Seth Meyers is taking his shtick to the White House. Really.
Get ready, folks: Funnyman Seth Meyers is tackling a new role. That’s right, the
Saturday Night Live star — now in his 10th season with the
NBC show — has been tapped to host one of the hardest gigs in the business: the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. On April 30, he’ll take to a new stage before politicos and press alike. Will he bring the laughs? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
American Way: Successfully hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner isn’t easy. Do you have any reservations about signing on?
Seth Meyers: Like all comedians, one of my life’s goals has been to appear on C-SPAN. Now that it’s happening, obviously there are some nerves. I’m incredibly honored to be asked. The WHCD strikes me as an incredibly American undertaking. The idea that you can tell jokes about the president in his presence is a really good reminder we’re not in Iran. Another good reminder: time zone.
AW: How did you prepare for this role?
SM: I’ve certainly seen highlights of past performances. I’ve never been invited before, so I’ll probably spend most of my time complaining about that and bragging about how, this year, my seat is so much better than everyone else’s.
AW: You’ve been described as a “very smart, very sharp and very funny observer of the political scene.” What are your observation tactics?
SM: First of all, thank you for going to my mother for a quote. I read papers online and follow a lot of reporters on Twitter, so they keep me updated during the day. As far as the creative process goes, I’ll use the same process we use for “[Weekend] Update.” A lot of funny people will sit around, and when there’s a joke everyone laughs at, we’ll know we have a winner.
AW: President Obama brought a lot of laughs last year. Are you worried about being upstaged?
SM: I will make it very clear to the president that should he upstage me at my job, I will have no choice but to upstage him at his by unveiling my can’t-fail economic recovery plan.
AW: How — if at all — is this different than hosting the ESPYs?
SM: Here’s the difference: At the ESPYs, everyone could beat me up. At the WHCD, I’m most afraid of Nancy Pelosi and Michele Bachmann.
AW: Any chance your famous “really” bit might make an appearance?
SM: “Really” depends on someone doing something that invokes a response of incredulity. So, as long as no politician from now until April 30 does anything stupid, they’re in the clear.