Andy Samberg helps Seth Meyers celebrate 10 years of ‘Late Night’ at PaleyFest 2024 [Watch Red Carpet Interview]
The 41st annual PaleyFest LA celebrated the 10-year anniversary of NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” on Monday, April 15 at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. A panel discussion moderated by Andy Samberg honored the accomplishments of his longtime friend Seth Meyers. Watch Gold Derby associate editor Latasha Ford interview both of them above or read the full transcript below.
Latasha Ford:
So first and foremost, congratulations on making it to the 10 year mark.
Seth Meyers:
Thank you.
Latasha Ford:
What does this moment feel like for you? I’ll definitely start with you, Seth.
Seth Meyers:
I will only say that it feels like any other show week. You just do the show and then the great thing about doing a show for 10 years is you get to start on your 11th year. I love doing the show. I’m not at all bored with it, so I’m just very lucky and fortunate that NBC lets me keep doing it.
Latasha Ford:
If you look back at how far you’ve come, literally, over all these years, are you just beyond words? Can you believe it? Did you ever anticipate being where you are today?
Seth Meyers:
Certainly, no. I will say the other weird thing is physically I haven’t gone far at all. I basically got a job in 30 Rock in 2001, and I work a full floor away from where I started.
Latasha Ford:
Oh my God.
Seth Meyers:
Have the same ID, take the same subway to work. So weirdly, geographically, it’s sort of sad how little I’ve moved. Certainly when I started at SNL, every day I was living with a sort of abject fear. It’s nuts to know that I’ve been there for yeah, 23 years.
Latasha Ford:
That’s crazy. That’s crazy. And you, Andy, you fill pretty big shoes. Not only are you an actor, but you also step in the role as writer, producer on, if I’m not mistaken, almost 110 projects to date.
Andy Samberg:
110, whoo.
Latasha Ford:
I do my research. So talk to me, which one do you prefer? Do you prefer being on the writer, producer, or the acting side of things?
Andy Samberg:
Oh, man. I think writing and performing are the two I love the most. That’s the reason I started off trying to do this for work and then kind of just been fortunate that I’ve worked with really great people and we’ve done just well enough to be able to produce as well and drive our own projects and that’s been going great.
Latasha Ford:
I want to put you in the hot seat. Which of your projects thus far has been the most groundbreaking and significant for you? Which one puts you on the map, Andy, talk to me?
Andy Samberg:
I see. I see. Well, I mean certainly the digital shorts at SNL was what changed my life the most. I went from being an assistant in LA to being in articles in the New York Times about YouTube and stuff, and it was-
Seth Meyers:
And you never, the thing you don’t say that I’m impressed with, never stopped being an assistant. You kept that job the whole time.
Andy Samberg:
Yeah, I did keep that. I’m so bad at it, but to be fair, I was bad before SNL too.
Latasha Ford:
You guys.
Seth Meyers:
Yeah. So many unanswered emails.
Latasha Ford:
I just love this energy. And you said, if I’m not mistaken, you received, I believe 45 award nominations to date. You, Seth, and six of which have all resulted into wins. So you’re an Emmy Award winner, television, whole star, all the things, which has been the most impactful for your career thus far?
Seth Meyers:
I once won an Emmy and Andy was nominated three times in the category I won in.
Latasha Ford:
That’s a good one.
Seth Meyers:
That’s a true story. That is a true story.
Latasha Ford:
That was a good one for you.
Seth Meyers:
And so that was really special because I feel like to have beaten him would’ve meant something, but to beat him three times was really, I mean, because he is one of the great, he’s one of the goats, and yet on that night.
Andy Samberg:
I got to wonder what my odds were on Gold Derby that night.
Latasha Ford:
We’re not going to get into Gold Derby odds and predictions. Listen, we’re not going to do it. Seth, you once said, before I let the both of you go, that it’s better to start off sooner rather than later if you’re interested in being a comedian,-
Seth Meyers:
Yes.
Latasha Ford:
… because failure is much easier for you to process and push through when you’re young.
Seth Meyers:
Yeah.
Latasha Ford:
Give me a secret of yours. Tell me one of those young childhood failures for you.
Seth Meyers:
Oh God. I mean, what I meant by that is just you can’t figure out how to do comedy by watching comedy. You can watch as much as you want and think you’re an expert in it, but the first time you tell a joke on stage, you understand exactly how hard it is. So I would just say do that sooner than later.
Andy Samberg:
I kind of tuned out, the way the light is catching your eyes is just-
Seth Meyers:
Good. It’s good.
Andy Samberg:
It’s just, they’re piercing, quite frankly.
Latasha Ford:
I love it. Before I let you both go, anything you can share with me about this podcast that, if I’m not mistaken, it comes out next week that you both are a part of?
Andy Samberg:
It’s me and Seth and Akiva and Jorma from the Lonely Island, our group, and we’re sort of rehashing old digital shorts from the years at SNL that we all worked together.
Seth Meyers:
Yeah, yeah, it’s great. I love talking to them and it’s a lot of fun to listen to. Thanks.
Latasha Ford:
Looking forward to it. Thank you both.
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