Comedy is always changing with the times, which means something that may have been considered funny a few years ago, might not be anymore. In that vein, Will Ferrell recently opened up about regretting playing Janet Reno on Saturday Night Live. Now, SNL boss Lorne Michaels has responded to those comments.
What Will Ferrell Said About The Character He Regretted Playing On SNL
While Will Ferrell and Harper Steele were chatting with the NYT about their documentary on Netflix’s 2024 schedule, Will & Harper – which documents a road trip they took as Steele navigated her life after her transition – they also opened up about their time on SNL. Of course, Ferrell is one of the biggest stars SNL has produced and his best friend was a writer there years ago. So, they reflected on how their comedy has aged.
They both explained that it’s normal and likely for some comedy not to age gracefully, but the one example that “hits a false note now” that was specifically brought up was Janet Reno. Ferrell dressed in drag to play the former attorney general, and both he and Steele agreed that that’s not something they’d do now:
Ferrell: That’s something I wouldn’t choose to do now.
Steele: This kind of bums me out. I understand the laugh is a drag laugh. It’s, “Hey, look at this guy in a dress, and that’s funny.” It’s absolutely not funny. It’s absolutely a way that we should be able to live in the world.
However, Steele also explained that she does “wonder if sometimes we take away the joy of playing when we take away some of the range that performers, especially comedy performers, can do,” using Robin Williams playing a gay man in The Birdcage as an example.
Now, SNL’s boss Lorne Michaels has responded to Ferrell’s comments and shared his take on how comedy evolves.
How Lorne Michaels Responded
As Saturday Night Live’s 50th season approaches its premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, Lorne Michaels spoke about the show’s history and the stars it has produced with THR. This included him saying he “loved” Ferrell and Steele’s documentary and opening up about his former colleagues' comments about the Janet Reno sketch.
In response to the two comedians specific quotes, Michaels said:
My feeling always is trust the audience. We do a dress rehearsal, and you can tell when something just has a bad feeling to it. It gets the laugh, but it’s the wrong kind, and generally it stops there. But I saw that they were discussing Will playing Janet Reno, and there was a sweetness to it. We liked his Janet Reno. So, I understand why it’s inappropriate now, but somebody has to speak up to the inappropriate, and that generally is us.
Considering he has been in charge of SNL for basically its entire 50-year run, he’s familiar with how comedy evolves with the times, and his answer seems to confirm that. He explained that he understood why Ferrell dressing in drag to play Janet Reno is “inappropriate now.” However, he also noted that when they make the show they trust the laughs they get, and at the time, the ones they got didn’t feel “wrong.”
All this is to say, like culture, comedy is always evolving and changing with the times. What was considered OK back then, might not be now, and it’s important to have conversations about why that is, which is exactly what happened here.
To see what Lorne Michaels has up his sleeve for the upcoming historic season of Saturday Night Live, you can stream the Season 50 premiere on September 28 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC or with a Peacock subscription. Meanwhile, to see Ferrell and Steele’s emotional documentary Will & Harper, make sure to have your Netflix subscription ready to go on September 27.