The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast

Episode: Flags of the World
Date: November 4, 2025
Guests: Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone (The Lonely Island), Seth Meyers
Special Guest: Jonathan Krisel

Episode Overview

In this episode, Seth Meyers and The Lonely Island crew take an in-depth, often hilarious, occasionally digressive look at the SNL Digital Short “Flags of the World.” With writer/director Jonathan Krisel joining for part of the discussion, the group explores the origins, comedic philosophy, and audience reception of this singular short. Along the way, they reminisce about SNL memories, share behind-the-scenes stories, and indulge their signature blend of word-nerd bickering, self-deprecating anecdotes, and playful one-upmanship.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Warm-up Banter & Comedic Chemistry

• The episode opens with trademark riffing—playful teasing about a spelling bee, obscure words, and dictionary disputes, all displaying their improvisational rapport.
  • Memorable moment: Andy, Akiva, Jorma, and Seth dive into a debate about whether “a taint” is a legitimate word, quickly riffing into jokes about American Pie (03:27–05:32).

2. SNL Digital Short “Flags of the World”

Main Theme: Celebration and skewering of mundane, arbitrary national symbols, juxtaposed with pure joke density.

• Creative Origin:
  • Krisel shares his comedic philosophy—finding joy in the mundanity and arbitrariness of things like flags (49:03).
    • "To me, I'm always inspired by mundane things that should not be celebrated. And flags are unsung in the world. They're just funny." – Jonathan Krisel (49:03)
  • The idea was hatched collaboratively, with emphasis on piling up as many jokes as possible in quick succession (48:39).
• Execution & Content:
  • The short is praised for its relentless joke-per-second pace, visual gags, rhyme chains, and variety (48:47–49:49).
  • Andy and Abby Elliott's dancing is playfully referenced as delightfully “loose and undirected” (51:18–51:39).
  • Playful analysis of specific jokes—e.g., the “bread flag” as a “red flag on a date,” cankle flags, and a cameo of Jennifer Lopez on a flag getting the only real audience applause (54:00–55:23).
  • The bizarre juxtaposition of obscure pop culture references (“hottie and the naughty flag”) with hyper-specific puns.
• Reception:
  • Noted as an "evergreen" sketch due to the non-topical nature of the humor (58:10).
  • Cited as a favorite among critics (including New York Magazine) and lauded by the group for its originality and stickiness.

3. Process & Collaboration

• The team reminisces about the nuts and bolts of assembling digital shorts on SNL:
  • The musical bed was likely written by someone in the SNL music department, possibly Asa Taccone (51:01–51:14).
  • Closet Organizer and Bar Sketch as rare “two-parters,” detailing how such sketches are spaced out and interleaved in table read and air order (65:33–65:54).

4. Guest Highlights

Jonathan Krisel

• Offers insight into creative risk—defending the artistic choice of breaking the 180° rule in the short “Sergio” for emotional effect (18:11–19:16).
  • "Sometimes filmmakers know the rules to break them. And in this instance, I think it was done more for the emotional reason." (18:11)
• Combines an unaffected, dry delivery with a willingness to indulge both pseudo-serious and straight-up silly sides of the work.

5. SNL Deep Dives & Favorite Sketches

• Discussion of sketches from the Ashton Kutcher-hosted episode:
  • Deleted Short: “Tudor” (39:18–44:00)
    • A spoof of Twitter called “Tudor,” communicating flatulence via social media, starring Ashton Kutcher, with cameos from Questlove and Them Crooked Vultures.
    • Group consensus: “More solid than some things that made it to air, but the week’s other sketches were stacked.”
    • Fun fact: Demi Moore was present during its filming and pitching jokes (60:06).
  • Burn Notice Game Show and Crisis of Conformity: Both called out for their lasting impact and structure (61:02–63:39).

6. Community and Fan Engagement

• Segment “Keeve’s Peeves” is officially named by a listener (16:51).
• Shoutouts to SNL and The Lonely Island’s fans, with several segments devoted to reading and reacting to YouTube comments and fan email (24:25–28:00).
  • Notable: The story of Olivia’s “I Can, I Will” foundation supporting Seattle Children’s Hospital (24:36–25:38).

7. Podcast In-Jokes and Running Gags

• Ongoing debates about the Spelling Bee, inside jokes about dictionary editors as “gods,” and recurring bits about “name dropping” vs. just living as a celebrity (03:00–04:14; 06:20–06:27).
• Joke about everyone being an “Alvin” (of Alvin and the Chipmunks) on the podcast—“We’ve always been Alvins. We’re just different kinds of Alvins.” – Jorma (29:30).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On “Flags of the World”

  • “I just love that it’s about something so stupid.” – Akiva Schaffer (49:18)
  • “It’s a unique little thing that hadn’t… it wasn’t like any of the others.” – Seth Meyers (57:56)
  • “It’s so evergreen. Like, it doesn’t have the band from the Tudor one. It’s just flags.” – Krisel (58:11)

• On the Creative Process

  • “Sometimes filmmakers know the rules to break them… I wanted to capture the craziness of that.” – Jonathan Krisel (18:11)
  • “You know what I notice about us—our response to Keev’s complaints is ‘shut up, nerd.’” – Andy Samberg (29:41)

• On SNL Table Reads and Airing Sketches

  • “You try to give the same experience that the viewer would have at home. So you definitely would have one then let other sketches play.” – Seth Meyers (65:17)

• Fan & Community Moments

  • “Keeve’s Peeves. Jump in the line willy nilly.” – Jorma (16:57)
  • “Shoutout to Olivia and her great organization. It does chap me a little bit that the first time I mention a charity … Yorm has to immediately pile on.” – Seth (26:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Spelling Bee banter / wordplay warm-up: 01:37–05:32
• Emma Stone SNL memories: 06:08–07:53
• Clothes shopping and Pretty Woman riff: 08:06–13:12
• Keeve’s Peeves section: 16:51–17:14
• Krisel’s “Sergio” defense (voice note): 18:11–19:37
• Introducing and discussing “Flags of the World”: 47:13–52:03 (main viewing & breakdown)
• Audience/fan reactions and engagement: 24:25–28:00
• Watching and discussing “Tudor” (deleted short): 39:18–44:00
• Discussion of SNL sketch structure (two-parters): 65:33–65:54
• Recap and praise for “Flags of the World”: 58:02–59:47

Tone & Style

Light, freewheeling, absurdist, and playfully self-deprecating—sticking to the group’s signature voice of seasoned comedy writers riffing with affectionate irreverence for their own work and each other. The pace is loose, welcoming tangents and interruptions, with affection for the craft and for “dumb jokes done smartly” shining throughout.

Conclusion

This episode is a loving, laugh-packed dissection of “Flags of the World”—illustrating how a simple, silly concept can be elevated by relentless joke density and formal originality. With illuminating input from Jonathan Krisel and copious SNL deep-cuts, it’s a must-listen for SNL fans, comedy writers, or anyone who loves to peek behind the scenes of one of comedy’s most iconic institutions.

For Further Listening

• “Sergio” (with Jon Hamm and Jonathon Krisel’s infamous 180° rule “break”)
• “Closet Organizer” and its rare continuation into the “bar scene”
• “Tudor” (the lost Ashton Kutcher digital short, possibly on YouTube)
• “Crisis of Conformity” (Fred Armisen/Dave Grohl sketch)

End of summary