Jon Hamm

Summary

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Guest: Jon Hamm

Release Date: April 28, 2026

Podcast: The Ringer
Host: Amy Poehler

Episode Overview

This episode of Good Hang features Amy Poehler in conversation with her longtime friend, Jon Hamm. The two reminisce about their overlapping comedy and TV careers, struggles and triumphs, mutual friends, and what still makes them laugh. From deep dives into Mad Men and Parks and Recreation to sports, Bad Bunny, and the philosophy of chosen family, the conversation is rich, nostalgic, and characteristically warm. The episode also features a guest call-in from John Slattery (Roger Sterling on Mad Men), adding a bonus layer of camaraderie and insight into Jon Hamm’s world.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mad Men Memories & Cast Chemistry

• Time Stamp: 02:31–08:57
• Amy kicks off the episode with a call to John Slattery, Jon’s co-star, to share his take on Hamm, their beginnings on Mad Men, and the show’s dynamic.
• Slattery on the Cast’s Humanity:
  “Not just [Roger Sterling], everybody had... just when you thought, ‘well, this is just somebody who thinks like this,’ they’d do something incredibly human or funny or touching or whatever.” (02:54)
• Slattery reveals he initially auditioned for Jon Hamm’s part and recalls the sibling-like energy between them, both on and off the show—but he considers their real-life relationship as equals rather than as an older/younger brother dynamic.

2. How the “Avengers” of Comedy Formed

• Time Stamp: 12:01–16:06
• Amy and Jon reflect on the early 2000s, when a now-famous cohort (Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Adam Scott, et al.) all came together as young hopefuls in LA.
• Hamm on Meeting Paul Rudd:
  “Paul would come back with [his college roommate] to visit St. Louis... That’s when we got to know each other. I was probably a senior in high school, and he was a freshman in college.” (13:13)
• Jon describes feeling “older” than his age, often cast in older, paternal roles due to his height, deep voice, and beard.

3. Growing Up & Discovering Acting

• Time Stamp: 16:26–18:57
• Jon’s high school background was unusually supportive, encouraging kids to cross-interest boundaries (e.g., sports and theater). Notably, Ellie Kemper was one of his students!
• Hamm:
  “You weren’t siloed if you were a jock. You weren’t just that... from my school, Ellie Kemper was one of my students when I went back to teach.” (16:44)
• Childhood loss profoundly shaped him—his mother passed away when he was 10, his father at 20 (23:52–24:45)—but he credits his extended family, especially his aunt Sue, for roots and support.

4. Baseball Dreams, Sports, & Finding Purpose

• Time Stamp: 18:06–21:22
• Jon was initially an aspiring pro athlete (baseball catcher), but realized early on he lacked the drive of those who live for the game:
  “I like it, I don’t love it.” (20:49)
• Both Amy and Jon reflect on playing sports as hobbies rather than lifelong commitments, unlike the consuming passion they now feel for their creative careers.

5. Auditions, Hustle, & Landing Mad Men

• Time Stamp: 28:25–33:06
• Jon shares the grind of being an “other guy” in auditions for almost seven years before Mad Men broke through. In the year he got Mad Men, he tested (i.e., final auditioned) for seven different pilots (28:47).
• The final Mad Men audition involved Matt Weiner introducing him around as Don Draper before he was actually told he had the role:
  “I go, do I have this job?...I’m gonna walk you around the production office, and I’m gonna introduce you as Don Draper and you’re gonna act like you have a job.” (30:45)

6. The Legacy & Ending of Mad Men

• Time Stamp: 33:06–41:17
• Amy and Jon dissect the finale’s themes and that final, powerful group therapy scene:
  • On Don’s Growth:
    “Matt has said...I want people to realize that the characters are going to be just a little bit better at the end. Just a little bit.” (34:03)
  • On Filming the Finale:
    “A lot of it was tremendously difficult, cause I was handling a lot of personal mishigos in my life...being on a show for that long is a lot.” (36:09)
  • On Don’s Fate:
    “I think he goes back. He is a successful advertising executive and I think he finds happiness and peace. I think he connects with his children.” (41:03)

7. Chosen Family, Collaboration, & Lasting Bonds

• Time Stamp: 24:51–27:08; 25:09–25:29
• Jon and Amy talk about “collecting and choosing family” in showbiz, the circus-like, transitory world of TV and film, and the rare enduring friendships.

8. Losers Lounge — Celebrating Not Winning!

• Time Stamp: 45:00–47:34
• Amy and Jon share the hilarious origin of their awards-night tradition “The Losers Lounge”:
  • “Any awards night, there’s way more people that lost than won. So we decided that there should be a celebratory place for the losers to hang out.” (46:15)
  • Frances McDormand, even after winning, wanted to come:
    “She came and paid.” (47:19)

9. SNL Stories & Camaraderie

• Time Stamp: 49:39–54:05
• Jon raves about hosting Saturday Night Live and being warmly welcomed by Poehler and the SNL cast:
  • The legendary “Mad Men” themed pitch meeting, with everyone in character (51:05–51:40)
  • Amy’s story of going into labor right after SNL, and Jon’s memorable comic comfort:
    “I know this is hard for you...But this is a big fucking deal for me, so you better pull your shit together.” (53:48)

10. Who Does Jon Turn to for Answers?

• Time Stamp: 55:24–57:19
• Jon admits he’s very self-dependent but occasionally reaches out to mentors like Lorne Michaels. He treasures the wisdom of “talking to his elders,” as well as peers who’ve been influential in his journey.

11. Bad Bunny, Music’s Power, and Dancing

• Time Stamp: 62:30–66:49
• Jon credits music—especially Bad Bunny, who became the soundtrack to his life with his now-wife Ana—for bringing joy, community, and even a bit of viral fame (dancing videos).
  • On Bad Bunny:
    “The world was a little...is a little bit of a bummer. But boy, man, for 15 minutes of that halftime show...10 out of 10, no notes, perfectly executed.” (65:00)
  • The healing, community-building power of music is emphasized:
    “The universal language...when it hits the right, right buttons, feels good.” (66:38)

12. Recent Comedy Recommendations

• Time Stamp: 67:36–70:17
• Jon recommends the Canadian comedy Shorsey, praising its humor, sentimentality, and spotlight on Indigenous talent.
  • “It’s a tremendously ambitious show that delivers...I’m trying to pump their tires a little bit.” (69:51)
  • Amy agrees, noting its unique, heartfelt angle on comedy.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Slattery on Hamm’s Competence:
  “You have to be smart emotionally to be that funny...it makes sense that he’s as good at drama as he is at comedy.” (05:44)
• Jon Hamm on Chosen Family:
  “Being on a show...for an extended period...you definitely forge relationships that are pretty solid, and don’t really dissipate once the circus moves on.” (25:09)
• Losers Lounge Rules:
  “If you wanted to come and you were a winner and you had a statue in your hand, you had to pay.” (46:27)
• Jon on Auditioning for Mad Men:
  “I started at the very, very bottom...first audition was a pre read, just reading with the casting directors. They didn’t know my work...and it was like an hour and a half to get across town in the rain on a Friday.” (29:22–30:15)
• Jon Hamm, on Don Draper’s Fate:
  “I think he goes back. He is a successful advertising executive and I think he finds happiness and peace. I think he connects with his children.” (41:03)
• Amy on SNL’s Special Kind of Comfort:
  “The crying to laughing switcheroo...we get a few in our life when we’re really, really deeply sad and then someone says something to make us laugh. I think it extends your life.” (54:18)
• On mentorship (about Lorne Michaels):
  “Part of the magic of that man is that he’s so inscrutable and so Canadian that it’s a koan in some way.” (55:53)
• On Bad Bunny:
  “For 15 minutes of that halftime show...10 out of 10, no notes, perfectly executed.” (65:00)
• Jon on Chosen Family in Work:
  “You meet—we’re all kind of crazy weirdos, you know, with different talents. But when certain people come through your orbit...that person’s amazing at that.” (25:32)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Mad Men Deep Dive with John Slattery: 02:31–08:57
• Forming the Comedy “Avengers”: 12:01–16:06
• Growing Up, Sports, and Drama: 16:26–21:22
• Audition Stories & Mad Men Casting: 28:25–33:06
• Discussing the Finale & Don Draper’s Fate: 33:06–41:17
• On Chosen Family: 24:51–27:08
• Losers Lounge & Award Show Shenanigans: 45:00–47:34
• SNL Stories & Amy’s Labor: 49:39–54:18
• Jon Hamm's Mentors & Seeking Advice: 55:24–57:19
• Bad Bunny, Joy, and the Power of Music: 62:30–66:49
• Recommendations: Canadian Comedy Shoresey: 67:36–70:17

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Tone and Final Thoughts

The episode is full of the warmth, intelligence, and mutual affection characteristic of the Poehler/Hamm comedy circle. Both Amy and Jon offer revealing insights about the perseverance required for careers in show business, the profound importance of chosen community, the small but meaningful ways people grow, and the necessity of humor and joy—whether found in a “Losers Lounge” or a Bad Bunny halftime show.

