Will Forte

Summary

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Episode Featuring Will Forte

Release Date: June 17, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Amy welcomes her longtime friend and versatile comedian Will Forte. The conversation delves into their shared beginnings at Saturday Night Live (SNL), Will's unique journey in comedy, his latest projects, and personal anecdotes that highlight his charismatic personality.

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Early Career and SNL Beginnings

Will Forte reminisces about his transition from a finance intern to a comedy writer and performer. Initially, Will intended to follow in his father's footsteps in the finance world but soon realized his passion lay elsewhere.

"I realized that what I was doing in finance felt boring, and I wanted to pursue something that truly resonated with me."
[15:10]

Amy and Tina Fey discuss Will's impressive SNL audition, highlighting his memorable characters and the dedication he brought to his roles from the outset.

"Will's audition is legendary—it’s one of the funniest you've ever seen."
[18:07]

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SNL Audition and Memorable Characters

Will recounts his iconic "gold man" character from his SNL audition, a performance that showcased his willingness to take risks and push comedic boundaries. Although the sketch didn’t make it to air, it remains a testament to his creative daring.

"I did this sketch where my character moved only when money was inserted, making him freeze until more was given. It was a hilarious yet unique concept that really set me apart."
[20:02]

Amy adds that the audition room was filled with laughter, underscoring the immediate impact of Will's performance.

"Everyone was dying of laughter; it was impossible to keep a straight face."
[25:30]

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Work Ethic and Personality

The conversation shifts to Will’s renowned work ethic, revealing that he maintained 20,000 steps a day even during his time at SNL.

"Will was always the hardest worker—sometimes to the point of exhaustion. He'd even wear his step tracker like an ankle bracelet during shoots."
[04:06]

Tina Fey praises Will's responsiveness to praise, noting how he thrives on positive reinforcement.

"His love language is words of affirmation. Whenever you compliment him, his face just lights up."
[05:03]

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Personal Life and Family

Will shares heartfelt stories about his family, including touching moments with his daughters. He proudly showcases personalized socks adorned with his daughters' faces, highlighting his deep familial bonds.

"My wife gets me socks every Christmas, Father's Day, and birthday with someone's special face on them. It's like walking on my family all the time."
[14:02]

Amy and Will also discuss funny and adorable moments, such as videos of his daughter Zoe’s amusing ice cream adventures.

"Watching little kids with glasses or experiencing new things like ice cream for the first time is just pure joy."
[47:20]

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Donkey Kong and Other Interests

Beyond comedy, Will reveals a hidden passion for Donkey Kong, boasting a high registered score that earned him recognition within the gaming community.

"At one point, I had the 29th highest registered Donkey Kong score. It was just a fun challenge that I took seriously."
[44:19]

He humorously recounts his dedication to the game while filming a movie, balancing his professional and personal interests.

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Favorite Comedy Influences

Discussing his comedic inspirations, Will cites legends like Steve Martin and Peter Sellers, as well as influential comedy groups such as Monty Python and SCTV.

"Steve Martin was definitely my number one influence. His blend of wit and physical comedy set a standard I aspired to."
[41:04]

Amy echoes the sentiment, emphasizing Steve Martin's impact on their generation.

"Steve Martin spans our lives; he's been a pivotal figure in comedy from our early days."
[41:34]

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Memorable Moments and Sketches

A highlight of the episode is the discussion about the beloved SNL sketch featuring Will and Ensemble teammate Wig. The "Jar of Beer" sketch, involving whimsical lyrics about toddlers and spaceships, remains a fan favorite.

"We wrote this sketch about toddlers and spaceships, and it just felt so loose and fun—something only seasoned SNL cast members could pull off."
[53:08]

Will reflects on the creative process behind the sketch and its enduring appeal among fans.

"Developing original songs with Wig was incredibly fun. The creativity just flowed, and the cast loved it."
[53:34]

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Latest Projects: "Four Seasons"

Amy congratulates Will on his new Netflix show, "Four Seasons", co-starring Tina Fey. Will expresses his enthusiasm for the project, praising the collaborative writing team and the depth of character development.

"Working with Tina and the incredible writing team made 'Four Seasons' a truly special experience. The characters are so richly developed, and the humor is spot-on."
[38:38]

Amy adds her admiration for Will's acting prowess showcased in the series.

"You're so good in it, Will. It’s a testament to your talent and the fantastic writing behind the show."
[38:35]

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with heartfelt exchanges between Amy and Will, celebrating their enduring friendship and collaborative history. They reflect on the joys of creating comedy together and express eagerness for future collaborations.

"It's been so great spending this time together, reminiscing and sharing laughs. We should hang out more often."
[59:27]

Amy wraps up by encouraging listeners to watch "Four Seasons" and check out "King of Kong", a documentary that parallels Will’s dedication to Donkey Kong.

"Don't miss 'Four Seasons' on Netflix and the documentary 'King of Kong' for an incredible look into gaming passion."
[59:44]

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Notable Quotes

• "I did 20,000 steps a day, every day for the year." — Will Forte [04:14]
• "His love language is words of affirmation." — Tina Fey [05:03]
• "You just gotta take ownership over the sketch." — Will Forte [34:32]
• "Steve Martin was definitely my number one influence." — Will Forte [41:04]
• "We should hang out more often." — Will Forte [59:27]

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler offers a deep dive into Will Forte's multifaceted career, his unwavering dedication to his craft, and the warmth of his personal relationships. Listeners gain insight into the creative processes behind beloved SNL sketches, the making of "Four Seasons," and the enduring bonds formed through years of collaborative comedy.

Whether you're a long-time fan or new to Will Forte's work, this episode provides a rich and entertaining exploration of his contributions to the comedy landscape.

Transcript

[Amy Poehler]

This episode is brought to you by Pure Leaf iced Tea. You know that point in the afternoon when you just hit a wall? Yeah, same. It's three o' clock in the afternoon. You know, you have so much work ahead of you and you just want to take a nap. Well, that is why you should keep pure leaf iced tea in your fridge. It's real brewed tea from real tea leaves with bold flavor and just enough caffeine to snap you back into it. Next time you need to hit the reset button, grab a pure leaf iced tea. Time for a tea break. Time for a pure leaf. Hi everyone. Welcome to another episode of Good Hang. I'm very excited to introduce our guest today. It is Will Forte. Will, amazing actor, performer, writer and my good friend who started at SNL pretty much the same time as me. So we get into those early years today. We talk about his amazing SNL audition, we talk about how he became incredible at Donkey Kong and and we also talk about the four seasons, the great new show that he's on on Netflix currently with Tina Fey. And speaking of Tina Fey, we are asking Tina to join us and give us a question to ask our guest, Will Forte. And Tina is a friend of the Pod. This is her third appearance and technically we probably need to start paying her. Tina. Hi Patty, can you hear me? Woo hoo hoo. This episode is presented by Athleta. Summer is here. It's time to get outside and get active. And Athleta has just what women need to move the way they that's shorts for every type of run. From a casual jog on the beach to a competitive road race. There's skorts for on the court and pants for cool stretching. And there's always a matchback bra and top to complete your outfit. For stylish, innovative activewear, the choice can only be Athleta. Power of she. Shop now@ athleta.com who are we looking at?

