The Lonely Island & Seth Meyers Podcast
Episode 10: Listener Q&A
Released: January 20, 2026
Episode Overview
This episode is a special Listener Q&A with only Seth Meyers and Jorma Taccone co-hosting (Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer are absent). The show is less focused on the SNL Digital Shorts and much more about audience interaction, behind-the-scenes stories, and reflections on their careers, creative processes, SNL experiences, and inside jokes.
With a relaxed, banter-heavy atmosphere, Seth and Jorma respond to listener questions, celebrate mic-drop-worthy podcast quips, share music and family stories, and read or play voice notes from dedicated fans and collaborators. There’s a distinct mix of humor, self-deprecation, and genuine, sometimes poignant, reminiscence.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Opening Banter and Absentee Andy & Akiva
- The episode kicks off with quick riffing about trying (unsuccessfully for a year) to plan a dinner with Adam Pally and how podcasting ironically hinders their "real-life" friendship energy.
- Running joke about a vasectomy appointment dovetails with dinner planning.
- [00:38] Jorma: “Yeah, you can't send her pictures to prove how it could have been closer.”
- [00:59] Seth, joking: “We're fucking up our actual friend in real life energy, you know?”
2. Listener Praise for “Muttered” Jokes
- They discuss how listeners appreciate the small, almost throwaway jokes that get tucked in under crosstalk, often by Jorma.
- [02:19] Seth: “Somebody wrote, I laughed so hard when Yoram said, ‘but that's what generals do.’”
3. Spider-Verse Casting Jokes
- Seth relays listeners' suggestions (inspired by Jorma) that he should play “Spider-Man with teeth” in a future Spider-Verse movie, riffing on the idea of an unnerving, toothy Spider-Man.
- [03:04] Seth: “If Spider-Man smiled while wearing the mask, it would be maybe the scariest thing that's ever been in one of those movies.”
4. The Shifting Podcast Premise & Meta-Commentary
- Audience feedback notes the hosts are increasingly straying from their original premise of only discussing Digital Shorts.
- Seth and Jorma embrace it, saying the podcast is “weaning ourselves off the premise.”
- [04:46] Jorma: “We're weaning ourself off the premise of this podcast.”
- [05:10] Seth (mocking criticism): “We've talked about sloths.”
5. On Memory, Medication, & “Burrito Brain”
- Jorma describes medication side effects affecting his memory, leading to ongoing jokes about “burrito brain.”
- [05:19] Jorma: “My memory was bad before, but now it's fucking good.”
6. Listener Challenges & Merch
- They delight in a listener’s willingness to “throw myself off a ladder” if Jorma records an album as “Normal Guy.”
- Merch design discussions ensue after someone coins "Burrito Brain to Winter Soldier" for a shirt, acknowledging YouTube user "Vandal."
- [07:26] Jorma shares an “incredible” (but lost) Ice Cube/Normal Guy album intro story.
7. Podcast Production & Behind-the-Scenes
- Complaints about past “rerun” episodes and shoutouts to producer Jeff, ribbing him as their “Lou Perlman” type manager.
- [08:10] Seth: “Jeff bullies us into it... Like the Lou Perlman of podcasts.”
[09:16] Challenge Coins & SNL Ranks
- Ongoing joke about Seth as a "general" and Andy/Akiva as "admirals," due to their "I'm on a Boat" fame.
8. Shoutouts & Amy Poehler’s Podcast Golden Globe
- Seth congratulates Amy Poehler for her (fictional?) win of the inaugural Golden Globe for Podcasting. They affectionately joke that “she was always going to win.”
- [10:23] Jorma: “The Minute they even said the award, I was like, well, Poehler, it's gonna get [it].”
9. Listener Notes: Kids, SNL, and Critiques
- Detailed feedback from listeners about kids' reactions to their shorts (notably "Betty White" and "Ross Trent"), mock complaints about talking too much about their families, and the “Squeaky Queen” spelling bee pun.
10. Famous Friends as Guests
- Speculation about future high-profile judges (Paul Thomas Anderson – “PTA”) for their hypothetical "criterion" panel.
- [12:51] Jorma: “I bet he would.”
Voice Notes, Behind-the-Scenes Collaborator Stories & Deep Dives
A. Greg Chun’s Voice Note ([13:35])
- Longtime composer Greg Chun shares hilarious stories of “career fails” and awkward moments with each member of the group:
- Andy: Mistaken identity in early Emmy meeting.
- Akiva: Misplacing a crucial audio file during the Michael Bolton Special post-production crunch.
- Greg: “What you said verbatim... was, ‘Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out what happened to that whole conversation we had.’ Very key response.”
- Jorma: Shows up to Greg’s party as the only guest—awkwardly just the two of them watching a boxing match.
- Seth’s "two favorite moments" cited by Greg: “zing, Jackpot” and “total cat replacement.”
Discussion Follows
- How collaborators like Greg Chun and David Nienongle are kept in their creative circle for decades.
- The unique, lasting friendships and working relationships built across SNL, digital shorts, and other projects.
B. Music Influence & Family Life
- Jorma's daughter’s favorite Rilo Kiley song and stories about passing on "hip" music to kids (“Mama’s Gun” by Glass Animals).
- [25:33] Listener Natasha expresses excitement her kids love Rilo Kiley.
