Bill Hader reveals Fred Armisen’s SNL pranks on Seth Meyers and Colin Jost

Bill Hader revealed that Fred Armisen may have saved some of his best bits for behind the scenes at Saturday Night Live.

Fans of Saturday Night Live are well aware of the crazy schedule the performers and writers keep every week. Long nights go in to writing and planning sketches for a live show. And as Bill Hader revealed, it is during those long hours that some really good bits can be created.

There are few shows in the history of television that have the type of mythology that surrounds Saturday Night Live. Books and TV specials have been dedicated to what has gone on behind the scenes since 1975. So anytime we can hear more about life in the writers’ room or what happens 4:00 AM on a Tuesday night, fans pay attention.

And for fans of a certain age, a special affection exists for the cast of the mid-2000s. Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis were among the performers who brought a unique brand of comedy to Saturday Night Live. Also among that group was Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and Seth Meyers.

Meyers’ transition from cast member to head writer meant that he had the busiest schedule of all. But as Hader said on Late Night, working until the early morning didn’t mean Meyers was off limits when it came to a prank from Fred Armisen.

It is good to know that prank calling an exhausted Seth Meyers didn’t prevent Fred Armisen from getting a job as the Late Night band leader. Clearly Bill Hader was much more entertained by the antics than Meyers.

But Meyers didn’t get it nearly as bad as Colin Jost. Jost began writing at Saturday Night Live in 2005 and now acts as a co-head writer along with his “Weekend Update” anchor duties. Armisen’s run on SNL lasted from 2002 to 2013, meaning there was a lot of time spent with Jost on the writing staff.

That also means that for many hosts, their first impression of Colin Jost was that he had a very, very dark sense of humor. While SNL hasn’t exactly shied away from finding humor in serious subjects, Bill Hader’s story suggests that Armisen was taking things a bit too far during the pitch meetings.

These two stories from Bill Hader can be appreciated by any Saturday Night Live fan. Fred Armisen was one of the most unique cast members in the history of the show. His very specific sense of humor created hilarious characters and sketches. With that being said, Seth Meyers and Colin Jost probably preferred he keep the bits for in front of the cameras.