[Tina Fey]

That's Teddy.

[Amy Poehler]

Teddy. Oh my gosh. Teddy just responded to her. His. His, his name.

[Will Forte]

Teddy.

[Amy Poehler]

Teddy.

[Will Forte]

Teddy.

[Tina Fey]

Oh, I wish you could smell him. Smells terrible.

[Amy Poehler]

Betty, we were just saying that you are the official best friend of the Pod. Cause this is the third time you have been on the pod.

[Will Forte]

Yay.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you for being here.

[Tina Fey]

I want a three Timers jacket.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Just like snl. We'll give you like a really heavy ill fitting robe.

[Tina Fey]

A really unflattering jacket you have to.

[Amy Poehler]

Wear every time we're talking to you in New York and we're, we're talking to the great Will Forte today. Yes. Congratulations, by the way, on your show. I love it. Thank you for watching it. We're going to be plugging it while he's here, but four season. The four seasons out on Netflix.

[Tina Fey]

Currently streaming on Netflix.

[Amy Poehler]

Yep.

[Tina Fey]

Right, Ted.

[Amy Poehler]

Right, Teddy. And then there's a dog version for Teddy and other dogs.

[Tina Fey]

The dog version is a lot darker.

[Amy Poehler]

What has it been like working with someone that you've known for so long and what's good about.

[Tina Fey]

Was so easy to work with Will. And when you work with people at snl, you just know them by osmosis, because you just stay up all night with them so many times. You eat like a meat. Cold meatball off the table next to them, even if you're not working directly together that much. Because Will and I didn't really write together or, you know, like, I don't think we. I don't think I've never had dinner with, like, just Will, like, but it's just all osmosis. And so I just was very comfortable with him. I feel like we had a shorthand. I feel like I was never worried that he would be mad at me or not like, me, you know, like, easy.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. And.

[Tina Fey]

And I knew he is a super hard worker because he is the hardest worker. Like, he'll work himself to death.

[Amy Poehler]

I just found out today that he. He did 20,000 steps a day, every day for the year. 20, 24.

[Tina Fey]

20,000. Yeah.

[Will Forte]

At least.

[Tina Fey]

And he would wear his. He would wear it almost like a court ankle bracelet. He would wear it under his costume when we were filming and he would talk about how he got. I got 20,000 steps. And he would, like, get up at 5:00 in the morning before he came to the shoot to get the first 10,000.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Tina Fey]

He also, one thing I know, I learned about him is he. And I know his family and friends do love him. So I don't know why he is this way, but I feel like he is so responsive to any words of praise. If you say like, well, you did a great job in that. He's like. He's like a plant that nobody watered for a week.

[Amy Poehler]

He's like, thank you so much. He's so grateful.

[Tina Fey]

Like, I know your wife is nice to you, but he just really. I think his love language is words of affirmation.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, that's so good to know.

[Tina Fey]

Telling him he's doing a great job on the podcast and watch his face light up. He's gonna light up.

[Amy Poehler]

It's so true. Because, I mean, and it's so easy to talk about how great he is. Cause he is so. Not only is he so funny and a great writer and a really nice person, but he. He could have been in another world, like a finance bro. Like he's. Or a joke.

[Tina Fey]

That's so interesting, Amy. Cause that was the main question I thought to ask him is I would like to know if he had not ended up in comedy. Because I know anecdotally from talking to him that he had a lot of weird jobs. You know, he was like. And he's had like. It's almost like he's immortal because he describes chunks of his life. I'm like, that's too many chunks. Like, what do you mean? That one time you went up to Alaska and were a salmon fisherman? Like, what do you mean? So he's had all kinds of jobs. And I wonder if he had not ended up a comedy writer and then a performer, what would he have been? What would have become of him?

[Amy Poehler]

Great.

[Tina Fey]

Well, I think, you know, if in another era, if he had lived in another era, I feel like he would have been a really popular 70s game show host who then, like, killed a bunch of nurses and then they would, like, Mark Harmon would have played him in a movie.

[Amy Poehler]

Yep, that makes sense.

[Tina Fey]

But yeah, like, what. What would his life be like if he had gone a different route?

[Amy Poehler]

And I'm going to talk to him just a little bit about some of his characters, because I feel they just are so, like they. They just kind of came with him in snl. He had so many that he brought. But do you remember his audition?

[Tina Fey]

I kind of do, because I remember he did. I think he did. Tim Calhoun, the really quiet guy running for office, is really quiet. And I. He did that kind of infamous silver face paint guy.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Tina Fey]

His comedy is so truly unique. His voice, when you think of like MacGruber and the Falconer and all these. And like all the kind of, you know, the dancing football coach and the Halloween sketch where he's the guy who has to tell everybody he's a registered sex offender. His.

[Amy Poehler]

His.

[Tina Fey]

Or like the time he brought his lovely mom onto Weekend Update and just like, like was like gonna tribute her, but it was just like when you die. He has such a weird sense of humor. I wonder what comedy things shaped him, because I don't think it's the same stuff as everybody else, you know, but like, what, like, what combination of comedy viewing and real life childhood trauma made his comedy this?

[Amy Poehler]

There's like a mischievous streak in him. Yes, I felt it a little bit in some of the scenes when you guys were throwing stuff at each other. Oh, yeah. Like, there was a little bit. I was like, that is a little Forte.

[Tina Fey]

Yes. He hits me with a cup, and I look genuinely really mad. But also, he was, like, the obedient part of him was, like, so happy that he hit me with the cup on the first try. He likes anything that's close to sports.

[Amy Poehler]

All right, thank you, Betty, for this time. Love you. See you soon. Bye. This episode is brought to you by Uber Eats. Summer is here, and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered by Uber Eats. What do I mean by almost? Well, you can't get a summer blockbuster delivered, but you can get a block of cheese, a cabana that's a no. But a banana, that's a yes. You know what I like to order from Uber Eats? Batteries. Don't eat batteries. But I often need batteries, and you can get batteries from Uber Eats. Get almost. Almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. For alcohol. You must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly. Product availability varies by region. See app for details. Okay, I'll officially start. We are with Will Forte. We are with Orville Willis Forte, the fourth.

[Will Forte]

The fourth? Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

You're the fourth, Orville.

[Will Forte]

I'm always pissed if somebody doesn't say the fourth.

[Amy Poehler]

I know you.

[Will Forte]

Like, sometimes people say the third, and it's like, that's my mouth.

[Amy Poehler]

And it's also obvious my mouth wants to say Orville Wilbur Forte, but it's not. It's Willis Forte.

[Will Forte]

Oddly, I accept that. I'm totally fine with Wilbur just because that's. There's something fun about it. But the fourth is just. That's disrespectful if you get the fourth wrong. They named me the fourth, like, for a reason.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, tell me who, because I love you told me this very early on when we met, the names of all of. Cause you go by Will. But you do go by Will as a kid, right? You went by.

