Seth Meyers Says He Was ‘Shamefully Petty’ In ‘SNL’ Days: “Things Ran Very Hot”

Seth Meyers Says He Was ‘Shamefully Petty’ In ‘SNL’ Days: “Things Ran Very Hot”

Seth Meyers says he was “shamefully petty” in some of his interactions with his Saturday Night Live co-stars throughout his time on the show from 2001-2014.

The comedian and late-night host reflected on his time on the show, which included a stint on Weekend Update, claiming that he used to have a short temper.

“I feel like I was far more temperamental when I was younger and things ran very hot at SNL,” said Meyers on NPR’s Wild Card podcast. “And there were definitely times where my instincts were to say something that would have been relationship-ending to people.”

He added, “You know, just you’re having an argument and, looking back, all shamefully petty, you know?”

Meyers says his friend and producer Mike Shoemaker, who’s worked with him on both SNL and Late Night, gave him some valuable insight that prevented him from burning any bridges.

“I remember once saying, ‘I’m going to go tell so-and-so he’s a you-know-what,’” he recalled. “And he used to always say, ‘It’s a long life. It’s a long life. And the people you work with here, what you are going through with them is going to — even for the ones that aren’t your favorite people — this is bonding. And you will need, for the rest of your life, you will need these relationships to remember what this time was like. And these people, more of them are going to be at your wedding than aren’t.’

“And so I’m very happy I lived by the adage of, ‘It’s a long life.’ Because if it’s somebody you think might be your friend in the future, there’s no reason to burn it down in the present,” said Meyers, who was head writer on SNL from 2006 until his departure.

Meyers also admitted to being somewhat “covetous” of his SNL co-stars, who had gone onto bigger movies and other roles, noting he “wasted a lot of time and put myself through a wringer.”

“And then you make this mistake of, you walk down a hallway and you see pictures of former cast members and you think because you work at the same place they do, you’re going to have the same career path, you know?” Meyers added. “But it’s a mistake to say just because you got hired at the same place as Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell, that doesn’t mean you’re going to have their career. And a lot of different people with a lot of different skill sets come through SNL. And so, you know, I’m very grateful that there was a patience with my time there that allowed me to find my fit.”

decioalmeida