Amy’s Sign-off:
"...I’m very happy to call myself one of your chosen sisters, Ham. You are happy? I’m happy to be one of them. So thanks for doing this." (72:10)

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Listen if You

• Love behind-the-scenes TV talk (Mad Men, SNL, Parks & Rec, 30 Rock)
• Want to hear Jon Hamm’s evolution from struggling actor to Emmy-winning lead
• Appreciate candid, wise, and often hilarious ruminations on friendship, family, and showbiz
• Need a reminder that even award show "losers" find ways to laugh, dance, and party

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Note: Timestamps mark the beginning of a segment or notable quote. This summary omits ads and strictly non-content sections. All speaker attributions and relevant quotes are preserved in original tone and cadence.

Transcript

[Amy Poehler]

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[Jon Hamm]

Wow.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, we're doing it, Slattery. I'm gonna talk to Ham about this, but I just finished a Mad Men rewatch, by the way.

[Jon Hamm]

Whoa. Wow.

[John Slattery]

How long did that take you?

[Amy Poehler]

A couple months. God, Roger Sterling is such an incredible character, such a complicated guy that you just cannot help but love. And half the time, you're like, why do I love this guy?

[John Slattery]

Although, I mean, not just him. I think everybody had, despite Their wrong headedness or whatever moment. Like just when you thought, well, this is just somebody who thinks like this, they're do something incredibly human or funny or touching or whatever. I mean he's, you know, that thing those, all those characters had that.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, so did you and Ham know each other before you worked on Mad Men?

[John Slattery]

So you met when I auditioned for his part. And they said, and I, I remember calling, I called my agent back and was like, are you sure this is the part? Because you know, I was beyond that age. And they were like, that's what they want. So I did all my homework and went in and read. And then Matt and Alan Taylor were there. And then they said, okay, so here's the thing, we already have this guy. And I said, excuse me. And they said, well, with your part isn't really visible so much in the first place episode. So there wasn't much for you to read. We didn't think you'd come in. And I was a little like. And then, you know, he said, but I promise you this will be a great part. So then I met him and I was like, oh, you know, well, they certainly do have that guy. Like I realized, you know, oh, that's what that guy looks like. Of course.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[John Slattery]

And then day one, he just sent me a picture the other night, two nights ago of the. Of his TV some, wherever he was.

[Jon Hamm]

And.

[John Slattery]

And it was him at the desk and me sitting across with a drink. And I said, and I could tell from the suit and like my hair was different. Something. And I said, is that day one? And he said, yeah, no way. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, what's so satisfying about your relationship from afar is that the relationship you had on the show felt very brotherly. It really felt like big brother, little brother energy. And if. Is your. Is your relationship like that too? It feels like it.

[John Slattery]

I think our relationship is more sort of equal. Like our age doesn't really come into it so much. And also he's such a competent person. It isn't like I have anything to teach him. It's often the other way. I was thinking about, like, well, what would I ask him? What would I. And it was, who does he look to for answers? Because sometimes I actually think what would Ham do? Like in a certain situation or whatever? Because he's just is, you know, he is good at most everything he puts his hand to and smart and accomplished all that stuff. And he kind of. So. So our relationship was more just kind of, you know, brotherly, but not like a older, younger, like it is in the show.

[Amy Poehler]

What do you think makes John so competent, in your words? Like, so good at so many things?

[John Slattery]

You know, you have to be smart emotionally to be that funny. And as you know, you know, you have to be observant and you have to listen and you have to. So all that stuff goes into being good at very different things. I mean, he's. It makes sense that he's as good at drama as he is at comedy because it's. It's something that he's paid attention to for a long time. I mean, when I was a kid, I couldn't. I would stand in front of the television. I wouldn't even sit down. I would just stand there with the clicker and go from Oscar Madison to Derek Jacoby to, you know, just get a chunk and then click and go to get another one and see what. I just get a piece of this and a piece of that. When it got slow or commercial, I go it off to some other, you know, just like. Just a. You know, a sieve open. Just. Just wanting to. I don't know why. I don't know what it was, but I just like wanting to. To absorb everything.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow, that's such an interesting and true observation, is that when I watch tv, I watched it like what I imagine athletes do when they watch sports, where they're watching for, you know, same. I watched performances unconsciously or subconsciously to get an idea of how to do it.

[John Slattery]

My mother was a big movie fan. My dad was, too. But my mother would. She'd go, come in here if you watch this. And I'd have my coat on on my way out. I was like, in high school or whatever. And she'd go, come and watch. You have to watch this. And I. Sunset Boulevard or whatever, some. And I go, I have to go. And she'd go, Just five minutes. Just watch. And then an hour and 20 minutes later, I'd be sitting on the couch with my coat on next to her, watching the movie. I said I watched at her funeral. I was saying I watched more movies with my coat on because I was, you know, sucked in.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, Slattery, I love seeing you. I'm.

[John Slattery]

You, too.

[Amy Poehler]

I hope we get to hang out in some real way again. We got to be on a. We got to do a couple scenes together once on a silly show called Wet Hot American Summer on Netflix. We got to perform together, and it was really fun. So I hope we get to do something again someday soon.

[John Slattery]

Me, too. You know, I remember being so impressed that the difference between My own ability to sort of improvise. And yours, which was like, oh, that's a person who knows how to improvise on story. Like not just dive, divert, and use some nugget that you have saved up or something, but like that you could do stuff that had to do with the actual action of the scene. And I was just sort of you and John early. I was watching this thing and I was thinking, man, these people are. This is. This is. This is different.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, when you don't quote, remember your lines, you have to. You have to have a trick.

[John Slattery]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

You know, you have to. You have to be like, look over there. Well, Slattery, love you. Love seeing you. Give lots of love to Talia. Please give her my love.

[John Slattery]

Will do.

[Amy Poehler]

And thank you so much for this. And I'm sure Ham will be so happy that we talked.

[Jon Hamm]

Have fun.

[John Slattery]

Say hi to Ham.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you so much. Okay, talk to you soon. Bye. All right, listen up. Ralph's King supers, Harris Teeter, Food for Less, Kroger and More are now on Uber eats and you get 40% off your order of $30 or more. Maybe you're trying a new recipe and need some last minute ingredients. Or maybe the kids made a mess and you're lower on cleaning supplies than you thought. Whatever you need, you can get it delivered in as little as 25 minutes. So order now on UberEats and get 40 off your order of $30 or more with code KROGER2026 plus Uber One members get zero dollar delivery fees. Orders of $30 or more. Save up to 25 ends May30. See app for details. You look great.

[Jon Hamm]

Winning a Golden Globe really changed you.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

I mean, I have two of them, but.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, so do I. Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Two timers clubbing.

[Amy Poehler]

I love two. It makes the first one that much more special.

[Jon Hamm]

It really does.

[Amy Poehler]

You know what you're making me think of that I feel like we should start with immediately is that you and I started something?

[Jon Hamm]

Loser's lunch. Yeah, immediately.

[Amy Poehler]

Losers lounge, baby. Welcome to. First of all, Jon Hamm is here.

[Jon Hamm]

Hi, guys.

[Amy Poehler]

Jon Hamm.

[John Slattery]

Hi.

[Jon Hamm]

Oh, my God. Okay, first of all, I'm so deeply, deeply happy to see you.

[Amy Poehler]

Same, buddy, same.

[Jon Hamm]

It's been way too long. I haven't seen you in forever. Yeah, but I've been watching your podcast as I do for all my friends. But you. I just love what you've done with the place. Thank you. And this. Thank you. I remember doing with Nick Offerman a million years ago. Smart girls at the Party. And I knew then you did that you had your finger on the pulse of something very, very special and cool. And I'm glad that this is the further extension of that, because it makes me very happy for you.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you for saying that. God, you've done so many favors for me, but you and Nick and a bunch of people did a. I made

[Jon Hamm]

you have a baby.

[Amy Poehler]

That's like, we have so much to talk about. I literally was not pregnant when the week started.

[Jon Hamm]

I know. That was crazy.

[Amy Poehler]

And then by the end, that was crazy, having a baby.

[Jon Hamm]

Well, and also, you know what's amazing about that is that there is a physical marker of that time.

[Amy Poehler]

I know. And we have known each other now for. We're getting up on the 20 years. 20 years. Which is.

[Jon Hamm]

Which seems crazy. It seems impossible.

[Amy Poehler]

It does. Everything that I think is 10 years now is 20 years.

[Jon Hamm]

Pandemic really threw a whole weird thing in that.

[Amy Poehler]

And the 80s to us are. The 80s to our kids are what the 20s were to us.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, exactly. They're like, oh, the roaring 80s, when everybody wore tuxedos.

[Amy Poehler]

But I want to start. Jon Hamm, the last time we saw you, you were getting on a hot air balloon on this podcast.

[Jon Hamm]

Yes, I was on.

[Amy Poehler]

I was on a hot air balloon. You were shooting on a hot air balloon.

[Jon Hamm]

And medias. Ris.

[Amy Poehler]

And I hope you heard both the Adam Scott and Paul Rudd episode, because we talked about you a lot. And, you know, we have talked about you on this podcast and that, like, early grouping of guys. And it does feel very fun and magical to talk about it. Not only because everybody was young and, like, just beginning, but it is. Feels kind of wild that you all met.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, it's absolutely crazy through Paul, honestly. Here's how it started.