[Will Forte]

I was Billy as a kid, but then it was. I was born in 1970. So when I started going to school, I started hearing about Billie Jean King, and people were like, you have a girl's name. And that was, like, a big deal. Like, so I was like, I am not Billy.

[Amy Poehler]

I am Will.

[Will Forte]

Will. And that's how. That's how. Yeah, I think I just demanded a name change at, like, five or six years old.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. But then you went by Will. Then your dad went by.

[Will Forte]

Dad was Rebel.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Will Forte]

Because he was born up by you, he was Weston, Massachusetts, so he's from Yankee territory, but he was born in New Orleans. His dad was stationed down in Rebel territory during World War II. I don't think it was still. I mean. Yeah, so he went by as a joke. They called him Rebel.

[Amy Poehler]

And he went by Reb. Right? He still goes by Reb. Reb.

[Will Forte]

He still goes by Reb. He's still around, still skis. 80, almost 82. 82 in about three weeks. And he still skis.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm here to say both your parents, just attractive people. I just saw Patty, your mom, and Reb at the Four Seasons premiere. Your dad is a handsome silver fox.

[Will Forte]

He's kind of a white fox now.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, he's a white fox.

[Will Forte]

Like, it's really.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, he's blending into the snow. Patty looks incredible, right? Yeah.

[Will Forte]

Yeah. She's about to turn 82 also, and she. If somebody. There are people who think she's in her, like, mid-60s.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. She is, like, incredible skin. You have very good genes.

[Will Forte]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Will Forte, I was so excited to have you come today, because I feel like all of us in. We, like, all went to the same comedy high school or something. Like, we all graduated at the same time from a place. And I feel like when we all see each other, it just feels like we. In fact, Tina was talking about this. It just feels like we all, through Osmosis, just got to spend so many hours together.

[Will Forte]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, we really spent a huge experience.

[Will Forte]

I would even say it's more than a high school experience. It's like a family.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Will Forte]

Like a real family. And that 50th really showed it, too, because there'd be a lot of people that you didn't meet that you felt like you knew. And it was just such a. Like, a warm homecoming with those people that, like, you've heard of them, they've heard of you, and it's just like, oh, my God, I'm finally meeting you. It was. But, I mean, for somebody you went through it with for as long as we did. Yeah. You guys are all family.

[Amy Poehler]

I know. And did you meet anybody for the first time at the 50th that you had never met? Like, that you had never.

[Will Forte]

Yes. Melanie Hutzel. Adam Driver, I had never met. And he was so sweet. And Nathan Lane was there. Just people like that. So it was just a delight. And then the capper was, like, right after we go through this long rehearsal, we had noticed Paul McCartney just hanging out in the bleachers, and somebody said, you sticking around? Because Paul McCartney's doing soundcheck right now. So we're like, fantastic. So I just hung around and called my wife and my daughter whose birthday it was, her fourth birthday. So I said, get Zoe out of bed right now. Get over here. She's like, she's. Because she was taking a nap. So I said, get her up. Get her up. I was so mean. I was like, get down here right now or I'm leaving you. I'm leaving this family. So she runs her down and I have this just priceless video of her watching Paul McCartney singing. It was the very end of the whole Golden Slumbers medley.

[Amy Poehler]

Is Zoe the daughter that ate the ice cream for the first time?

[Will Forte]

Yes, she's this daughter right here. She's this one. There's Cecilia right there. And there's Zoe.

[Amy Poehler]

For listeners, Will Forte just lifted up his pants and showed us socks that has his daughter's faces on them. Where did you get those socks?

[Will Forte]

My wife gets them for me, like, every. Every Christmas, every Father's Day, every birthday. It's all I want. All, like. I would say 90% of my socks have somebody special's face on them. I'm walking on my family all the time.

[Amy Poehler]

You have two daughters? Four and what?

[Will Forte]

Four and two and a half. Well, they're so cute. Yeah, I started late. My wife got me when I first. When I first was. I think it was before the first one was born. She got a sweatshirt that she had made that said dad or Grandpa, question mark. Just so great. And definitely most people would probably go, grandpa.

[Amy Poehler]

No, for sure.

[Will Forte]

No way.

[Amy Poehler]

As an older dad.

[Will Forte]

How dare you.

[Amy Poehler]

You've lived a lot of lives. Like, you have a lot of versions of you. Before we met at snl, you were. I mean, you were in finance before you worked in comedy.

[Will Forte]

Yeah, but I was barely. I was like. I was an intern. And it was what my dad did. So it was. It was a big deal to me back then because it's what I thought I was gonna do just cause my dad did it. So I always thought, oh, I'll follow in his footsteps. And then as I was doing it, I was like, oh, this doesn't feel right. Maybe it's just because, you know, I was working for this guy and he was a nice guy, but it's like, you know, it was. The thing that I was doing was kind of boring. I would just like, call people on his behalf. And then right when I'd get them on the line, I would send them over to him so I wouldn't have to do the Scary and exciting part of trying to sell a product to this person.

[Amy Poehler]

Just get him on the phone.

[Will Forte]

Yeah, it was just like, get the person on the phone. Hold for this guy out of his. I don't want to say his name. Just, he's a nice guy. But I, like, I just. I've said it in the past. I'm like, oh, I don't know if he wants to be part of my stories, but he was great. But at a certain point he said, his name's Brett. He's a nice guy. I don't think he'd care.

[Amy Poehler]

No, he won't care.

[Will Forte]

Yeah. But at a certain point, he said, you know what? I want you to. I'm going to put you through the Series 7, and you'll come over and be part of my, like, the junior guy in my team or something like that. And I just. It was at that point that I was like, oh, I know myself. And if I agree to this, I will never leave. Like, I wouldn't go like, oh, this. My attitude would be, this guy went out on a limb, took a chance on me. I'm not gonna just F him over.

[Amy Poehler]

But it is like, when you came. When my memory of you was when you came to snl, it was like you already had an aura. Because it was like he. It was like he worked in a brokerage firm and then he left to write comedy. And you had already written for Letterman. And was it third rock from the sun?

[Will Forte]

Third rock from the sun.

[Amy Poehler]

You had two genuine 70s show and 70s show. When you auditioned for SNL, I was.

[Will Forte]

Trying to get out of the audition. Cause I was under contract for 70 shows. So to me, I was like, right? I was like, I can't even do it anyway. I think we had just gotten picked up for two years in a row, which was unheard of. And so I was like, I finally had this job that's gonna stick for a while and loved the job and this experience at Letterman where I didn't do great. And I was like, this felt like, is this gonna be another dream shattered? So just like, hold onto this thing that, you know, is. You got for sure is bird in hand, right?

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Will Forte]

So I just was like, I finally. They talked me into coming to audition, so I went and then I got the job.

[Amy Poehler]

Your audition. Your audition was. It was so funny, Will.

[Jack]

Really?

[Will Forte]

Yes. Well, thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

It was so. I think it goes down as one of the best.

[Will Forte]

Really?

[Amy Poehler]

I think so. I mean, I remember, by the way.