C. The “Popstar” Soundtrack Out of Print ([27:07])
- Question about possibility of reissuing the "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" soundtrack — likely on vinyl if at all, digital or physical CDs unlikely.
D. SNL, Family, & Work-Life Balance
- Candid discussion about the difficulty/impossibility of balancing SNL’s schedule with family life.
- [28:34] Jorma: “You're basically dead to the world when you're at the show. And it is a bummer actually... you just do not want to add to that [stress].”
- [31:27] Jorma: “Akiva's first week of having had his kid... me and Andy were like, get over here... this lazy piece of shit.”
E. Fan Questions: Recents & Classics
1. Resilience & Failure ([33:34–39:01])
- Andrea, a preschool teacher, asks: “How do you recenter yourselves when you’re up against the ropes?”
- Seth: Keeps going out of love for the work—failure is part of the process, infused with fear and drive.
- Jorma: “The cheat code is group—being in a trio insulates you from failure. We liked what we were making, so a failure was just another inside joke.”
- Seth: “Working with people who believe in you is key… sometimes you take esteem through them.”
2. Inappropriate SNL Shorts for Kids ([39:11])
- Listeners run into trouble showing shorts (like Laser Cats) to their kids, forgetting the risqué jokes.
- [39:31] Seth: “Then the kid really liked it. And they were like, ‘I'm gonna show another one.’ Whoops.”
3. Community & Podcast Inside Jokes ([40:43])
- Examples: “Long time goose, first time gonk," “Two burrito-brained Winter Soldier,” and fans using these terms with their partners.
- Metacommentary on how inside jokes breed community, much like an SNL writer’s room.
4. Brian Tucker and "Fucked the Key Machine" Video ([44:04])
- A listener reminisces about the infamous YouTube rap video, asking for the story behind it.
- Jorma: “Tucker came into our office and just did that. We were like, ‘let's film that as a music video.’”
- Follow-up: stories about Brian Tucker’s skill writing for Black comedians despite looking like “the whitest white man I’ve ever seen.”
5. SNL Set Logistics: Where’s The Desk? ([50:55])
- Seth explains the Update desk is rolled in and out of Home Base; Home Base is the best real estate in Studio 8H for sketch performance because it allows direct audience sightlines.
- [51:15] Seth: “...that Update area is the sweetest piece of real estate at SNL known as Home Base.”
6. Table Read Prep ([53:01])
- Amy asks about preparations for the table read. Guidance is minimal due to time constraints; mainly writers give quick character notes beforehand.
- [54:38] Jorma: “It is always a bit nerve wracking to go into the host and try to give them direction beforehand. You don't want to bug them.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Jorma, on failed dinner plans:
“We’ve been trying to get dinner, the three of us, and I feel like we’re on the cusp.” ([00:48]) - Seth, on SNL/family life:
“I can’t even comprehend having kids when I was still at SNL... you are basically dead to the world when you’re at the show.” ([28:22]) - Jorma, on group creativity:
“The cheat code is group… because we liked what we were making, even when it was maybe considered a failure.” ([37:05]) - Seth, on supporting collaborators:
“Sometimes you take esteem [from]... the fact that people are working with you because they believe in you, and you trust their taste.” ([38:10]) - Listener Andrea, on resilience:
“Because failure, just like preschoolers sometimes, will catch you with a sucker punch left and a sucker punch right and then Rocky 22 consecutive sucker punch rights.” ([33:34]) - Podcast meta-commentary:
“We’re weaning ourself off the premise of this podcast.” (Jorma, [04:46]) - On inside jokes:
“Jokes just get piggybacked on until they no longer resemble anything normal.” (Jorma, [41:41]) - On showing SNL shorts to kids:
“They were like, correctly steering around the ones that are sort of explicitly dirty... Laser Cats—forgot the first Laser Cat, you guys are both like asking Lindsay Lohan if they’ll have sex with him.” (Seth, [39:19])
Important Segment Timestamps
| Timestamp | Content/Topic | |---------------|-------------------| | 00:00–06:00 | Banter on absentees, dinner/vasectomy, podcast format shift | | 07:26 | “Normal Guy” & lost album intro, creative process | | 13:35 | Greg Chun’s voice note: career mishaps, process stories | | 18:00 | Collaborator relationships in SNL & beyond | | 25:25 | Family/kids & music (Rilo Kiley/Glass Animals) | | 27:07 | "Popstar" soundtrack reissue discussion | | 28:22 | SNL family life, work/life balance, regrets | | 33:34 | Listener Andrea asks about coping with failure | | 39:19 | Parental struggles with showing kids SNL shorts | | 44:04 | Brian Tucker’s infamous rap video explained | | 50:55 | SNL’s Home Base and Update Desk logistics | | 53:01 | Table read preparation and sketch rehearsal | | 57:21 | Apologies to listeners, leftovers for next time |
Tone & Language
Casual, punchy, and full of layered in-jokes and gentle digs. They frequently break the fourth wall, sometimes mocking themselves, their listeners, or podcast conventions. Listeners and collaborators feel like part of an extended family, and the humor is equal parts self-deprecating and affectionate.
Summary Takeaway
This episode is a love letter to both the fans deeply invested in the podcast lore, and the enduring partnerships, creative processes, and friendships woven through SNL, The Lonely Island, and their collaborators. While it doesn’t focus on a Digital Short, it’s a deep dive into what actually sustains long careers in comedy: creative community, inside jokes, and resilience built with (and for) each other.