The Lonely Island & Seth Meyers Podcast

Episode: The 2025 Criterion Episode

Date: January 6, 2026
Guests: Questlove & Lin-Manuel Miranda
Main Theme:
A hilarious, deeply nostalgic, and music-savvy roundtable, the episode finds Seth Meyers joined by Questlove and Lin-Manuel Miranda to act as “Criterion judges,” helping determine which Lonely Island SNL Digital Shorts are worthy of the show’s so-called “Criterion Collection.” The all-star panel dissects each short for creativity, cultural impact, and sheer comedic genius, while sharing personal stories, SNL inside baseball, and love for the craft of both comedy and music.

Table of Contents

• Introduction & Guests Arrival (00:00–03:07)
• SNL Backstories & Musical Connections (03:07–05:34)
• Defining the “Criterion Collection” (05:34–06:51)
• Laser Cats & The Art of SNL Digital Short Series (06:51–07:31)
• Lonely Island Era, Membership, and Voting Categories (08:27–09:13)
• Short-by-Short Judging: Key Discussions, Quotes, and Results (09:13–67:57)
  • Criterion Inductees
  • Songs, SNL Lore, and Favorite Gags
• Personal Stories & Musical Observations (21:05–23:47)
• The Influence of Music and Comedy Craft (26:11–28:22)
• Laser Cats, Trilogy Logic, and Recurring Bit Debate (31:39–34:10)
• Cultural Reach: “I’m on a Boat” & Similar Mega-Hits (32:33–34:08)
• Questlove’s Snare Drums & Craft Easter Eggs (50:10–52:00)
• Philosophy of Hits, Misses, and Anthology (70:17–72:04)
• Closing Camaraderie and Sign Off (72:04–73:49)

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Introduction & Guests Arrival (00:00–03:07)

• Seth introduces the “Criterion Collection” episode, inviting judges Questlove and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
• Their comedic timing is immediately on display:
  • Questlove: “We wanted you to, you know, to feel alone for a second.” (00:43)
• Lin and Questlove admit their fandom for the podcast, with Lin revealing he’s a proud member of the “Quaid Army,” their tongue-in-cheek listener club.
• Anecdotes about Questlove’s famously overbooked and color-coded schedule—Lin once thought Quest was playing his Hamilton opening night party, only for Questlove to have no idea what was happening on Sunday.

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SNL Backstories & Musical Connections (03:07–05:34)

• Seth highlights Questlove and Lin’s SNL pedigree.
  • Questlove: “I’ve been on the show in every configuration except for the one that I really want to be on, which is music guest.” (03:17)
• Lin recalls his SNL hosting, noting he’s always ready for a Hamilton sketch.
• Both fondly mention other legendary SNL contributors, like Julio Torres, whose work Lin considers genius.

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Defining the “Criterion Collection” (05:34–06:51)

• The “Criterion” is a best-of selection determined by fan votes, podcast consensus, and now this expert panel.
• Voting requires a high bar: “75%...we’re kind of going by Hall of Fame rules.” (09:02)

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Laser Cats & The Art of SNL Digital Short Series (06:51–07:31)

• Debate about “Laser Cats”: Should it be counted as a single entity since it tells an ongoing story?
  • Lin: “Why waste those slots when it’s really one long…like dividing a symphony into movements and judging each piece.” (06:21)
  • Questlove wonders if other trilogies (“Dick in a Box” guys) should be grouped; the group ultimately decides those are distinct enough.

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Lonely Island Era, Membership, and Voting Categories (08:27–09:13)

• The group clarifies in-jokes and membership rules (“Any Lonely Island bit usually has Andy in it”).
• Listener voting categories: Criterion (essential), Kim’s Video (cult favorite/deep cut), Additional Reading (lesser/”no”).
• Lin: “If Will Forte takes over the video, it automatically goes to Kim’s Video.” (11:40)
• Seth jokes about having a subcategory just for Forte: “Will’s Videos, behind a curtain…” (12:02)

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Short-by-Short Judging: Key Discussions, Quotes, and Results (09:13–67:57)

Detailed discussion and voting occurred for 36 digital shorts. Only the highlights and major debates are included here for clarity:

Criterion Collection Inductees

• Ross Trent:

  • Lin: “I played it for my kids…they didn’t have any reference point for it…But maybe it’s the THX 1138 that leads to Star Wars.” (13:09)
  • Questlove: “I still say for that 1.9 seconds alone [of code-switching], that’s my shit.” (14:15)
  • Result: Criterion