[Will Forte]

Look at that audition. You'll see a. You'll see the doughy forte for sure. I probably was, yeah, 30 to 40 pounds heavier.

[Amy Poehler]

Baby Forte.

[Will Forte]

Like, yeah, just like cheeseburger forte.

[Amy Poehler]

You did a bunch of characters in that audition that you ended up doing on the show. You did Tim Calhoun. You're the soft spoken candidate.

[Will Forte]

The speed reader ended up on the show.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, the speed reader. That was the spelling bee guy.

[Will Forte]

Spelling bee guy was kind of just Tim Calhoun in a different setup.

[Amy Poehler]

That's true.

[Will Forte]

But did you do anything? Those were the two I did. I was not. I mean, you know my impressions.

[Amy Poehler]

Me too.

[Will Forte]

They're so bad. I could do Kermit the Frog. That's. I think it did. You do permit. I did Michael McDonald, which is like, I did the things everybody could do. And I did Martin Sheen. But I said like, it was like.

[Amy Poehler]

A West Wing Martin Sheen or an Apocalypse Now Martin.

[Will Forte]

It was just like an old person voice kind of. Or like, I mean, he was. Not to. No disrespect, but just like for me at the time, I was 32 and like, I just kind of said, hi, I'm Martin Sheen. And I said, I've had kind of a cold lately, so if this doesn't sound like me, it's because of the cold. But, you know, if it does sound like me, then I guess the cold is gone. Or something like that.

[Amy Poehler]

So good. And then you did the amazing character that did end up on SNL once, which is the silver faced.

[Will Forte]

Oh, we did it at dress rehearsal, but it didn't.

[Amy Poehler]

But it didn't make the show.

[Will Forte]

It didn't make the show. But I was so thankful that it didn't because.

[Amy Poehler]

Can you just tell people about that, though, for people that don't know. Cause it is legendary that he did it in the audition.

[Will Forte]

It was something I used to do at the Groundlings. And it was a gold man.

[Amy Poehler]

Excuse me, not silver. It was gold.

[Will Forte]

No, no, no. It's totally fine.

[Amy Poehler]

So sorry. I'm so sorry.

[Will Forte]

No, no, no, no. Everyone always says Silverman when they. I think. I think there are more people out on the streets that are silver than gold because it's just less expensive.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, right, exactly.

[Will Forte]

Anyway, so it's one of those guys who's, you know, dressed all in silver. Silver. Or you got me dressed all in gold. Frozen. And then if you put money in his thing, he moves around like a robot and then freezes until somebody puts more money in. So I did this sketch where it was. Had a thing that said, dollars make me move. So a robber comes up. This was at the Groundlings. It was Jim Rash. And Jim Rash comes up and takes the money out, and I can't move because he's not putting money in. So I'm just stuck there until somebody else finally comes back and puts a dollar in. And then I try to find this guy, and I'm like, okay.

[Amy Poehler]

In a very bad way.

[Will Forte]

There's nowhere to be seen.

[Amy Poehler]

In a very good way.

[Will Forte]

Sadly, go back up onto my perch, and. And then somebody else, Jeremy Rowley comes up. He's a kid with Kevin Ruff, and says, daddy, why does the gold man look so sad? And I said, you know, well, maybe if you ask him, he'll tell you. Or maybe if you put a dollar in, he'll tell you. Maybe if you put $2 in, he'll tell you in song. And so then I do this song, and that's what I did for the.

[Amy Poehler]

And can you tell everyone what the song is?

[Will Forte]

And I tried to do what I just told you in. I tried to do that in, like, 15 seconds. Yeah, I don't think I did it, but it was like. So there's this guy. So.

[Amy Poehler]

What was the song, though? It's an incredible song.

[Will Forte]

So this is the. Yeah, So I just set it up. I almost, like, retold the setup again.

[Jack]

So keep in mind, just because I'm a man made of gold.

[Will Forte]

So also just so you know, before I do this. So he puts in the $2. The kid puts in the $2. And then a bunch of people start gathering around, Maya Rudolph being one of them.

[Jack]

Just because I'm a man made of gold? Doesn't mean I'm made out of money? But the calling I found is to give people pleasure through incredibly precise robotic. That's why I come out to the streets? To help me make ends meet? And I work real hard to fill up that jar? Then a bad apple ruins a barrel? Heart of gold, 24 karat? But through all the pain? I grin and I bear it? Heart of gold? But I'm living a golden dream? Cause any way you slice it, we're all on the same team? Come on, now, everybody.

[Will Forte]

And everybody starts singing along?

[Jack]

Heart of gold, 24 karat? But through all the pain? I grin and I bear it? The magus, he grins and it bears it? Heart of gold? But it don't make me no saint? Cause I got a little secret? I suck cock for my face pain?

[Will Forte]

Come on, say with me, everybody, come on.

[Jack]

Hard of cock for my face pain. I suck for my face pain? Cock, face pain? I suck cock for my face Pain. I suck that cock for my face pain. Face pain, cock, face pain, face pain, cock and face pain. Cock, cock, cock, cock, cock, face pain, cock, cock, face paint, face pain. Cock, cock, face paint. Cock, cock, cock, cock, face pain. Cock, cock, face paint, cock, face paint, cock, cock. Together at last in a heavenly union. Cock, cock, cock, cock.

[Will Forte]

And then just kind of go out and at this point, everybody's laughed, and then I'm just gone.

[Amy Poehler]

Together at last in a heavenly union.

[Will Forte]

Yeah. So I did that a bunch at the Groundlings.

[Amy Poehler]

And you did it for your SNL audition?

[Will Forte]

And I did it for my SNL audition. I remember walking out, Lauren was there, and just kind of when I said. And I didn't know what to say, so I just said, sorry about all the cocks, and then left. And I got the job.

[Amy Poehler]

It was. I can remember the reaction to that and how hard people were laughing on a notoriously, like, cold room. Like, that room is very, like, people were dying, laughing.

[Will Forte]

That's really nice to hear. Because, like, I mean, you don't remember that. No, because you're so focused on it. And especially if you're singing, if you're doing anything loud, you can't really hear something until there's quiet. And this is just, like, constant noise. And I might have even had my music. But, like, there's this guy, Teddy Zambetti. Thank you, Teddy. Who was the musical director at the Groundlings at the time. I did that, gave me this tape of the music so I could do it to the music and together. Yeah. So I didn't know. I didn't. You know, you walk out of there, you just have no idea how you did. And then I actually, at some point, I went up to Lauren's office. Cause I think also, like, because I had been such a little pain in the ass about even going out to audition, I think he was like, you.

[Amy Poehler]

Know, are you gonna take this job, you know, if I give it to you, kind of thing.

[Will Forte]

Well, it was the weirdest thing because I went in there and I was like. I think he was basically saying, you know, basically saying, you have the job.

[Amy Poehler]

But he doesn't like to actually tell anybody. He notoriously doesn't ever, like, hire or fire anybody. He's very automatic about it.

[Will Forte]

He had said something like, when you.