[Amy Poehler]

Tell us how the Avengers assembled.

[Jon Hamm]

Yes, truly, at this point, Paul went to.

[Amy Poehler]

Paul's an Avenger.

[Jon Hamm]

Paul is an Avenger. Ant Man.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. That's an Avenger.

[Jon Hamm]

Apparently.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Avenging what?

[Amy Poehler]

What? Why are you so mad?

[Jon Hamm]

Why are you so angry?

[Amy Poehler]

Because you have superpower.

[Jon Hamm]

You got a shitty superpower. You turn into ants. What the. Come on.

[Amy Poehler]

Come on, Dude, Wrap it up. You did it.

[Jon Hamm]

Grow up. Literally.

[Amy Poehler]

Literally.

[Jon Hamm]

Ant Man.

[Amy Poehler]

The next. The next movie is Grow Up.

[Jon Hamm]

Grow Up, Ant Man.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Jon Hamm]

Anyways, Paul is from Kansas City, Missouri. I am from St. Louis, Missouri.

[Amy Poehler]

Right.

[Jon Hamm]

Paul went to the University of Kansas. My dear friend Preston Clark was his roommate. Freshman year at the University of Kansas, Paul would come back with his roommate, PRESTON to visit St. Louis for holidays, long weekends, what have you. And that's when we got to know one another. I was probably a senior in high school, and he was a freshman in college.

[Amy Poehler]

So that makes sense, because there is this big brother energy that Adam and Paul have with you where you feel like their big brother. You're only. Which is weird, two or three years older.

[Jon Hamm]

No, younger. I'm younger than Paul and older than Adam.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, really?

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

But Rudd gives me.

[Jon Hamm]

Paul also doesn't age.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. He has made a deal with the devil.

[Jon Hamm]

There's a very terrible painting somewhere that is just really rough.

[Amy Poehler]

But he gives you a lot of big brother energy in the way he talks about you. It's interesting. Why do you think that?

[Jon Hamm]

I don't know. I don't know why. I mean, I think I've always. You probably have had this experience with me, too. I've always represented older than I am.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, I've heard you say that.

[Jon Hamm]

Even when I was, like, a little kid. I was not little kid, but, like, when I was a teenager. They were like, you're buying the beer. Is it because you were like, why? Because you look kind of old. I'm like, what? Thanks.

[Amy Poehler]

Is it cause you were tall?

[Jon Hamm]

Tall. I have a deep voice. I got a beard early. Like, I was just. I don't know what it was, but it was. It was very much that.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

I played all the adult roles in, you know, like, the high school and college.

[Amy Poehler]

All the real fun dad roles, you know, great.

[Jon Hamm]

You know, and then, like, who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf when I'm like, 19.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, you should talk to Paula Pell, who also talks about. She always did the old, like, same

[Jon Hamm]

same thing, same energy. There was something there. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. But anyway, so that's how I met Paul. And we're talking like 1989, right. Maybe.

[Amy Poehler]

So you're in Missouri when you know each other.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And do you say to each other, I want to be an actor?

[Jon Hamm]

So do I. Paul decides he wants to be an actor. He transfers from the University of Kansas to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena. That's where he meets Adam.

[Amy Poehler]

Right. I see. Adam's the California kid, that California kid

[Jon Hamm]

who came down from Santa Cruz. And then we all. Then this would have been in the early 90s. I graduate college. I come out here in 94, 95, something like that. And we're all. There's this little percolating group of friends that nobody has a job.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, that's what I'm kind of Except Paul.

[Jon Hamm]

Paul was already famous. Like he had gotten early success with whatever it was.

[Amy Poehler]

Romeo and Juliet, maybe? Yeah, Clueless.

[Jon Hamm]

Clueless and Romeo and Juliet kind of were back to back.

[Amy Poehler]

But what's fascinating is you, unlike some other people who go through a pipeline before you start working, like a Juilliard consultant or like Second City or whatever, you kind of go cold into super cold. Come in, arrive.

[Jon Hamm]

I knew one person, Paul. That was it. And I had an aunt and uncle that lived out here, so I had a place to stay and then I moved. You know, I found an apartment, found a house to live in out in Silver Lake, which was very, you know, urban pioneering back then. Wasn't cool. I mean, it was cool, but it was very out on the edge.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. The swing you took to come out here is very impressive to me because it is like. Did you grow up knowing any actors? Did you know anyone that was an actor?

[Jon Hamm]

No.

[Amy Poehler]

And did you, when you were in high school and like, like, when did you. Did you do plays? Were you like, were you like the jock that did plays?

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, my high school was one of those magical places that you were just encouraged to do everything. You weren't siloed if you were a jock. You weren't just that.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

And it was small, but everybody kind of knew each other. My graduating class was 95 kids, so I knew everybody in my class and we were kind of all friends. Like you were friends with the violin kid and you were friends with the weird beautiful artist and the kid that could sing opera. Somehow at 16, you know, there was a lot of talented kids there. And in fact, from my school, Ellie Kemper was one of my students when I went back to teach.

[Amy Poehler]

I know, it's so great.

[Jon Hamm]

Heather Goldenhurst, who was Tony nominated actress, Stephanie Sandit's Leslie Stevens, all these kids that Sarah Clark, who was in my class was on 24 who dated Paul Rudd, believe it or not. So we had this kind of weird concentrated energy that was very creative, but we were encouraged. So it was. I didn't know any actors, but I thought, well, why not me?

[Amy Poehler]

And they were like, we need a Willy Loman. We need a tired salesman.

[Jon Hamm]

We need an 18 year old Willy Loman with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ham will do it.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you ever feel though that you like, could have been a. Were you ever good in a sport enough that you had like dreams? Like every.

[Jon Hamm]

I thought I was going to be a. I thought. Because also the other half of my growing up was my best friend, John Simmons. His dad was a professional baseball player.

[Amy Poehler]

Ah.

[Jon Hamm]

So I was like.

[Amy Poehler]

So you knew a professional baseball player?

[Jon Hamm]

I did know a professional baseball player. And I was like, man, one of these days, me and. Me and John Simmons, we're gonna be. We're gonna play for the Cardinals together. Probably.

[Amy Poehler]

What position did you play?

[Jon Hamm]

I was a catcher.

[Amy Poehler]

You were a catcher? I always think of the catchers as the little stocky guy.

[Jon Hamm]

No, I was kind of the. I was always. I was always this shape. I was always lanky.

[Amy Poehler]

Lanky?

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah. Right. Wouldn't you say I'm lanky? Kind of lanky.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, I don't want to describe your body back to you, but I wouldn't use lanky.

[Jon Hamm]

I feel lanky.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Am I using that word wrong? Well, I like it long limbed and.

[Amy Poehler]

But I feel like you've got shoulders.

[Jon Hamm]

I feel like to carry the weight of the world.

[Amy Poehler]

You need it for your briefcase.

[Jon Hamm]

All the. Both of those. And your sample cases that I. Oh, God.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, so catcher, which I have to say, in all. I used to play softball in all the positions. My two favorite positions were catcher and second base.

[Jon Hamm]

Interesting.

[Amy Poehler]

Catcher, because I felt like, catcher, catcher.

[Jon Hamm]

You're in every play.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, you're in every play. And you're just like. You're kind of like a coach in a way.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, a little bit. You're telling everywhere to go and you're running the. Running the room. That's what I liked about it.

[Amy Poehler]

And second base for almost the opposite reason, which is you're like, I. I don't. I thought you had it like, second base is a little bit like not on me. Over here.

[Jon Hamm]

It was probably shortstops ball, like, you

[Amy Poehler]

know, just like I want.

[Jon Hamm]

And honestly, in the hierarchy of who gets to call like a pop up, second base is like the last.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Second base is like. I wanted to get it. I just. It was over.

[Jon Hamm]

I thought it was closer to you.

[Amy Poehler]

But you can chat. You can chit chat a lot in second base.

[Jon Hamm]

And a short throw. Short throw to first.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I didn't have the arm. I never had the arm, but I had the mouth.

[Jon Hamm]

I bet. Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Jon Hamm]

So.

[Amy Poehler]

So there was a party that was like, I'm going to catch for the Cardinals. And then.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah. And then. But here's, here's what it really was, is that I realized probably even when I was still in high school, I was like, oh, there's people that are way better than me at this. Like, like, way, way, way better than me at this.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

And so I kind of like I was early disabused of that notion. Very, very. Just it was kind of like, eh.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

And also I realized that and I have a lot of friends now that are. That are professional athletes. And you're like, it's a job.

[Announcer/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Big time.

[Jon Hamm]

It's 24 7. Even in the off season. You're training, you're training, so you better love it.

[Amy Poehler]

I know.

[Jon Hamm]

And I was like, I like it. Yeah, I don't love it.

[Amy Poehler]

I know. And with sports, when I watched sports or when. Even when I played sports, I was. I didn't feel like I was playing or watching to know how to do it for life.

[Jon Hamm]

You were enjoying it?

