How Will Ferrell and More Cowbell ruined Christopher Walken’s life
By Matt Moore
Will Ferrell’s “More Cowbell” sketch may be a Saturday Night Live great but Christopher Walken didn’t see it that way.
Will Ferrell returns to host Saturday Night Live for the fifth time this week. Ferrell returns to the place that made him a household name and a comedy legend. No sketch played a bigger role in cementing that legacy than “More Cowbell.”
Saturday Night Live will be banking on Ferrell to bring some of his magic to season 45. The show has struggled to find consistent footing in the past few weeks despite honorable efforts by hosts like Kristen Stewart and Harry Styles.
It will be impossible for the show to capture anything like what happened when “More Cowbell” debuted in 2000 during season 25. The sketch is considered among not only Will Ferrell’s best but the best in Saturday Night Live history.
Ferrell reunited with his “More Cowbell” co-star Jimmy Fallon on Thursday night’s episode of The Tonight Show. The two discussed Ferrell’s Thanksgiving plans to visit Boston before revisiting the historic night “More Cowbell” shook Studio 8H. And while the two had happy memories about the sketch and its legacy, Ferrell revealed that isn’t the case for Christopher Walken.
A comedian like Will Ferrell is probably used to fans yelling iconic lines at him. Ferrell certainly hasn’t shied away from “More Cowbell,” having performed the instrument several more times including alongside Saturday Night Live musical guests like Green Day.
But for an accomplished actor like Christopher Walken, having the tagline from a six-minute comedy sketch repeated to you during plays and at the deli is probably a little jarring. Regardless, Walken’s role as legendary producer Bruce Dickinson is just as memorable as his parts in Pulp Fiction, The Deer Hunter, or Catch Me if You Can.
light. Related Story. Vintage SNL celebrates Will Ferrell and Jimmy Fallon
Do you think there is a more memorable or iconic Will Ferrell sketch than “More Cowbell?” Let us know in the comment section below. Be sure to watch Saturday Night Live this week and then check back with Last Night On for all the highlights.