[Amy Poehler]

Start, you know, like, that kind of.

[Will Forte]

Thing when one works here.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. I remember with him, he was like. And, you know, there'll be a time when you're here and people will be. And I was like, did I get hired?

[Will Forte]

Yeah. Yeah. Like, skipping the part where it's like, so let me be clear. You've got the job and moving on.

[Amy Poehler]

To, like, in your first year, you're gonna. And you're like, my first year here?

[Will Forte]

Yeah. Like, but. But to me, I fill in the blanks of the first part that he glides over as, like, you're very much on the fence, probably not gonna get this job. But if you were lucky enough, if I, you know, somehow make a bad decision and hire you in your first year, you would, you know, and then that stuff.

[Amy Poehler]

Right, right. You got the job and then you had to go back and you had to turn down, like, a secure job.

[Will Forte]

Well, oh, if you remember this, did.

[Amy Poehler]

You do double dip?

[Will Forte]

No, I went back there and I was like, I'm not going to leave 70 show.

[Amy Poehler]

That's right. Will you. That's such a badass move, because, I mean, it is.

[Will Forte]

I was just a puss. I was scared.

[Amy Poehler]

But you said, I can't. You turned it down. You said, I can't do it because I have other obligations. And just like a. Like a lady who doesn't answer her texts. SNL was like, I've never been more attracted to you. I mean, they double. It was like, double down. Everyone was like, what?

[Will Forte]

I was. I mean, everyone's like, oh, what a punk rock move. And like, little did they know, I'm like, you know, And I'm like, oh, thank God I didn't have to go, because I know I would have failed. And I was just like, so it was totally a decision based in fear. And thank God, at the end of that situation, at the end of the year where I wrote it, 70s show. And it was great, but I thought about it all the time, like, oh, I should have done it. I should have done it. And thank God Lauren came back. I remember Spivey calling me up and saying, or no, we went to somebody's wedding. That was it. We were at a wedding, and Spivey and Maya were both there. And so they were. We talked about it a little bit, and I said, yeah, I kind of regret not doing it. I really regret not doing it. And so they came back. Lauren came back and said, would you want to come audition again? And so I said yes. And then Mark Brazil, the guy who was my boss at 70's show, said, you gotta go do this, do this, and you have a job here. If. If you. Yeah. If it doesn't work out, just come right back here.

[Amy Poehler]

When you got on the show, did you ever feel secure, safe, or did you Always feel like you had to hustle every week for your stuff. Like, did you ever have a moment where you relaxed?

[Will Forte]

I started relaxing. Like, year seven, maybe. Yeah, it was my first year. Everyone's terrified, right? I mean, you were just like. You seem like you were a pretty instant sensation, but it was tough because a bunch of. I mean, it was a lot of white dudes. And so you had.

[Amy Poehler]

It was 2001 and a lot of white dudes.

[Will Forte]

It was a huge cast. It was like 17 people. And so you're trying to get your stuff on, right? And you're trying to get noticed. And then I got somehow the George Bush role. So it's like, you know, we talked earlier, like, I don't do impersonations. And, like, it was a match not made in heaven.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. You didn't like that?

[Will Forte]

I mean, listen, Will Ferrell was George Bush. He was George W. Bush. He was so good at it. It was. I mean, I. Like I said this before, but anybody replacing. It's like trying to replace the church lady, trying to have somebody else do that or, like, you know, you just. He made it such his own thing that, like, they should have just retired it. But of course, you can't retire the sitting president on snl. You have to have. Somebody has to be doing it. And I just, like, I had to be that guy. So it was like I was kind of a letdown for a year as Bush.

[Amy Poehler]

It is interesting to watch and pay attention to how impersonations get passed around. And sometimes they hit, sometimes they don't. And, yeah, you have a job to do, so you have to do it. But. Yeah, I know. And then as I feel you the same way, like, it didn't take me until later on where I started to feel relaxed, but when you started to feel relaxed, like, I feel like all of your.

[Will Forte]

Well, the story that led to kind of relaxing. It was after the third. Sorry to cut you off.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, please.

[Will Forte]

But I think this was after my third season there, or it might have been after the second season. There was this big period where they were, like, rightly saying something's a little off with this show. Let's figure it out. Put a bunch of us on hold. I think you might have been one of the only people who wasn't put on hold. They just picked you up. But, like, 10 of us, just a bunch of us had our. There's a time for people who don't know. There's a time in, like, July where they are contractually obligated to tell you if you're getting picked up for the next season. And then sometimes they will make a request to have three extra weeks. And they did that with a bunch of people, and that's always scary. And then I got to the end of that three weeks, a lot of people had gotten picked up, and they asked for. This was Friday. They said, can we tell you Monday? And I'm like, what am I gonna say? So I'm like, sure. Then on Monday, they said, we're not gonna be able to tell you till Wednesday. And then that went on jumping every two days for three more weeks. Three more weeks. And I was the very last person who got asked back. Everybody else, I don't even think they cut anybody that year. They just.

[Amy Poehler]

They just tortured everybody.

[Will Forte]

But then what happened was eventually Lauren called me up, and it actually was a good thing because he said, here's your deal. You still have a writer mindset. When you write your own things, you commit to them fully, and you're really good about that. But then when other people write things, you're. You get timid and you're. And. And. And, you know, in my head, I'm like, oh, you freaking don't. You're so stupid. Of course that's not happening. And of course, he was 100% right. I was like, I would remember back to at 70s show if I'd write something. And somebody's like, or just any. Any job, you write something and you're like, no, that's, you know, nope, that's not how it's meant to be said. And it's like, so I. In my head, when I'm doing these sketches that other people have written, it's like I could hear them going like, oh, he's blowing it. He's not doing it.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, interesting. So the timidity came not from, like, you not caring or not trying, but it was like you were afraid that they were thinking, this isn't right.

[Will Forte]

I wanted to do it exactly how they wanted it, but didn't know how they wanted it. And so I was kind of timid. And he's like, you just gotta take ownership over the sketch.

[Amy Poehler]

Big and weird in your stuff.

[Will Forte]

And it was like, it really, like, it could have gone either way. It could have been. I could have just, like, receded into the shell and melted down. And for some reason, it became this thing of, like, oh, it's all gravy from here. I could have just been fired. I wasn't fired. And so, like, you know, I gotta give it to Lauren. He was totally right. And really somehow, you know, it was kind of a master stroke of genius.

[Amy Poehler]

That is a really good feedback and good note.

[Will Forte]

So that. But then it still probably took another two years before I was like feeling.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you remember that we sat next to each other at the read through table? Yeah, you and I were next to each other. Do you remember when we had the guy come for the sexual harassment?

[Will Forte]

I certainly do.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you remember what we were doing during it?

[Will Forte]

I mean, I think it was like drawing pictures of dicks or something. I assume it's something. I mean, my memory again is bad.

[Amy Poehler]

We were consens and appropriately just with each other, I believe, drawing pictures of penises and giving them back and forth to each other. And then I accidentally handed that sheet of paper to the very nice man who had just done the entire seminar because I thought it was the sign in sheet. Do you know this part?