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. It's like a hobby, but with television and film, I definitely watched it very intently.

[Jon Hamm]

Oh, me too. Yeah. So to put a point on the end of that story of like not loving it enough to want to do it professionally. I love what I do now.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

I mean, I really do.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

And getting to do things like SNL and getting to produce and develop stuff and getting to have this kind of length and breadth of a career that you can look back on and go, man, I'm pretty proud of that stuff.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

I love that.

[Amy Poehler]

You did Shakespeare in. Do you did Shakespeare in theater?

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, in college. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you understand Shakespeare? What's happening there?

[Jon Hamm]

I thought it was pronounced Hamlet. Apparently it's Hamnet.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. I just found out it was Hamnet.

[Jon Hamm]

No, I did. I really loved reading. This is part of when I kind of figured out maybe I was gonna be an actor, is that I would read plays as a little. I read like a bananas weirdo when I was a kid because I was a single mom and an only child.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jon Hamm]

So there was. That was it. There were no Internet, there were no phones. Video games were rudimentary. So it was about reading. And we had tons of books everywhere. And I had a library card. So I would go to the library, I would check out books, I would check out comedy records.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jon Hamm]

Those are the two things that I got.

[Amy Poehler]

What did you check out? Do you remember?

[Jon Hamm]

I mean, it was bananas that I was a seven year old boy and I had like Richard Pryor records.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

The name of which I will not say out loud, but you can find out what it's called. And. But also like Steve Martin, Bob Newhart, George Carlin, just the stuff that was. Whatever was there.

[Amy Poehler]

And what were your series? What books were you reading? Like what kind of series did you love as a kid?

[Jon Hamm]

I read. There wasn't really. I don't remember there being like, ya know, stuff like that. It wasn't really like.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, I feel like Little House in the Prairie was for us, kind of.

[Jon Hamm]

Which I didn't really read. It was kind of for girls. I know it's for girls, but I

[Amy Poehler]

read it's for boys too.

[Jon Hamm]

It is for everyone. It's a lovely story, Alonzo's story. And by the way, I did read those. I read plays, and it was something that I would. I don't know why I was attracted to them or whatever. I think I was. You said earlier about watching TV and like, watching it to learn about it. And that was what I thought the plays were. And I would read them and I would read them out loud to myself.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

So my mom was like, you're a weird kid. But it was. That was the. Looking back. I think that was the first time I would think, oh, maybe I want to do this for real.

[Amy Poehler]

Your mom passed away when you were young, when you were 10. What was she like?

[Jon Hamm]

She was a professional secretary. She was a very accomplished lady. She was the oldest of six kids. She was. I don't know. She was my mom, you know, it was like one of those. I loved her. We had an amazing relationship. I say this to people all the time. There's never a good time to lose a parent. It stinks. It just does. I lost my mom when I was 10, my dad when I was 20, but I have friends that are our age now that just lost their parents that are just as devastated. So it was brief, but it was significant, my relationship with her. And I still have probably the closest family member in my life is my aunt, her younger sister.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Who was the cool aunt because she moved out here to California.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. And that's who you lived with when you came out here?

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, my aunt Sue.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Yeah. Because, I mean, it feels like hambones, The. The theme of a lot of your work and the things you do is like. Like finding your family, like collecting them, choosing them, making it, like. And you're in a. You're in a business that does that too.

[Jon Hamm]

You kind of, you know, it's like the circus comes to town and you make new friends and, you know, being on a show, as we both were for an extended period of time. Yeah, you definitely, you definitely forge relationships that are, that are pretty solid, you know, and, and, and don't really dissipate once the, Once the circus moves on.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, I know. If you're lucky, if you're lucky people.

[Jon Hamm]

And that's the, that's the thing you were talking about. I think with the people. Part of it is, like, you know, you meet. We're all kind of crazy weirdos, you know, with different talents. But, boy, when you see. When certain people come through your orbit and you're like, man, that. That person's amazing at that.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, you must feel that way about people, too, because, I mean, do you ever get this feeling. I get this feeling a lot where, like, I meet somebody and I'm like, oh, I. You know, we've known each other before in another way a lot. And I kind. Am I wrong that Slattery feels like that for you?

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, that's my big brother. If I had a big brother, it would be him.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

I was just watching. I have not watched Mad Men back

[Amy Poehler]

since I just finished. And I've been. And I think I say sometimes on this podcast, the best thing about knowing other actors is sometimes you get to text them and be like, I'm watching your show right now. You're so good. And I think I just did that to you recently because we watched it.

[Jon Hamm]

Well, that must have been the impetus for me starting it, because Ana, my wife, and I hadn't really. I hadn't watched it back.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow.

[Jon Hamm]

Since the first time. And so we're on, like, episode five or six now, and I. And I texted, what happens? Don't tell me. I texted. Sly took a picture of it and texted Slattery and was just like, remember this day? It was the first day we shot. And I just remember all that stuff. And it was wild. It was very wild. Obviously, that was 20 years ago. 15 years ago. 20 years ago.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, we. I don't usually bring this up early in the. In the. In the podcast, but I will now because it makes sense. So, you know, we do this thing where we talk. Well behind somebody's back before. And we talked to Slattery today, and he's the best, and. And he loves you. And we talked about just that about. And it was funny because I said, do you feel like a big brother, John? And he said in a very big brotherly way. He was like, I feel like we're equals. I feel like I learn as much from John as he learns from me. I feel like I'm not teaching him things. I just feel like we'. But that's also a very big brother thing to say, by the way.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah. And I mean, part of it was. You know, it's funny for me, too, because I remember the first couple episodes or the first season of shooting the show, and his son Harry was 6. As was Kiernan, who played my daughter on the show Sally. And now they're 26. This lightning and bottle thing that just all of a sudden happens. I point to Mad Men and think like, I worked very hard to get in that room.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, I think a lot of people know this. You worked hard and you were really grinding for sure. Like you were working probably for 10 years in different. In a lot of different things.

[Jon Hamm]

Not quite 10, but. But a solid six or seven years as, as a working actor on stuff that nobody watched. Just.

[Amy Poehler]

Did you ever get close to stuff

[Jon Hamm]

where you were everything? I was. I was the other guy in everything. And in fact, the year I, I got Madman, I had. I had tested when we used to do that seven times. I'd gone to the network. The last step before you get hired

[Amy Poehler]

seven times for seven different projects.

[Jon Hamm]

Seven different projects. 047.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you remember what some of them were?

[Jon Hamm]

I don't.

[Amy Poehler]

I really don't like sitcoms and stuff,

[Jon Hamm]

you know that, you know. And in the old days, now it just feels like everything gets produced. In the old days it was like they do a pilot, they'd test it, they'd see if it worked, maybe you'd get fired, which I did on several occasions. And it's such a bananas way to do it, but that was how it was.

[Amy Poehler]

And the Mad Men audition process you've talked about many times, but it was arduous.

[Jon Hamm]

Arduously. I started at the very, very bottom. The first audition was a pre read, just reading with the casting directors. They didn't know my work, not that they would. And it was in Santa Monica and I lived in Silver Lake. So it was like an hour and a half to get across town in the rain on a Friday. And I met them and there was another kid sitting in the waiting room. And he was like, it's like a 16, 17 year old kid. And I was like, am I in the right place? He goes, are you here for the toothpaste ad? I go, what? No. Then it was like, what toothpaste? They're looking for somebody, an older guy, they hit the end of the world on his shoulders and brush his teeth. And it was literally. They were casting a. The other room was a casting a commercial. And this was. They were like, no, no, no, we're in here. Hi, Sorry. Sorry. And I was like, hi, nice to meet you.

[Announcer/Ad Voice]

Wow.

[Jon Hamm]

The next day was another one of those. A few days later was then more and more people are in the waiting room. Then you start to see people that have signed Up. You're like, recognize that guy's name? He was on Sports Night. He'll probably get it.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

And it was that, that, that, that, that six, seven, eight times. And then they finally. I got to New York, they flew me to New York on somebody's miles.

[Amy Poehler]

And when you went in for that last one, did you.

[Jon Hamm]

The last one was. Was. Was. Meet the executives. And Matthew Weiner, to his great credit, he goes. I go, do I have this job? Like, what's happening? You're flying me to New York?

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

He goes, I'm gonna walk you around the production office, and I'm gonna introduce you as Don Draper, and you're gonna act like you have a job.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, God. That's giving me.

[Jon Hamm]

And I was like.

[Amy Poehler]

And you're like.

[Jon Hamm]

And he's like, hey, this is our Don. You know, it's John. Say hi to the costume designer and the hair and makeup. And we're going to do this. And he's walking me around this whole thing, and I'm like, I've not heard officially from anybody anything.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, my God.

[Jon Hamm]

So then we go to meet the executives from amc, who are these four very young executives.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, AMC was a young company.

