Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

Episode: Andrew Santino: Pete Davidson Edged Him Out But Peyton Manning Put Him On

Release Date: November 20, 2025
Guest: Andrew Santino
Notable Co-hosts/Guests: Bobby Lee
Main Theme:
A wild, riff-heavy deep-dive into the comedy grind, behind-the-scenes SNL stories, stand-up vs. acting, the slow rise and sudden explosion of the "Bad Friends" podcast, and the realities of making—and surviving in—Hollywood comedy, all punctuated by fast-paced banter, impressions, and candid industry insights.

Episode Overview

Comedians Dana Carvey and David Spade, joined today by Bobby Lee, welcome fellow comic and podcaster Andrew Santino. The episode covers Santino’s career trajectory – from almost joining SNL (edged out by Pete Davidson) to working with Peyton Manning on his special "White Noise", the challenges and joys of stand-up, the state of comedy in Hollywood, and the organic rise of his hit podcast "Bad Friends". The conversation weaves through impressions, self-deprecating humor, comedy history, podcasting culture, and what makes live comedy uniquely irreplaceable.

Key Discussion Points

1. Comedy Special "White Noise" and Working With Peyton Manning

• Santino’s new special "White Noise" is out on Hulu, produced by Omaha Productions (Peyton Manning’s company).
  • "Peyton loves comedy. You’ve seen... he did great on SNL. I think he wanted to get more into comedy, so his production studio—what if we start producing comedy? It just kind of was a natural." – Santino [29:02]
• Title meaning:
  • "I named it 'White Noise'... Because I'm white. I'm making a lot of noise." – Santino [12:47]

2. The SNL Near-Miss

• Santino recalls his SNL audition, years ago, testing alongside Dan Soder and Pete Davidson.
  • "The final three were me, Dan Soder, one of my closest buddies, and Pete Davidson. And I think you know how that went." – Santino [39:14]
• Describes meeting with Lorne Michaels:
  • "We talked for, like, an hour about nothing... Chicago, other than SNL. And then he was like, 'I can't use you now. I think you're going to have a great career. I don't think you're the puzzle piece I'm looking for.'" – Santino [40:16]
• Accepts the outcome with humor:
  • "They’re going to pick this malleable, cute kid whose dad died in 9/11 vs. a vulnerable, redheaded..." – Santino [40:45]

3. The Rise of "Bad Friends" Podcast

• Santino describes the unlikely, organic growth of "Bad Friends", created with Bobby Lee:
  • "We started the show after Bobby got out of rehab when his dad died... It was a big point of contention of our relationship. I put him in rehab because I was concerned about him." – Santino [67:25]
  • "And no joke, but Covid, thankfully, hit, and people were at home, and you were already doing it. Within the first three months of us doing that show... the show exploded because people were at home, sad, weird, and bored." – Santino [68:22]
• On the show's success:
  • "That show is just the most fun I've ever had. Super fun to watch. Great chemistry. It’s stupid. It’s dumb." – Santino [69:12–69:17]
  • "No, we're bigger than Conan. For sure. I think most weeks, we're number four or four to six." – Santino [69:24]

4. Stand-Up Versus Acting – The Modern Comedy Landscape

• Santino prefers stand-up to acting:
  • "I like stand-up way more than I like acting. I like acting just fine. The jobs aren't coming...acting is a weird... Hollywood's so weird right now." – Santino [23:58]
• Discussing the difficulty of getting comedy movies made now, compared to years ago:
  • "When's the last time you saw a comedy in the theater?" – Santino [24:34]

5. The Changing Scale of Comedy—Arenas, Clubs, and Fan Culture

• On the move to stadiums:
  • "I do pretty well on the road...Theater tour... like 1,500 to 2,500. Chicago Theatre is like 4,000, that's home for me... but to start getting into the 5, 6, 7,000 seats, it's a different sport. I'd rather like tight, intimate venues where almost every seat is a good seat." – Santino [59:46–61:18]
• Discusses performing at large venues and the difference in crowd energy:
  • "In big rooms, you're up against the ceiling. They're looking at you on a mega screen. There's no energy back." – Santino [61:03–61:13]

6. The Realities of Comedy Specials: Transcendent or Just Good?

• The group considers if any stand-up specials really stand the test of time:
  • "There's only been about four or five specials that comics have done that transcend time. Almost every special is... you're funnier than your special. Every comic live is better than their special." – Santino [31:27–31:42]
  • "Louie is a... Mount Rushmore. I think he's one of the greatest that ever touched." – Santino [32:10]
• The fleeting nature of comedy:
  • "A throwaway line that you didn't... It's esoteric. Or it's something you didn't even like that much." – Santino [45:17]