• Jizz in My Pants:

  • Unanimous Criterion.
  • Lin: “I have a collection of my favorite Lonely Island rhymes, and ‘grocery mostly’ is near the top.” (25:08)
  • Questlove rhapsodizes about Lonely Island’s musicality: “Music’s the corniest factor of most TV… This was far from your Fresh Prince of Bel-Air… hard enough for the Roots to want to rhyme over!” (26:11)
  • Quote: “They were going to jerk it out the pork—every time they jerked it out the pork.” (28:23; group laughter over “Mark/Mork/pork” lyrics)

• I’m On a Boat:

  • Considered a lock: “It’s what you sing when you get on a boat.” (32:34)
  • Seth: “It’s the most anthemic… and the number one song I think of when I think of boats, which have been around, you know, for really thousands of years.” (33:42)

• Like a Boss:

  • “Criterion.” — Lin & Questlove (36:58)
  • Questlove’s confession: “I heard the Lonely Island version first… These guys are too hard for their own good!” (37:24)
  • “Humor is the most underrated kind of character trait that hip-hop I love is missing.” (38:07)

• Mother Lover:

  • Lin: “I think the funniest of the platinum classics.” (39:01), with extra love for the “rewards repeated listening” ad-libs.
  • Seth argues it’s even hookier and more impressive than “Dick in a Box.”

• Threw It On The Ground:

  • Questlove’s personal favorite: “That is my all time favorite… If I want to get somebody addicted to The Lonely Island, that’s what I play them.” (46:42)
  • Lin: “Every kid’s favorite song. We have more broken toys because of Threw It On The Ground.” (47:21)
  • Questlove reveals the track features his own snare and clap sounds, sampled from D’Angelo’s “Chicken Grease.” (50:10)

• Two Worlds Collide (Reba):

  • Lin: “That’s criterion, baby. The escalation is so funny… these two different artists …escalates to this really specific thing of like, he’s in love with this man who found a wig and he does not care.” (53:19)
  • Questlove: “To me, that bit is one of the smartest, funniest bits ever.” (54:29)

• Shy Ronnie:

  • Questlove: “When I watch Shy Ronnie, I have to watch it with the audience laughing.” (56:48)
  • Lin: “If Shy Ronnie weren’t on this song, this would probably chart as a Rihanna song!” (57:53)

• Boombox:

  • Lin: “Music always bumps it to the top for me… the surprise of the third boiled goose makes me laugh so hard.” (65:20)
  • Group agrees the Julian Casablancas involvement is inspired.

Laser Cats:

• The group eventually decides the Laser Cats saga should be included in its entirety: “Criterion is its own box set inside.” (69:20)

Notables, Memorable Lines & Music-Obsessed Digressions

• Special Respect for Musical Craft: Questlove and Lin repeatedly marvel at the real musical skill involved in the Lonely Island shorts—often noting the music is as good as the jokes ("Not an accident...they work very hard to make these very dumb things." — Lin, 27:53).
• Questlove on SNL’s Early Rap Parodies: “Anyone who has ‘and I’m here to say’ as their second line…that’s it.” (26:27)
• Questlove’s Drums: “Two of my snare drums and claps are the drums for this song [Threw It On The Ground].” (50:10)
  • He describes how the “Chicken Grease” snare became ubiquitous in early-2000s hip-hop, and he’s both litigious and proud about its widespread use.

Kim’s Video and “No”s

Many digital shorts received Kim’s Video (cult/deep cut) or “no.” Notable consensus opinions:

• Space Olympics, Extreme Challenge: Kim’s video--fun, but didn’t permeate culture.
• Hey/Murray Hill, Jam the Vote, Cookies, Brenda and Sean: Resounding “no.”
• Many sketches with Will Forte are automatically considered for “Will’s Videos”—a wild card Kim’s subcategory.
• Shorts with only a single joke or premise that didn’t heighten (“Cookies”, “Cherry Battle”) were set aside as fun but not Criterion-worthy.