[Jon Hamm]

Brand new. Brand new. Hadn't done anything. We go and we have drinks, and we're having a drink, and I'm with Matt and Scott Hornbach are the two producers and the three executives. And kind of holding my drink. And I'm like, what. What are we. What is this? What are we doing? Is this. This is. If this is a prank, this is the most elaborate, meanest.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Prank.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

And so we're having drinks, and they're like, here's to the show. And I'm like, yeah, here's to the show. And I drink the drink, and we go. And. And. And. And. And I'm like, we get it into the elevator. They still haven't said anything. And. And. And the lady who's in charge finally turns to me. She goes, you know you got the job, right?

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, my God.

[Jon Hamm]

No, I didn't. This would have been way more fun earlier when we were having drinks to toast. And I said, no, we didn't. And we go down the elevator, and the elevator doors open up. There's a million paparazzi in the. In the. In the lobby of the Maritime Hotel. And I'm like, oh, my God. Like, wow, that's. That was fast. Like, holy shit. But they're all speaking German. I'm not making this up. In the elevator with me was a very famous German football Player named Franz Beckenbauer, one of the, like, lions of the German Bundesliga, what have you. And I was like, oh, it's there for him. Never mind. Guys, guys, guys.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm not giving interviews yet.

[Jon Hamm]

Not yet.

[Amy Poehler]

Let me get to the question.

[Jon Hamm]

Oh, in German. Yeah, that's him.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. Just a few Mad Men questions. I know, you know, the show is. I just. John, that part. You. That writing that show. That show is hall of fame.

[Jon Hamm]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

And hall of fame performance.

[Jon Hamm]

I don't disagree. I think it's a great show. I was pleasantly surprised watching it back. To not be mortified.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm so happy to hear that. Cause it is just pristine. And your performance is so good, so measured, so controlled. And it, like all the characters in the show, starts to unravel in the perfect way.

[Jon Hamm]

It does pay off. That's what's really, I think, really nice about the show is that as it does unravel, it kind of is a satisfying payoff for kind of everybody.

[Amy Poehler]

Thematically. This idea that the character of John Draper is being presented in this way, which we project all this stuff on him just like we would any ad. Any version of a person, and then we realize he is a person. Like, we all are heavily flawed. Heavily flawed. But yet. What I love about the show is people change, but not a lot. So there's never.

[Jon Hamm]

Matt has said, and I think it's a great way to describe it, he said, I want people to realize that the characters are going to be just a little bit better at the end. Just a little bit.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

You know, just a little change. And Don, my God, you know, the whole arc of the final season is him sort of shedding everything. His family, his job, his stuff. And he ends up on the end of the continent. Yeah, the very end of the continent. And that's kind of when he realizes, like, oh, wait, I'm really good at this job. I should probably just go back and do the job that I'm really good at.

[Amy Poehler]

And my question to you is, having rewatched, and I don't know if you remember, but at the end, you're. Dawn lets everything go. Can you just tell me about the scene in the group, the group therapy scene where that wonderful day player. Sorry, I don't know his name. Actor breaks down because he feels invisible. Can you tell me about that day and reading that? Because that's a big scene to do at the end of seven seasons with someone who's not. You don't know.

[Jon Hamm]

I don't. I don't. That was the Whole last half of that season for me was being away from everybody that I had spent 90 other episodes with.

[Amy Poehler]

That's right. That's right.

[Jon Hamm]

Slatty and I did our last scene. It's kind of a weird little nothing scene. It was just us in a bar talking about something. And I said, you know, this is our last scene together. And he goes, what? Cause it was like three episodes when we were done. He's like, no, it isn't. I go, wow. He goes, no. I go, yeah. And it was. It's kind of great that. It's just that. That moment. It's just that's what it is. And then you don't see that guy. So there was a lot of that stuff for me. And a lot of. A lot of it was tremendously difficult. Cause I was handling a lot of personal mishigos in my life. A lot of craziness. And just being on a show for that long is a lot.

[Amy Poehler]

And saying goodbye to it.

[Jon Hamm]

Saying goodbye to it. It's a grief. It's a grieving process. You know it very well. So that particular scene, and we were. We shot out of order. That wasn't the last thing we shot, obviously, but we were on location. We were up in Big Sur. So we were even physically separated from most the stages, all the stuff or trailers. I was living in a hotel. So it was like four or five days in a row up there. And it was heavy. It was super heavy work. I very much felt the weight of the end of the show and the responsibility of don't this up. You can anything else up, but you cannot this up. This is the end of a very, very, very long story. And if you. The bed on this, it's not gonna. That will be what you are known for. But I do remember that thinking that this kid is killing it. He was wonderful. And everyone in the. There were a lot of, like, writers.

[Amy Poehler]

For those people that have never watched Mad Men, don't listen to this part. But it is. There is a moment. Not to give too much away for people that haven't seen it, but, I mean, it has been 20 years. But where we're past the spoiler part. Yeah. John is like, gone basically to like an Esalen like. Like retreat. And to basically, like. To your point, he's lost everything. And he's in what is an early version of group therapy. And the closest he's ever had to actually really, truly sitting in his feelings. And a man, another man, who he doesn't know is expressing this thing that Don understands really well, deep dissatisfaction.

[Jon Hamm]

Deep. What's the right word?

[Amy Poehler]

Unworthiness.

[Jon Hamm]

Unworthiness, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Maybe it's not being loved.

[Jon Hamm]

Invisibility, you said earlier, that whole kind of thing. And there's a refrigerator and all this. It's like. It's a beautiful piece of writing, and it's an incredibly emotional moment, not only for this man, but for Don. And there's a connection that they have.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, well, I want to slow it down because I like to talk to the tv.

[Jon Hamm]

By the way, I did not know that, but I can imagine it.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm an old lady.

[Jon Hamm]

I can imagine it now.

[Amy Poehler]

I also am an old person in a younger person's body. But I paused in this moment, and I was just like, this is John Ham. Like, I was like, this is like the. The moment when you approach and hug that man is such good acting. It's. You're. It's like, John, it's so, so good. You did stick the landing.

[Jon Hamm]

Well, thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

You nailed it.

[Jon Hamm]

I felt very, very good about what I did on that show.

[Amy Poehler]

And it was like. It was like masculinity, which a lot of the show is about. And we are all look like John Draper, Jon Hamm, Amy Poehler. We're all, like, living in a patriarchal world and trying to figure it out and suffering in different ways. That moment when, like, two strangers, men of that generation are hugging, it was so moving.

[Jon Hamm]

Well, and it's because you don't really. Don gets there under such duress and it's such a strange journey that he ends up there. And he's lost his connection with his job, his family, his everything. It's really the Siddhartha kind of moment of just shed everything and to discover who you really are. And there's a moment, and of course, the opening sequence of the show is this man falling out of a building. And everyone's like, this is where he does it. He's going to jump off the cliff. He's going to kill himself. This is the end of the show. He's going to die. And it's. It could have gone that way. I think there's a version of this story where Don doesn't get it and doesn't allow himself to understand it and is so overcome with his emotion and his feeling of inadequacy and failure and what he has failed at as a husband, as a friend, as a father, as a fill in the blank, that he does do that, but he doesn't. He kind of takes it in, takes the moment, feels the feelings for real and has the moment of clarity where he goes like, you know, and it's beautifully rendered with the Coke ad and the iconic kind of moment of this. And he's like, this is who I am. I'm an ad man.

[Amy Poehler]

So he goes. Do you think he goes back?

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And what do you think happens for the rest of his life? Like, what is the last act of Don's life? What do you think it is?

[Jon Hamm]

Lung cancer?

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jon Hamm]

I mean, for sure. I think he goes back. He is a successful advertising executive and I think he finds happiness and peace. I think he connects with his children.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jon Hamm]

As we know, Betty passes away.

[Amy Poehler]

You in January, you in January, you and Lizzie, you and Slattery, you and incredibly, incredibly lucky.

[Jon Hamm]

One of my favorite scenes in the whole show is the scene between. I can't remember. I think it's season five, season four where we see Don and Joan kind of going out on a night on the town.

[Amy Poehler]

It's incredible. I mean, Don and Joan never had enough scenes together as far as I was concerned.

[Jon Hamm]

That's what kind of made it great is that there was like two or three.

[Amy Poehler]

Everyone in that show is just pitch perfect. And you brought up the smoking. What did you have to smoke?

[Jon Hamm]

They were like those fake herbal cigarettes. But I think somebody did. Somebody watched the pilot just to watch how many cigarettes I smoke. And I think it was something like 80 in a one hour pilot.

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[John Slattery]

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[Amy Poehler]

Seven days of spring Outdoor Power deals

[John Slattery]

at the Home depot now through April 29th.

[Amy Poehler]

So Parks and Recreation and Mad Men were on at the same time.

[Jon Hamm]

We were fellow travelers.

[Amy Poehler]

We were fellow travelers. And we shared. You and I shared two things. We shared a production designer and Dan Bishop, who did your show. And did we used to brag like, oh, the bullpen of, you know, the offices of Parks and Rec were designed by the same guy that did Mad Men. People were like, cool.

[Jon Hamm]

I can tell.

[Amy Poehler]

That was a big brag. We were like, and he's a genius.

[Jon Hamm]

He's a great guy.

[Amy Poehler]

And the other thing is that you and I were at award shows many, many times.

[Jon Hamm]

On the losing end.