7. Impressions, Rhythm, and Comedy DNA—The Artistry

• Extended riffing on impressions: Trump ("it's probably the best, maybe the best"), Biden, Scooby-Doo, Casey Kasem.
  • "Sometimes you just quote Trump. You do not need jokes. That's never happened in history." – Bobby Lee [07:00]
  • "I did not know that, you know, that was one..." – Carvey channeling his classic SNL impression [16:08]
• The comedians reflect on the rhythms and mannerisms that become comedic touchstones, referencing Don Rickles, Stan Laurel, Johnny Carson.
  • "Don Rickles is the funniest comedian of all time on some level...when he wasn't doing that because he would just do rhythm jokes that made no sense at the show started." – Bobby Lee [49:33]

8. Satire, Friendship, and Crossing the Line in Comedy

• Bobby Lee and Santino explain their dynamic on "Bad Friends"—how boundaries are pushed, but it's all in good fun:
  • "You can say anything as long as there's no vitriol below it... They just know. America's smart enough to know the difference." – Santino [47:00]
• Bobby Lee praises Santino's ability to get away with racial jokes because of their friendship:
  • "You get away with stuff about him being Asian and most people can't touch that. So you get a lot of great jokes..." – Spade [46:30]
• Santino acknowledges Bobby's genius at deadpan reactions, adding comic tension.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On SNL Auditions:

  • "The final three were me, Dan Soder, one of my closest buddies, and Pete Davidson. And I think you know how that went." – Andrew Santino [39:14]
  • "I can't use you now. I think you're gonna be... I don't think you're the puzzle piece I'm looking for." – Lorne Michaels to Andrew Santino (recounted by Santino) [40:16]

• On Stand-up vs. Specials:

  • "Every comic is funnier than their special. Every comic live is better than their special. I don't care who it is." – Andrew Santino [31:42]

• On Breaking Out Through Podcasting:

  • "We started the show after Bobby got out of rehab when his dad died...and no joke, but, like, Covid thankfully hit, and people were at home, and you were already doing it...the show exploded..." – Santino [67:25, 68:22]

• On Racial Comedy & Friendship:

  • "You get away with stuff about him being Asian and most people can't touch that." – David Spade to Santino [46:30]
  • "You can say anything as long as there's no vitriol below it." – Santino [47:00]

• On The State of SNL:

  • "I'm not part of the bullshit narrative. It's such a narrative of like, they're too this, too that...when you're like, 'I don't like these sketches,' it's like, because it's not for you." – Santino [41:19]
  • "Its audience is usually younger than you. So when you're like, I don't like these sketches, it's like, because it's not for you." – Santino [41:37]

• On the Comedy "Rhythm":

  • "But it's a great—it's the rhythm and the rhythm...the rhythm is good." – Lee & Santino on Don Rickles [49:49–49:51]

• On Theatre versus Arena Comedy:

  • "I'd rather like tight, intimate venues where almost every seat is a good seat." – Santino [61:13]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:04] – Discussing "White Noise" special, frustrations of stand-up tapings
• [11:58] – Impressions riff: Trump, Biden, and Trump’s rhythms in American speech
• [23:49] – Stand-up vs. acting, state of Hollywood comedies, why Santino left acting behind
• [31:27] – Which comedy specials endure, and why comics are always funnier live
• [39:14] – Santino's story of almost joining SNL, meeting with Lorne, losing to Pete Davidson
• [46:09] – Podcast dynamics: “Bobby Mom”, pushing lines in comedy with trust
• [59:46] – The current arena boom: Santino on playing to big crowds vs. intimacy of clubs
• [67:25] – The creation and sudden explosion of "Bad Friends", pandemic as accelerant
• [69:24] – Podcast chart rankings, outgrowing Conan, "immature" compared to Rogan/Call Me Daddy
• [70:05] – Reflections on podcasting’s rewards compared to “anything else I’ve ever done”

Overall Tone and Style

A loose, affectionate, irreverent roundtable. Santino slots in with Spade, Carvey, and Lee, keeping up with their blend of quick-witted humor, insider stories, showbiz cynicism, and goofball energy. Impressions are dropped casually and often, jokes and self-owns fly freely, and the chemistry between all four is the real star.

For New Listeners

This episode is a must-hear for fans of stand-up, SNL lore, or the inside baseball of Hollywood comedy careers. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for how comics hustle, the thin line between bombing and breaking out, the secret sauce of great podcasts, and why live laughs will always beat the edit.