[Will Forte]

And I, I forgot that part.

[Amy Poehler]

And he was like, what's this? And I said, oh, that's the wrong sir. That's the wrong paper. But moving forward.

[Will Forte]

I mean, look. I mean look, there are so many things that I look back now and I go, like, you think, oh, it's all about getting the laugh. It's all. It's.

[Amy Poehler]

I agree. And I feel that's what like is. That's the part about getting older and being in comedy is you have to like, figure out like, oh, it's like everything has an expiration date. I mean, there's like even. Even on the 50th when they said, like, here's all they had that segment of like, which is like, here's all the ways we got things wrong. And they showed way inappropriate casting for people. You know, we all played people that we should not have played.

[Will Forte]

Oh, my God.

[Amy Poehler]

I misappropriated. I appropriated. I didn't know. I did know. Like, it's very real. And the best thing you can do is like, make, repair, learn from your mistakes. Do better. Like, it's all you can do.

[Will Forte]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

This episode is brought to you by Uber Eats. Summer is here, and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. What do I mean by almost? Well, you can't get a summer blockbuster delivered, but you can get a block of cheese. A cabana, that's a no. But a banana, that's a yes. Get almost. Almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. For alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly. Product availability varies by region. See app for details. This message is brought to you by Apple Card calculators make complicated things simple like finding the square root of PI, figuring out how long you should tan, whether or not you should co sign for a car, and whatever those other buttons mean. What's not complicated? Earning daily cash back with Apple Card. You earn up to 3% daily cash on products at Apple, 2% on all other Apple Card with Apple Pay purchases, and 1% on anything you buy with your Titanium Apple Card. See, simple as 3, 2, 1. And Apple Card made it even easier by building a calculator. Love a good calculator. Visit Apple co cardcalculator today and see how much daily cash you can earn with Apple Card. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and [e-mail] okay, so Four Seasons. Congratulations.

[Will Forte]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

It's so great. Thank you. I watched the whole thing. Tina and I were on tour when it premiered. Will, you are so good in it.

[Will Forte]

Thank you. Oh, man, you're so good.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, I know how good you are. I love watching you act. I just think you're such a great actor. I love it.

[Will Forte]

I'll tell you, like, how fun was it to make? This will sound like avoiding a compliment, but I really mean it. Like, the way those guys write makes you look like such a good actor. It's like their writing is so good. It just like. And that goes for all Tina shows, like, you know, 30 Rock. Getting to do the character I got to play in 30 Rock, the Paul Lasna may, it just like, it's what the stuff that I got to say was just a gift every single time. And it's like, anybody could have done that. It really is, like, such good.

[Amy Poehler]

You and Tina had such a flow, and you were really sweet together, and we really bought you as a couple. And I just loved seeing you also play because you have the capacity to play such really, like, you know, deeply funny, original and eccentric characters. You've played a lot of eccentric characters, and I loved seeing you play this kind of person because he was very. He's very close to how I perceive you Will.

[Will Forte]

Like, yeah, a lot of similarities, I think.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. So I talked to Tina before this. You know, we like to talk about people behind their back in a good way and ask people what I should ask you. And so I talked to Tina before you came on, and she had a couple good questions for you. One was, which I think we may have already covered, but, like, if you weren't a comedy writer, like, you've had a lot of different, like, Versions of you. Do you see a parallel world? If you were never a comedy actor and writer, what would you have been?

[Will Forte]

I think I would have been ideally a college professor.

[Amy Poehler]

I see that.

[Will Forte]

Some kind of history. I just. There's something.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, you're a white male of a certain age, so you're obsessed with history. I mean.

[Will Forte]

Yeah, it would have been white history.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Will Forte]

I just. I love walking around campuses. That makes me sound a little bit like a creep. A little bit. Love walking around campuses.

[Amy Poehler]

I love walking around campuses, seeing those young people and then comedy view. Oh. I wrote down her question, which was, like, when you were growing up, who did you. Who were your comedy. Who did you see? And you thought, oh, like, who are your influences?

[Will Forte]

Basically, I would say number one was Steve Martin. Peter Sellers was another big one. Every snl. Just every snl. Just snl. David Letterman. Those are the four. But I mean, you know, Monty Python, sctv, so much stuff. But, like, Steve Martin, definitely my number one.

[Amy Poehler]

Always.

[Will Forte]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Steve Martin. For our generation, because we're about the same age. It was, like, so big. Did you watch that documentary, that doc?

[Will Forte]

I somehow haven't.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, my. It's so good.

[Will Forte]

Morgan. Danielle. That's right here.

[Amy Poehler]

It's so good. And it's really moving because it feels like in the same way that the SNL 50th felt like our entire life. You know, it started when we were three, that show. Steve was like the big star when we were little kids. And, like, he just spans our life, too.

[Will Forte]

Yeah. I mean, all those standup albums and. But the Jerk. I mean, the jerk. For me, it was. It all started, but then. And there are still things that I stumble onto that I, you know, had never seen. Like, somehow I had never seen the. What was it? The Great Flydini.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, yeah.

[Will Forte]

Have you seen. But there are. You know, I'm sure I'm leaving out a million things. You know, was a huge fan of Cheers and that's, you know, that love Cheers.

[Amy Poehler]

Cheers was in Boston, which was such a big deal growing up. Like, even though not one person had an authentic Boston accent in that show, but including Cliff, that was not an authentic accent, but that was such a big deal. Like, Cheers felt like, oh, this was like a show for us or something. But I loved Cheers.

[Will Forte]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

So good. I mean, pilot of Cheers and one of the best pilots ever.

[Will Forte]

Yeah. And I look back now, every once in a while, I'll go back and watch them, and it's just. It's still so amazing. Like, the storytelling is so good that those Writers are just cream of the crop.

[Amy Poehler]

And what are you watching today? Looking at? Listening to, reading. What do you like? How do you check out? How do you zone out? How do you get yourself happy or laugh? Where do you go? What do you watch?

[Will Forte]

I play a lot of Sudoku for some reason. It used to. I have a bunch of things. Checklist. I used to be. I'm. I'm. I mean, I'm still a big crossword. You know, I do the New York Times crossword puzzle. But usually I'll just wait till Saturday to do Saturday and Sunday.

[Amy Poehler]

Saturday's hard.

[Will Forte]

I know. I would just want to jump to that. I know it's a humble brag, but I love it.

[Amy Poehler]

That's. It's a learned skill.

[Will Forte]

But it's like.

[Amy Poehler]

And you. And people don't know that you had like one of the highest scores ever in Donkey.

[Will Forte]

That's true. That's true. Which is, you know. Yeah, that's a big factor in, you know, measuring somebody's brain capacity.

[Amy Poehler]

But what was your score and how did you get it?