[Amy Poehler]

On the losing end. And so I gotta get to Slattery's question. Sorry, I'm all over the place. But I gotta get Slattery's question. But before that, let's talk about Losers Lounge, which you mentioned the very beginning. What was it?

[Jon Hamm]

The Losers Lounge was a thing that we decided to do after being fed up with losing. Yeah, like, let's Turn this frown upside down.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Let's not live in the.

[Amy Poehler]

We're not losers. We're winners.

[Jon Hamm]

We're winners.

[Amy Poehler]

Only. Only losers lose.

[Jon Hamm]

Only losers lose. And we are not losers.

[Amy Poehler]

No way.

[Jon Hamm]

So we decided that, and I still think this is a great idea. I think we should have patented it, and I think it should have been permanent, because also, any awards night, there's way more people that lost than won.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

So we decided that there should be a celebratory place for the losers to hang out. The losers lounge. And if you wanted to come and you were a winner and you had a statue in your hand, you had to pay.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, you had to pay up. You had to pay up to charity.

[Jon Hamm]

To charity. It was all a charity thing. It was a lovely chair. Worldwide Orphans, I believe it was.

[Amy Poehler]

That's right.

[Jon Hamm]

And the rest of us could get in and have a good time for free. And it was a fun party.

[Amy Poehler]

So we threw a party a couple years in a row.

[Jon Hamm]

Soho House, I think it was, or something like that.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. A couple different places.

[Jon Hamm]

We had a dance off. We had a pants off dance off.

[Amy Poehler]

And everybody wanted to get in. And the highlight for me was. I think I told you this story. The highlight for me at the Emmys was the greatest. My hero idol, Frances McDormand, won for. I believe it was maybe Olive Kitteridge or one of the many incredible things she's done. She won. And as she was walking up the aisle with her Emmy, she turned me and she goes, does this mean I can't go to the losers lounge?

[Jon Hamm]

And you said, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And I was like, yeah, you're gonna have to pay. And I was like, she did. She did. She came and paid.

[Jon Hamm]

She came and paid.

[Amy Poehler]

That time of, like, being at those places together and losing was so fun, because, of course, who cares? And also, everyone's work was so great. Everyone was such a fan of everybody's work.

[Jon Hamm]

We were all doing great stuff. Cause Tina was on 30 Rock at the time. You were doing Parks. I was doing Mad Men. We had that one crazy, fun night. I broke my toe where you broke your toe.

[Amy Poehler]

Uh oh.

[Jon Hamm]

And we were like, you and me and Tina and Claire Danes, and we were all, like, dancing out of angry, insane people. Like, it was the last night on Earth.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. And I was.

[Jon Hamm]

Tina had to get on a plane the next day. And it describes, like, getting on a plane and, like, looking at the floor and there's, like, a pile of hair. She was like, what happened?

[Amy Poehler]

I'm gonna beat that. I had Just had my second child.

[Jon Hamm]

Oh, God. I know.

[Amy Poehler]

And I flew in for the weekend because I was. Well, yeah, I forgot I was in New York. And I flew. I flew to California for the thing. I broke my toe on the banquette. Dancing. I'm a mother of two. I can't.

[Jon Hamm]

Two very young children.

[Amy Poehler]

I can't walk in the airport. I'm like, I wake up the next morning, I'm like, I can't walk.

[Jon Hamm]

Oh, boy.

[Amy Poehler]

I have to get on a plane. I mean, I put, like, a hat on and sunglasses and, like, tape my toe and, like, try to walk to the. And I'm like, I can't get a wheelchair. This is like, too much. So I'm like, walk away. And I hear Amy. And I look and it's Bradley Cooper. The lovely Bradley goes. Amy. And I'm like, hey. And I look in my head and

[Jon Hamm]

he's like, no, it's not Amy.

[Amy Poehler]

So over. And I'm like, hey, Bradley. He's like, are you okay? And I'm like, nope. No, I'm very, very bad. I'm very, very bad. And so he has to. To hold me like an old. Like, talk about old lady. Like, hold my elbow while I got a little escort in. I got a little escort. That's nice. I got an A lister escort. Wow, that was a fun night.

[Jon Hamm]

Amy. The last thing you want, the last word you wanted to hear.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, but. But worth it.

[Jon Hamm]

Worth it.

[Amy Poehler]

Worth it.

[Jon Hamm]

Worth it. I will never forget that night. Lauren was there and moving and grooving. We had a time.

[Amy Poehler]

He loves to dance.

[Jon Hamm]

We had a time.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, let's talk about you hosting SNL though. And I. Are you a five?

[Jon Hamm]

Chimer four. I just had my fourth. I did three in two years. Took a 15 year hiatus. Yeah. And came back this last year. It's been said. And I think I've been listening to Seth's thing with Andy and the boys,

[Amy Poehler]

the Lonely Islands camp. Oh, you were on it too, I think, right? Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

That was an amazing. Your time. There was an amazing time. They're all great. You literally can't stack them up against another because they're all different and they're all great. But it was so fun to be there with you, with Maya, Bill, Fred, Will, Kristen. I mean, Seth, those guys. You guys were. I felt like we were just talk about speaking the same language. It was like I felt so comfortable there, which was, you know, part of. Part of it was you're a guest in somebody's home, so you don't want to be too Comfortable where you're kind of being shitty. But I really did feel welcomed there. I mean, because, first of all, I'm sure you've told this story, but Pitch on Monday, my first time hosting, you guys all roll in and costume.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, that's right. Let's tell that story.

[Jon Hamm]

Madman costume.

[Amy Poehler]

We all decide to dress up as the people from madman for 60s gear

[Jon Hamm]

for pitch Monday night, which is 35 people in a room maybe a little bit bigger than this.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

So sitting on the floor, on the sofa, everything. Everyone is in 1960s period gear.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Hayter was in drag.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Lux was in drag as Joan Lutz.

[Amy Poehler]

Was Joan John Lutz.

[Jon Hamm]

Writer Paula Pell.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jon Hamm]

Had a cigarette taped to her finger because she didn't know how to smoke. So she's like, I'll just tape it. And she would pitch like this. And I was. I didn't know this wasn't normal.

[Amy Poehler]

Right.

[Jon Hamm]

I was like, this is okay.

[Amy Poehler]

You're like, wow, they really pull it out.

[Jon Hamm]

They really, really do it on Mondays. I thought it was a whole thing. Okay, well, nice. This is so fun. And that was the beginning of a wonderful relationship, not only with that show, but with so many of you guys sitting around that whole week shooting with Jim Signorelli. You're 95 months pregnant.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. And we've told the story a million, million times. But the fast version is Friday. I was supposed to do the show on Saturday and then give birthday.

[Jon Hamm]

And there was no doubt in your mind that you were not having this baby before. You were like, it'll be fine.

[Amy Poehler]

Women listening. It's, you know, your first kid. You assume you're gonna be at least a few days late. I was weirdly feeling good. I was told you're not gonna be giving birth on before your due date. No way. Go finish your last show.

[Jon Hamm]

Kill it on Saturday. Get your feet up.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. My first lesson in mothering, which was like, nope, nothing goes the way you

[Jon Hamm]

think it's gonna go.

[Amy Poehler]

And I really did think I would do the show on Saturday and then give birth on Sunday and Friday night. We were shooting Friday night, and we were doing, like, a pre tape, and I got a call from my OB GYN office of your OBGYN. OBGYN's office. My beloved OBGYN passed away that night. And so, you know, for people who don't know, when you get really connected to your doctor and you kind of think about your birth plan and you think about how it's gonna go, and all of a sudden, you know, you realize, well, you Realize two things. One is that a lot of people can deliver a baby.

[Jon Hamm]

And two, Seth had one in the lobby.

[Amy Poehler]

That's right. Seth had his in a lobby. That's right. But he didn't have it.

[Jon Hamm]

No, he didn't. Very true.

[Amy Poehler]

He didn't have it.

[Jon Hamm]

No, he didn't.

[Amy Poehler]

He wore the same jeans that day that he wore the next day. No.

[Jon Hamm]

But, yeah, a lot of people can do this. It's not the end of the world.

[Amy Poehler]

Got the news that my OBGYN died. I started to cry.

[Jon Hamm]

I mean, heavy sobbing, right?

[Amy Poehler]

Which is horrifying. A giant pregnant woman crying. It's not. It's really scary. And Ham leaned in and said, I

[Jon Hamm]

know this is hard for you. I'm really, really sad. But this is a big fucking deal for me, so you better pull your shit together. And that's the face she made immediately, which I was like, talk about in the world of big swings. That's a big one.

[Amy Poehler]

That, to me is. And I've written about it.

[Jon Hamm]

That's why you had the baby. That something happened because you laughed that hard.

[Amy Poehler]

I think so. I think a big, hard laugh.

[Jon Hamm]

Ooh. I was, please let this go. Please let this go well.

[Amy Poehler]

And to me, the crying to laughing switcheroo. That's like. We get about. We get a few in our life where we're really, really deeply sad, and then someone says something to make us laugh. And that those two against each other feels like. I think it extends your life.

