Andy Samberg Reflects On Stress Of Doing ‘SNL’ Live: “You’re Always At Risk”

Saturday Night Live Season 50 guest player Andy Samberg reflected on being back onstage in Studio 8H, saying the live audience experience of filming the sketch comedy show can be as stress-inducing as it is enjoyable.

“It’s been fun, I gotta say,” the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star said on a recent episode of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast. “It’s been really fun going back. But again, also inheriting — re-inheriting — the stress of it and being like, ‘Oh, right, this is intense.’”

Samberg was on the seminal NBC series across seven seasons from 2005-2012, serving as a featured player and writer. A member of the comedy troupe The Lonely Island, which helped him land the coveted spot on the Lorne Michaels-created show, Samberg has previously joked about how he appeared in numerous digital shorts during his tenure as opposed to live shows during his hosting stint in 2014.

Called back to play Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff to Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, the Palm Springs star said his reprisal has been slightly more chill.

“It’s a little more mellow — me and Maya [Rudolph] have been talking about [how] it’s a little bit more mellow ’cause we know why we’re there specifically,” he said. “But that last show, I was like, if this Beetlejuice thing doesn’t work, I’m just going to be here and not do anything. And that puts you right back in the feeling of being a cast member — of, you’re always at risk.”

When Michael Keaton served as host two weeks prior alongside musical guest Billie Eilish, Samberg was able to pull together a “dream come true” appearance in Beetlejuice cosplay with Mikey Day during the opening monologue. “Here’s the thing, I used to work here, and during my storied tenure I tried and failed many times to get my BJ into the show,” Samberg said in his best demon rasp.

Earlier this year, the Emmy winner revealed he left SNL to safeguard his mental and physical health, which was being impacted by the show’s well-documented and intense filming and prep schedule. “For me, it was like I can’t actually endure it anymore. Physically and emotionally. I was falling apart in my life,” he explained.