[Will Forte]

It was very high. And where was. Okay, so I was down in. Here's the story about that. I think I had the. At one point, I had the 29th highest registered donkey Kong score. The word registered should be in bold print because. So I was down doing that movie. Good old fashioned orgy with Sudeikis and Lake Bell and Tyler Lebean and Alex Pete Hike and Alex Gregory. Just a million people. Lindsay Sloan. It was so fun. It was this very fun summer. And I was the person in this movie. It's a group of friends who are going to all have an orgy. And I was in. I was the friend. Me and Lucy Punch played the couple that they didn't want to be at the orgy. I forget why. I think we were. Because we were married or. Yeah, but they didn't want us in the orgy. So I was basically only in like every fourth day. And so I found this bar that I would just go down to this bar that had a Donkey Kong in it. And I wouldn't even drink there. I would just go and play Donkey Kong. And then there was this jlk. I still remember JLK was. Had all the high scores. And I'm like, I'm going to get this fucker off this high score. I'm going to beat this guy. So I started getting better and better. And then I'd go home and I'd look up, you know, tips for how you get through this level that I was. And you know, so I'm spending hours and hours, all my off days, and so I'm getting better and better. Well, eventually I get a pretty high score. And I showed. There was this guy Leo, Leo Daniels, I think was his name. And he was. You remember King of Kong?

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, of course. That movie.

[Will Forte]

Well, he was like. I think he. He was the record holder for Defender, or there were a couple different games that he was big in that scene, but he was. He was at. He was on our crew for good old fashioned orgies. So I showed him this picture. I'm like, check this out. Not bad, huh? And he's like, that's pretty good. And I'm like, oh, really? And he said, yeah, that's pretty good. By the way, it was higher than jlk. So he sent it to that guy Walter, who was the. If you've seen King of Kong, I forget Walter's last name. But he was the guy who would watch the videotapes. And I didn't videotape it, but he just. I think he made a special snl.

[Amy Poehler]

And he said, I'm gonna put you in the books.

[Will Forte]

So he registered it.

[Amy Poehler]

Holy moly.

[Will Forte]

But that's the thing. There are probably a million people who have higher scores, but, like, who's gonna register their Donkey Kong score?

[Amy Poehler]

If you're going for a high Donkey Kong score, you're gonna register it, sure.

[Will Forte]

But I was just, like, having fun. This was my own. I was establishing my own levels that.

[Amy Poehler]

I wanted to get to Sudoku in.

[Will Forte]

I didn't do it for the glory.

[Amy Poehler]

And what about what makes you laugh? What are you, like, laughing at? These kids.

[Will Forte]

The kids, I mean, they're so freaking funny.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, there. There's a video that I saw of your daughter eating ice cream for the first time. And if I may describe it, because Tina and I were talking about it. It's the. It is the cutest. We were saying, it's like, it's such precious ip. You could sell it and then do an animated series off of it. It is. Can you explain what happens?

[Will Forte]

She's. I mean, I could play the audio.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, let's play the audio.

[Will Forte]

You wanna play the audio?

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, it's so.

[Will Forte]

It really is.

[Amy Poehler]

It's so cute, listeners. It's like.

[Will Forte]

I mean, I wonder if you have to see it, if it's.

[Amy Poehler]

But she's. She's. Is she having ice cream for the first time?

[Will Forte]

No, she's had ice cream before, but it's freezing, so what you can't see is like, she is pounding this ice cream. And she's, like, shivering and shaking, but she keeps going. And then she's to.

[Amy Poehler]

We know that she comes from an ice cream family. Because you love ice cream.

[Will Forte]

Yes. Here, I'll show it to you so you can see it. You're shivering. You're not cold?

[Amy Poehler]

No.

[Will Forte]

And why are you shivering?

[Amy Poehler]

Because of. My legs are bumpy.

[Will Forte]

Because of my legs are bumpy. What? Your legs are bumpy.

[Amy Poehler]

She's deeply shivering and eating ice cream.

[Will Forte]

You are so funny. You got ice cream up on your glasses, too. And then she crosses her eyes trying to see it on her glasses. What? Right here.

[Amy Poehler]

She crossed her eyes to find the ice cream on her glasses. I got a brain freeze.

[Will Forte]

You got a brain freeze. That's your second brain freeze. It seems like she's gonna die. And then she just. After this one, I think she dives right back. Your second brain freeze. So that's basically that. So cute. It's. It helps to see the visuals because when you say, like, you have. She had, like, ice cream up here, it's like you have ice cream on your glasses or whatever. She goes.

[Amy Poehler]

Little kids with glasses are so cute.

[Will Forte]

Well, you would love both my kids then, because they have shitty eyesight.

[Amy Poehler]

Little glasses. So cute.

[Will Forte]

One has little pink glasses and one has purple.

[Amy Poehler]

That's one of the things I do. It's so cute. One of my, like, go to comfort watches is I watch videos of little kids getting glasses for the first time.

[Will Forte]

That is the best. Or kids who. Some have, like, cochlear implants and they hear their soldiers coming home and surprising their kids at school.

[Amy Poehler]

Absolutely. They're all in the same category.

[Will Forte]

Tears, dogs. Dogs being away from elephants.

[Amy Poehler]

Elephants who used to be trained by a guy. And then they run back to the guy and they hug the guy.

[Will Forte]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Anything. Any reuniting and any, like. I mean, when you see a little baby that's just kind of like not focusing, and then they put those little glasses on them and the baby sees their mom, and then they smile. Forget it.

[Will Forte]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

I love those videos.

[Will Forte]

It's so good.

[Amy Poehler]

And then because of the rule of threes and because I too often have to circle back and close the loop, I feel like on behalf of one of my producers, Jack here, I need to ask you about this particular sketch. Will, you are one of the people that, when I say, like, I'm gonna have you on every person I know, but a lot of men I know want you're their favorite. And also they want to talk about their favorite sketches that you've done. Like, they Want me to mention it? And the one that Jack wants me to mention. Jack. I feel like. Right. I just feel like we can't end without it. Okay. Because is. Clancy, you know, is bought a glass of beer. Okay, so can you just tell us for those people that don't know that sketch? Can you just.

[Will Forte]

Well, first of all, it's jar of beer.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm so sorry.

[Will Forte]

I forgive you. Oh, my God. I would be.

[Amy Poehler]

Did I say glass?

[Will Forte]

You said glass of beer.

[Amy Poehler]

Jar of beer. How could I?

[Will Forte]

You only say it's a glass jar. It's a glass jar. I mean, we don't. It's glass. Parentheses, unspoken. But.

[Amy Poehler]

But, like, so, so sorry. So can you just tell us how that sketch came about? And for people that don't know, so we. How do you even explain it?

[Will Forte]

This was me and Wig and John Solomon wrote a sketch that was like a Thanksgiving sketch. It was just people singing. I forget the tune. But it was like, guess who's coming to, you know, Thanksgiving dinner this year? And then it was just a bunch of weird names like Pessimalia, Giltwishna, Frugefreem, you know, Jibble, you know, Betsy, Peoplepoof, and all these weird, weird things. And it did not. It was, like, fun. But it made it to dress rehearsal. I think the next time we went in, we figured out the thing of, like, oh, we'll sing about toddlers Maltese. I think it just started out. The first song we wrote. It was gonna be a bunch of different songs.