[Jon Hamm]

Friday night was like. Cause everybody's so punchy by then. It was. And I was. I wouldn't. You couldn't drag me out of that studio. I was having the greatest time.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. I mean, now it brings me to Slattery's question, which I thought was just such a sweet question, which is. And kind of back to what we were talking about, about this idea of, like, finding community and family in places, all different kinds of places. But he was. His question to you. His question was like, who do you look for for answers when you're feeling frazzled or lost? Cause I was saying, you have a big brother, V. You have a big brother vibe with a lot of people. He feels like a big brother to you. But he was saying, I feel like I think a lot about what would John do here? He takes a lot of counsel from you. Who do you look? Where do you go? Where do you look?

[Jon Hamm]

That's a really good question. I don't think I have a go to. Honestly. I've been on my own in one way or another for A very long time. So I. I'm. I'm very self dependent. I think part of my therapeutic journey has been sometimes to a fault where I won't reach out. I'll just. I can. I. I got it.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

I'm learning to get better at that for sure. But people like Lauren, for sure. Lauren. I've definitely reached out to when I've had instability in my life. And you know, part of the magic of that man is that it. He's so inscrutable and so Canadian that it's a koan in some way. You know, you get some kind of weird thing. Where.

[Amy Poehler]

Did you say koan?

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, like a Zen koan. You know what that is? It's like a saying that, you know.

[Amy Poehler]

How do you spell that? K, O, A N. I don't know that word. Sorry. Coan.

[Jon Hamm]

I'll be interested because I don't have a great definition of.

[Amy Poehler]

It is a paradoxical anecdote, question or dialogue. Yeah, well done. Okay, continue.

[Jon Hamm]

So. So he'll say, well, you know, eventually you'll just be on the T shirt and you're like, what?

[Amy Poehler]

You know, it's that thing where you let go and suddenly you're finding yourself on Mulholland.

[Jon Hamm]

And then maybe Mick will come by and he'll say, go great. Everybody does. It's so great. But people like that. I find that I very much enjoy talking to my elders. I was not to be super name droppy, but last night had an amazing dinner at the Bruckheimer's house. Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced Top Gun. I think you've worked for Jerry.

[Amy Poehler]

I have.

[Jon Hamm]

Have you?

[Amy Poehler]

Not that to my knowledge.

[Jon Hamm]

What's the squeakles? No, they were.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, he was. Yeah. Jerry. I never met Jerry in the booth when I was.

[Jon Hamm]

Fair enough.

[Amy Poehler]

Eleanor in the squeakquel.

[Jon Hamm]

Fair enough, fair enough.

[Amy Poehler]

But Jerry, thanks for the job. Didn't know that you were the person that hired me. Thank you for the job.

[Jon Hamm]

Thank you for the job.

[Amy Poehler]

Sorry that I dressed up as Eleanor when I came in for the audition. You've been in some monster hits. Bridesmaids.

[Jon Hamm]

Bridesmaids.

[Amy Poehler]

The town Bridesmaids. You're so funny in it. What a funny. What an incredible movie.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, I mean, some fun movies for sure.

[Amy Poehler]

Some big fun movies. How did you learn how to do a Boston accent? How did you.

[Jon Hamm]

I don't know, like anybody.

[Amy Poehler]

Just not like anybody. People can't do it really. Well.

[Jon Hamm]

Well, I mean, I famously did it in the town, but I was making fun of Ben. That was part of why it was easy for Me, My guy wasn't supposed to be from Boston. Right When I met all those FBI guys. Yeah, none of them. The Boston PD guys are from Boston. The bpd, the local guys.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, even the way you're saying Boston is. Is the correct way to say it.

[Jon Hamm]

Well, I. Trust me, we were immersed in Boston.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, yeah. You do a movie in Boston, everybody's in the movie.

[Jon Hamm]

Yes, indeed.

[Amy Poehler]

Your cousin, your uncle, everybody, your friend.

[Jon Hamm]

And talk about making a movie about Charlestown. Holy moly. Talk about the guys coming out of the. Ben told me we were gonna. You were gonna cast Tommy and the other guy.

[Amy Poehler]

My friend Charlie's here.

[Jon Hamm]

You were like, we're here. Where's the paycheck?

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

And where's craft service?

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, that's possible.

[Jon Hamm]

Nobody.

[Amy Poehler]

Nobody said you could be in the job.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, they said, we're in the job. Don't worry. Yeah, yeah. You're like, okay. We had guys that would show up and then were like, oh, but I can't shoot here. I'm on parole. I guess too close to a bank.

[Amy Poehler]

You're like, you can't be near a bank.

[Jon Hamm]

Okay, Sorry. Oh, man. There were some characters and it was a blast. It was a blast.

[Amy Poehler]

And what about 30 Rock working there? Let's Tina Fey. Is it the show or the Tina Fey discuss?

[Jon Hamm]

Tina. I credit Tina along with Lorne for allowing me to be in comedies. Nobody thought. It's not like when you do Mad Men. They're like, I bet that guy's real funny. He's probably got a bunch of impressions and bits and jokes.

[Amy Poehler]

True. You're very serious in Mad Men.

[Jon Hamm]

I mean.

[John Slattery]

Yes.

[Jon Hamm]

So when Lauren asked me to host the show, I was like, oh, my God. That's the only thing I've ever wanted to do since I was. Since ever was be on Saturday Night Live. So I was very excited. And then as we discussed. You guys, very welcoming. Here we are. Everyone's in costume. It's very funny. Read through that week. The packet of 50. I think you were right next to me. I can't remember where you sat. That so. So fun. And then I. I remember. I think it was after read through, or maybe it's on Thursday, but I was going down to the. To. To 8 to do blocking something. And the phone in my. In the dressing room rings like, jesus, that's weird. It's like when a hotel phone rings. You're like, who's calling me? Who's calling the room? This is very weird. And I picked it up. I was like, hello? Hello, Is this John Again. Yeah, hi, it's Robert Carlock. We just want to know if you wanted to come do his thing on 30 Rock. It's kind of a love interest for Liz. And we're. I was like, huh. Like, the other thing that I wanted to be on is that. And Tina, unbeknownst to me, had called Lauren after read through and said, is this guy funny? How is this guy, as Tina is wont to do, like, give me the straight dope. And Lauren. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, it's like, when you're in

[Jon Hamm]

that space, you'll like them. We were on parallel tracks. Like, we shot our pilots in the same studio at Silver Cup.

[Amy Poehler]

Right.

[Jon Hamm]

So we kind of. We were. And they were. They were winning for comedy, and we were winning for drama, and it was like, Mad Men, 30 Rock. Mad Men, 30 Rock. It was great.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, you weren't winning, but they were winning the show. You were in the losers lounge.

[Jon Hamm]

No Losers lounge. Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

Tina's love language is. Is writing incredible material that you get to do. Like, that's like how she. Like, it's like. It's the nicest gift is that she fits you.

[Jon Hamm]

I recently got a text from Tina that was the beginning of my character arc on the show where I played a perfectly normal human being. Now cut to season whatever, where I have two hooks for hands and am falling. And the reason I have hooks for hands is because I thought I recognized my old football coach when I was getting out of a helicopter and I waved.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Twice. So she was like, remember when this guy was a normal person?

[Amy Poehler]

A normal person.

[Jon Hamm]

Well, it didn't last long.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. And then the last thing Ham, I want to ask you about, because I love it, is I loved you at the super bowl. Enjoying Bad Bunny and I people. Bad Bunny came at a time where, for a lot of people, it was like we were, you know, we're looking for something, anything.

[Jon Hamm]

Any. Any expression of joy would be helpful there.

[Amy Poehler]

Any. Exactly. Any artistic expression of joy. I know you are a huge fan of his. You went like, what was it like watching that? And tell me why he's important to you.

[Jon Hamm]

Cheers. Why? My wife, Anna, who I met on the last episode of Mad Men.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, can you tell everybody who she played in the last episode?

[Jon Hamm]

She plays the receptionist of the Esalen, like, place, the girl with the pigtails.

[Amy Poehler]

Incredible.

[Jon Hamm]

Who then gets put in the Coca Cola commercial.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jon Hamm]

So this woman clearly has an effect on Don and clearly had an effect on John. We ended up getting married at the same place, same location. No. Yes, ma'. Am.

[Amy Poehler]

They better giving you that for free.

[Jon Hamm]

We worked out at night.

[Amy Poehler]

Incredible.

[Jon Hamm]

It was a beautiful, magical experience and lovely. So Anna had gone to Colombia with her sister and her best friend on a girls trip. And they would go to the dance clubs at night after dinner or whatever, and shake their butts and have a good time. And they were like, there's this guy that keep playing Bad Bunny. No one had heard him. This is like 2018. He wasn't even played on the reggaeton stations in LA or New York. No one had heard of him. And we had started to kind of see each other a little bit here and there. And we go out in New York City and they play me this bad one. Who is this? Our text thread is called Bad Bunnies. That was just our first. And I was like, I dig this guy's energy sound. Whatever. So over the course of our relationship, this is the soundtrack to our relationship. Really.

[Amy Poehler]

Aw, that's so nice.

