Comedy is said to be harder to tackle than drama for actors in showbiz, and one longtime NBC comedy staple had an unforgettably difficult experience one night trying to deliver laughs. In fact, the unfunny incident with the Saturday Night Live vet and current Late Night with Seth Meyers host took place more than ten years ago from the 2025 TV schedule, and Meyers could recall the story – which also involves Chris Rock, Bobby Moynihan, and music legends – in enough detail that it seems to have left quite an impression on him.
Seth Meyers has a lot to celebrate professionally in recent years, with the Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking available streaming now with an HBO Max subscription and the late night TV format not yet running out of steam despite dire predictions from Jimmy Kimmel. He may not have felt so celebratory back in December 2012, when he was still a writer and cast member for SNL, and… well, he learned that his usual brand of sketch comedy is best kept to the stages of 30 Rock. Speaking with THR, Meyers said:
Hardest I’ve ever bombed was at Madison Square Garden. It was that concert for Hurricane Sandy, and they’d asked me and Bill Hader to do a Stefon thing [from Saturday Night Live] , and Bill wisely said, ‘I’m not going to do it.’ Then they said, ‘What about Bobby Moynihan as Drunk Uncle?’ So, we’d written this thing, and Chris Rock saw us backstage in costume and he goes, ‘You’re going to follow The Who with sketches?!’ All of the confidence drained out of our faces, and sure enough, we went out and they were so angry.
For context, the SNL stars weren’t sharing the event with just Chris Rock and The Who, although those were already big enough names to overshadow Seth Meyers in his Weekend Update persona and Bobby Moynihan as Drunk Uncle. The 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief took place at Madison Square Garden in December 2012, for the purpose of raising money for victims of the devastating Hurricane Sandy.
Musicians performing included (but were not limited to) Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Chris Martin, Eddie Vedder, Kanye West, and Roger Waters, plus, the surviving members of Nirvana for the first time in nearly two decades with none other than Paul McCartney. Throw in appearances from Billy Crystal, Jamie Foxx, and yes, Chris Rock, and… well, having gone back and watched the sketch from 2012, I can see why Seth Meyers considers it the hardest he’s ever bombed. There’s a time and place for sketch comedy, and that just wasn’t it.
Somewhat hilariously, Jamie Foxx was part of THR’s interview as well, and he couldn’t remember if he’d even been there other than recalling the performance from The Who. Meyers laughed and responded, saying, “The Who, Arcade Fire … it’s weird that you don’t remember us.” It’s clearly all in good fun looking back from 2025, but I understand why Meyers credited Bill Hader’s decision not to play Stefon as a wise choice.
Fortunately, after more than ten years at SNL and one flopped event, Meyers has only gone onward and upward from the hardest he “ever” bombed. Despite NBC’s cuts to Late Nightas well as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Meyers renewed his deal with the network through 2028. Plus, the ill-advised sketch was long enough ago that few people likely remember it if he doesn’t bring it up… except perhaps for Bobby Moynihan.