[Amy Poehler]

And you just picked those words.

[Will Forte]

We picked those things. And we're like, what if every single one has those things? And then it became about that. But then the first time we put it up at a table, read it. Existing songs. So it was like, highway to the Toddler Zone.

[Amy Poehler]

I remember that.

[Will Forte]

Gonna, you know, drink a jar of beer in a spaceship in the toddler zone. And then just, you know. And so it was probably 10 different songs that would have been the most expensive sketch of all time. So they said, get out of our face with that. So we were like, oh, let's do that. Cause we love the concept of the, you know, the weird things. So we just wrote original songs, and that was kind of how we did it.

[Amy Poehler]

And it was Jackie and Clancy.

[Will Forte]

Jackie Snad and Clancy T. Bachelor at.

[Amy Poehler]

That's right. And you guys just sang songs and.

[Will Forte]

About toddlers. Jars of beer, Spaceships and wait and Model T cars. Oh, toddler, did you hear when I whispered in your ear about the spaceship that was parked in your yard next to a Model T car and some beer in a jar, but without any gas, they couldn't get too far. That was one of the most fun to ever get to do just doing anything.

[Amy Poehler]

I remember watching that. I remember you doing it at the table. And, you know, like I said, you were next to me, so it was really loud always.

[Will Forte]

I'm sorry.

[Amy Poehler]

No, it was incredible. And you and Wig were. You and Wig did so many funny things together. You're such a. Like, you're just so great together. I mean, Kristen's a genius, so.

[Will Forte]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

But that one was, like. Felt particularly fun. Cause just like, how you said it kind of felt like you were. Both of you felt like you were in, like, your senioritis. Like, it was very, like, loose and stupid and fun that you can only get to if you've been on the show for a while. Like, you just. I don't know, you have to kind of earn it and get there. And that felt like that kind of sketch.

[Will Forte]

It definitely was a really. That, you know, they would always say, like, you'd put stuff up and it would seem to go well at the table, and. And. And it wouldn't get picked. And they'd say, like, just wait. The. You know, when you're. When you're there for long enough, those things will start getting picked. And. And. And they were. It was right. It was right. Like, you know, certainly there were still a couple times when you're like, hey, I want. You know, I deserve the old senior. And it was never, like, I. I was never. I never went in thinking, like, hey, I deserve this because I'm a senior.

[Amy Poehler]

I worked very hard.

[Will Forte]

I would never want something that I thought sucked to go on. I was a part of a lot of things that sucked, by the way, that I probably liked myself. But to me, it was like, if something went well at the table, Reed, it deserved. Like, when you're in your seventh year, you deserve a shot.

[Amy Poehler]

Yep.

[Will Forte]

And sometimes, by the way, sometimes there'd be shows that were chock full of good stuff, and so I understand it with that. But then every once in a while, I'd be like, okay, that thing made it in this, you know.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. I mean, that was. That was a lot of. It was just like, oh, okay, they're doing another one of those. Okay. But that sketch from beginning to end is and remains everybody's favorite. And so to end our podcast today, will you.

[Will Forte]

Oh, can I tell one, Tina? Yes. We did so much press, and I can't believe this never came up. But, like, Tina, in the Making of the Four Seasons, we all had what's called two bangers, two banger trailers. So basically, there'd be a trailer with a wall in the middle, and the toilets would be up against the wall. And so I wanted to be very extra respectful. Like, I wanted her to know that. Like, I don't even know. I just want. At some point, I'm like, I just want you to know I'm never in there trying to listen to, you know, what's going on. If I hear that you even come close to that bathroom, I'm going, this.

[Amy Poehler]

Is an example where I know your intention is good, but you're bringing something up that no one would think. Like, no one would think that you're.

[Will Forte]

Everyone's thinking it. You kidding? Everyone's thinking it. It's so quiet in there. I can, like, hear if she, like, starts writing a letter at the far end of the trailer. It's like, oh, she's writing a let. It's like, oh, it's a blue envelope. Yeah. You can hear everything.

[Amy Poehler]

Just so you know, I'm not trying to listen to the bathroom.

[Will Forte]

I just want you to feel comfortable. Like, if you ever go in there, I go in and I put on some music.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Will Forte]

And the door's shut. I'm just not in there. And so we. So it became this joke thing. And then we had a system where if we ever heard Iron Maiden, that was like, clear out of here. Damage is being done. I can't believe that never came up. We just, like, did a full press junket, all did talk shows, and it's like, that was like.

[Amy Poehler]

That's actually, like, that Loving care is actually what. Like, a real marriage is like. Like, what you're just talking about, like, how you and Tina are, like, keeping each other's boundaries.

[Will Forte]

And also, I'll tell you, that was, like. That was a really nice thing because, like, to get to go through that experience, a. You know, forget about it, with, like, the honor of getting to play Tina's husband. Like, what a. Professionally, what a thrill. But personally, to get to have that experience. We're hanging out so much, and, like, she was. You know, got to hang with my family, and it was just. It was very special to go through that with her.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, it's awesome. I loved. I loved it.

[Will Forte]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

All right. I want. But can. Can you sing the Glass? Oh, my God, I did it again. Can you sing the Jar of Beer? Do you remember the Jar of Beer song?

[Jack]

Oh, Clancy, can you take me down to spaceship Camp? Does a toddler have a boiling, frying.

[Will Forte]

Egg up with a frying pan?

[Jack]

So hop in my Model T, Carl.

[Will Forte]

Look, a spaceship.

[Jack]

Let's toddler in our Model T spaceship camp.

[Will Forte]

I forgot. I mean, I was butchering it, but it was like. I just remember also, I was like, spaceship camp. Oh, my God.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, well, I love you. You're so great. Thank you so much for doing this.

[Will Forte]

So it is so fun, you know, time together.

[Amy Poehler]

It's kind of like we. We wouldn't barely see you anymore.

[Will Forte]

We should. We should. We should hang out more.

[Amy Poehler]

I would love that. I would love that. I love every time I get to see you. And that's been the best thing about this is I get to spend, like an hour and a half talking while people watch.

[Will Forte]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you, buddy.

[Will Forte]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you so much. Will. Love you. And you're just so hilarious always. And love talking to you today. And, you know, Will talked about Donkey Kong and. And a great documentary about Donkey Kong is called King of Kong. And I just wanted to say, in the polar plunge, check out King of Kong. It came out maybe almost 20 years ago, but it's a documentary directed by Seth Gordon, a great director who went on to direct movies like Horrible Bosses and Identity Thief. And he actually directed a few episodes of Parks and Recreation in the early days. And it is just this incredible tale of men and their love of a particular game. So check it out. Check out four seasons and check out this podcast. See you soon. Bye. 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 Alaya Zaneris. For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss Berman. Original music by Amy Miles. This episode is brought to you by Uber Eats. Summer is here, and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. What do I mean by almost? Well, you can't get a summer blockbuster delivered, but you can get a block of cheese, a cabana that's a no, but a banana that's a yes. Get almost. Almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now for alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly. Product availability varies by region. See app for detail.