[Jon Hamm]

And it's just organic. It wasn't so we had heard about he had hosted the show or he was a guest on the show on snl. Got to go to that. We found out he was doing this residency in Puerto Rico. Anna was like. And to Ana's great credit, she's always like, what if we did that? And it was a blast. That was the first time I went viral. Was in the casita. Dancing, dancing, Just dancing. It was fun, man.

[Amy Poehler]

He's fun.

[Jon Hamm]

He's fun. We had a dance party at Slant Girls.

[Amy Poehler]

I love dancing.

[Jon Hamm]

Me too. And so there's. As you said, the world was a little.

[Amy Poehler]

Is.

[Jon Hamm]

Is a little of a bummer.

[Amy Poehler]

A lot of a bummer.

[Jon Hamm]

A lot of a bummer.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

But boy, man, for 15 minutes of that halftime show.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. No.

[Jon Hamm]

And what a message. And what a. And. And not for nothing, you forget that he had to perform that.

[Amy Poehler]

No kidding. I mean, I think like, oh, he's

[Jon Hamm]

singing along to a track or whatever. Like, no, no, no. He was jumping off a roof, climbing on a pole, spiking a football.

[Amy Poehler]

You're like doing a trust fall.

[Jon Hamm]

Doing a trust fall.

[Amy Poehler]

Like a real one, not a fake one. Up in the air so much.

[Jon Hamm]

10 out of 10, no notes, perfectly executed. Then you go and you listen to the words and you're like, oh, man. That's a nice sentiment as well.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Maybe if we look back in five years, this is the tipping point. And if it is, what a kick ass thing to do.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Remind everybody that maybe together is a little better than siloed and apart. And that joy is kind of great.

[Amy Poehler]

And then there's a million ways to be an American. And that music is like. Like that. When music does that, I feel like. I mean, I know you feel this way about music too. Like there's something about music that can shortcut in a way.

[Jon Hamm]

The universal language. They say it always. Because it doesn't matter what kind. It doesn't matter what it is. It can be aggressive, it can be soothing, it can be all of the things. But, man, when it hits the right, right buttons.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

Feels good.

[Amy Poehler]

Juan. Jamon.

[Jon Hamm]

Juan. Juancito.

[Amy Poehler]

Jamoncito.

[Jon Hamm]

Little Johnny. Amy, do you speak Spanish? I do speak Spanish pretty well.

[Amy Poehler]

You do?

[Jon Hamm]

I do pretty well. I. I've. How did you learn it? I learned it in high school, and then I worked in a million restaurants in Los Angeles.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Jon Hamm]

And then you get really good at.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you have a. An accent? Like a. Is it. Do you have a. And the last question I have for you is, what are you laughing at these days? What are you watching that's making you laugh? And it can be. It doesn't have to be.

[Jon Hamm]

You know what I watched recently that really made me laugh that I think you would really like? Yeah, it's a show out of Canada called Heated Revenue. No, it's not that. That's a bit.

[Amy Poehler]

That's called a bit.

[Jon Hamm]

But it does have to do. It is Canadian. It does have to do the hockey. It's a show called Shoresy.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, I love Shoresy.

[Jon Hamm]

That is making me laugh. And you know what? It's also making me do cry.

[Amy Poehler]

It's making.

[Jon Hamm]

She's a really. It's a great show.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. I've only watched clips of Shorzy. Cause, you know, I've seen him on

[Jon Hamm]

six episodes a season.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, really? Oh, I love that.

[Jon Hamm]

You can watch all of them in a half a day.

[Amy Poehler]

And him. Okay, let's watch it.

[Jon Hamm]

So Jared Kisso.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, tell me more.

[Jon Hamm]

Was on a show, created a show called Letterkenny.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jon Hamm]

Which is a very, very Canadian show.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Jon Hamm]

But very specifically funny. Maybe not to everyone's taste, as things should be.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, Comedy is very subjective.

[Jon Hamm]

Subjective. And the reason he did this was because he. He came to LA and they were like, you're too Canadian. You're too this, you're too that. And he's like, fuck it. I'm gonna go back home and I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make my own show. And he did. And then he spun it off into this thing. Shorzy. And it's. Shorzy's about this kind of Local hero legend. He plays on the local men's hockey team. And it's kind of the point of pride for the small town in northern Ontario that they live called Sudbury. And over the course of the series they win the championship. Then he becomes a coach and he tries to teach the kids. And it's a tremendous show because it highlights most of the people in power that are running things are women. Many of them are first nations, indigenous Canadians. And it's not made a big deal of. It just is. And his relationship to all of that while being this bruiser is very soft.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, yes. I mean, I've seen.

[Jon Hamm]

Cause he's got this real high pitched voice and it's really kind of funny. And he always interrupts people.

[Amy Poehler]

They're always interrupting. They're always. And their overlapping dialogue is really funny.

[Jon Hamm]

It's tremendous. It's a tremendously ambitious show that delivers. So I'm trying to pump their tires a little bit.

[Amy Poehler]

I want to find out the scenes where he's hitting on.

[Jon Hamm]

Oh. When he hits on the girl who he really loves. It's so. I'll make you so. I'll make you so happy.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. That's the stuff that I see. And it's so funny. It's such a funny move, but it's also like.

[Jon Hamm]

It's also deeply sentimental and heartfelt.

[Amy Poehler]

Agreed. That was. I was like, oh, I want to watch the show. Because his move, his comedy move is like, I'm gonna love you so hard. She's just like, I'm not interested. And it's so good.

[Jon Hamm]

The perks that come along with that. It's summer in sun Vegas. It's not Playa del Carmen. It's not Bellow Horizonte. I'm ready to take things to the

[Amy Poehler]

next level, but I need to be

[Jon Hamm]

sure that you're sure.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, so good. So good. Such a good show. Okay, we gotta check that out. Well, Jon Hamm, Amy Polar Bear. Buddy. I don't have a lot of straight men on the show, so. Consideration.

[Jon Hamm]

I break down a lot of doors, a lot of walls.

[Amy Poehler]

You know, it's nice, you know, and I should probably.

[Jon Hamm]

But the guys you do are great. Our buddies too.

[Amy Poehler]

Great. All of our buddies.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, I know.

[Amy Poehler]

All of our buddies.

[Jon Hamm]

It's nice to be. First of all, it's so great to see you. You too. I really do miss you. We don't hang out enough, but I'm glad we got this one in same. You are the best in the biz and consistently make me smile and happy. And I look forward to your new show, which I know is coming out. I was talking to sure about that.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, my God. We didn't even talk about your friends and Neighbors Season 3 coming out. It's so great. It's so funny. Congratulations on another big hit show for Apple.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, Season three starting. We'll start shooting that in late April. Season two will come out in early April. And it's very fun stuff, shooting in New York City.

[Amy Poehler]

I know, but lots of nights.

[Jon Hamm]

Yeah, lots of nights.

[Amy Poehler]

But I saw in that first season, I was like, oh, you have to break in at nighttime.

[Jon Hamm]

They almost broke me on that.

[Amy Poehler]

I bet. I was like, we gotta find a way to break into these houses during the day. Well, I'm very happy to call myself one of your chosen sisters. Ham. You are happy? I'm happy to be one of them. So thanks for doing this.

[Jon Hamm]

Thank you, Amy.

[Amy Poehler]

Love you.

[Jon Hamm]

Love you too.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you so much. Jon Hamm. It was so good to have you and see you and I love talking to you. And, you know, John and I talked about a lot of things and I mentioned a very brief anecdote about probably my favorite actress, Frances McDormand. And so for this polar plunge, I just wanted to remind you all how great she is. I just rewatched Nomadland the other night and oh. Oh, God, that is a good performance. She's just good in everything. She's so interesting and smart and just so cool. And Frances, if you're listening, I love you. Never change, please. I'm just a big fan of your work. And check out Frances's work. You know, it's these kind of polar plunges. Thank you, Frances, for your work and thank you, Jon Hamm, for coming today and for your work. And thank you just for. Oh, my God, I don't know how to end this. Okay, bye, everybody. You've been listening to Good hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss Berman and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by the Ringer and Paper Kite. For the Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Cat Spillane, Kaia McMullen and Elizabeth for Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell and Jenna Weiss Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.

[Jon Hamm]

This episode is brought to you by Netflix's Remarkably Bright Creatures. What if a pacific octopus held the key to a mystery that could heal your heart? Well, that's Tova's reality. An elderly widow working at an aquarium, Tova forms an unlikely friendship with the curmudgeonly Marcellus, whose remarkable intelligence leads her to a life changing discovery. Watch Remarkably Bright Creatures with your remarkable moms this Mother's Day weekend. Only on Netflix, May 8. Streaming only on Peacock. A classic love story. You are my forever person.

[Amy Poehler]

I love you.

[Jon Hamm]

But there's one tiny problem. The husband makes the wife feel small. Oh, no, Lindy. In other words, the husband accidentally shrinks the wife to 6 inches tall using his super secret project. But he doesn't know how to unshrink her, and she might be stuck. Mini Forever.

[Amy Poehler]

Make me big again. Now.

[Jon Hamm]

A classic love story starring Elizabeth banks and Matthew McFady. The miniature wife. Streaming now only on Peacock.