Memorable Tangents, Quotes & SNL Lore

• Lin: “Once you write Wells for Boys, what’s left to do?” (05:27)
• On Dick in a Box Guys: “They’re the Color Me Baddish guys.” (07:08)
• Criterion Requirements: “Has to be three Michelin Star, five stars across the board.” (64:53)

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Personal Stories & Musical Observations (21:05–23:47)

• The panel shares college concert memories; Questlove recounts how The Roots became the backup band for spring flings every time Wu-Tang Clan canceled, describing a generation of “Ross Trent” types as the ones who kept The Roots employed and supplied weed.
• Lin recalls the Roots and Biz Markie playing his Wesleyan senior spring fling; “He played ‘Just a Friend’ five times.” (22:29)
• The tide of nostalgia prompts Questlove to note the lost magic of students seeing unfamiliar bands live at college.

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The Influence of Music and Comedy Craft (26:11–28:22)

• Questlove and Lin agree SNL’s musical parodies usually “sound corny,” but Lonely Island set new standards.
  • “This was hard enough for the Roots to want to rhyme over.” (26:27)
  • “Music brings it to another level.” (28:00)
• The Lonely Island’s perfectionism and mutual high standard is evident.
  • “They never wanted to, like, not live up to their own standard or take any shortcuts.” (28:15)

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Laser Cats, Trilogy Logic, and Recurring Bit Debate (31:39–34:10)

• Further discussion about the best way to group recurring shorts or characters.
• Lin: “If you love Like A Boss, check out Party Guys.” (36:49)

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Cultural Reach: “I’m on a Boat” & Similar Mega-Hits (32:33–34:08)

• “If you’re lucky enough to get on a boat, you put that on the playlist." (32:36)
• Seth tells a story about Andy Samberg being mistaken for Adam Sandberg at a Vegas club—humiliating but endearing.

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Questlove’s Snare Drums & Craft Easter Eggs (50:10–52:00)

• Questlove identifies his snare and clap samples on “Threw It On The Ground” (from D’Angelo’s “Chicken Grease”) and marvels at their second life.
  • “If I were litigious, I could have made a pretty penny… But I was proud.” (51:39)
• Offers to send the sample for all future podcast use—a running gag about the inside baseball of drums, sampling, and SNL sound design.

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Philosophy of Hits, Misses, and Anthology (70:17–72:04)

• Questlove makes the case that the “misses” like “Daiquiri Girl” are just as vital for a complete anthology of Lonely Island—demonstrates the reality of creative weekly output.
  • “I don’t think something has to be perfect… Daiquiri Girl is what Lonely Island’s about—hits and misses.” (70:25)
• Seth: “Sometimes… the best they can do under time constraint is Daiquiri Girl. I think it’s a really nice thing to show young people… who are trying to get into being creative…” (71:46)

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Closing Camaraderie and Sign Off (72:04–73:49)

• Heartfelt thanks and jokes about becoming officers in the “Quaid Army.”
• Lin bids for “Doogie Howser” to make Criterion, addressing younger listeners:
  • “Imagine Addison Rae 20 years from now… hosting SNL… and she sits at the piano… I’m painting the picture for you…” (68:47)
• Questlove is deeply moved by Lin’s poetic defense.
• Final running jokes: Laser Cats must be included as a box set, and Questlove claims a unique "Questlove's Pick" category for his beloved “Daiquiri Girl.”

Final Criterion Collection (as judged by this panel, pending final Lonely Island input)

1. Ross Trent
2. Jizz in My Pants
3. I’m On a Boat
4. Like a Boss
5. Mother Lover
6. Threw It On The Ground
7. Two Worlds Collide
8. Shy Ronnie
9. Boombox
10. Laser Cats (as a box set)

In the wings: Doogie Howser (advocated for by Lin, not popular with younger listeners), and a potential “Questlove’s Pick” for Daiquiri Girl.

Notable Quotes

• Questlove (on Threw It On The Ground):
  “That is my all time favorite. If I want to get somebody addicted to the Lonely Island, that’s what I play them.” (46:42)

• Lin-Manuel Miranda:
  “Music always bumps it to the top for me… the surprise of the third boiled goose makes me laugh so hard.” (65:20)

• Seth Meyers:
  “It is the number one song I think of when I think of boats, which have been around, you know, for really thousands of years.” (33:42)

• Questlove (on creative misses):
  “I don’t think something has to be perfect… Daiquiri Girl is what Lonely Island’s about—hits and misses.” (70:25)

This episode is as much a comedy nerd’s delight as it is an insightful masterclass in comedy-songcraft, SNL backstage lore, and the importance of celebrating both hits and misses in creative life.