huge impact on the episode. Ariana Grande, who hosted 'SNL' in October, was a standout, Broecker says. 'She's an amazing variety performer and she loves just doing all different kinds of things.' Broecker and his team created roughly 200 costumes for the episode, including a ruffled collar and breeches Grande wore to portray a traumatized castrato and a prosthetic bustline for her turn as Jennifer Coolidge. (Sadly, a Judy Garland homage and a 1910s-set sketch were cut.) Because of the relentless pace of 'SNL' and constant on-the-fly adjustment it requires, 'I always feel secure if we have a host who's done theater, even high school theater,' Broecker says. Where the magic lives On the ninth floor of 30 Rock is the costume storage room Broecker calls the 'land of magic' — a vast space lined from floor to ceiling with racks of clothing and accessories, sorted by era and type ('period sleepwear,' ' '80s/'90s long-sleeved shirts,' 'rocker shorts') 'I tend to not let people up here,' he says. 'This gives you a sense of the scope.' Broecker regularly pulls items from the magic room, but leaned on this cache especially hard during the height of COVID-19, when many bricks-and-mortar stores in New York City were closed. 'This became invaluable. This is how we were able to do the show,' he says. Broecker estimates that in any given week, about 60% of the costumes come from contemporary shopping. Broecker believes in destiny when it comes to buying for the show, often scooping up items that will come in handy years later. 'When I am out [shopping], if I see something, there's a reason I'm seeing it,' he says. 'At that particular moment, the universe is telling me, I need that. Buy it!' Once a cast member leaves the show, their costumes are boxed up, logged in a database and sent to a warehouse in Brooklyn. 'There are things we're still uncovering,' Broecker says, pulling a red and black chevron-striped bathing suit from a rack. It was worn by Gilda Radner in a sketch with Carrie Fisher in 1978, but is in pristine condition. Karen Roston, one of the original costume designers on 'SNL,' had it in storage at her home for decades. 'I nerded out so badly because I didn't know this was even around anymore,' he says. By his own admission, Broecker is particularly fond of the women of 'SNL.' He gets emotional as he talks about creating a beaded, asymmetrical bodysuit for Kristen Wiig in 'La Maison Du Bang!' a spoof of kitschy European variety shows. 'Kristen is a goddess,' he says. 'I know people always talk about the boys of 'SNL' but if you look at the comedy of 'SNL,' it's really [about] the women. They are so special. Not that the guys aren't special. But the women, I think, are amazing.' For Broecker, 'SNL' is a collective effort. 'The only reason we can do what we do in every department is we have the best people in New York City,' he says. By way of example, he recalls how they were able to track down Lin-Manuel Miranda's original 'Hamilton' costume for a recent cameo by the star. A costume supervisor at 'SNL' had previously worked with 'Hamilton' costume designer Paul Tazewell on 'West Side Story' and gave him a call. Through Tazewell, they learned that the costume was in a warehouse upstate. Soon enough, an assistant was in a car to retrieve it just in time for broadcast. 'That's the sort of seamless magic that this place does,' Broecker says. 'And that's why I say — I'm gonna tear up — there's no place like it.'
