Jokes Seth Can't Tell: Amber Ruffin and Jenny Hagel Return to 'Late Night'
Host Seth Meyers sets 'em up and writers Amber Ruffin and Jenny Hagel knock 'em down in the hilarious October 3 episode.
Five months without Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2023 meant five months without the show's standout features, from "A Closer Look" to the Emmy-nominated "Corrections." Meyers' October 3 episode brought the return of another delightful recurring segment: "Jokes Seth Can't Tell."
As Seth Meyers reminded the audience at the top of the segment, the premise is simple: Late Night's monologue jokes are "written by a diverse team of writers," and not every joke feels appropriate for Meyers—a self-described "straight white male"—to tell. Which is why he invites two of his writers, Amber Ruffin and Jenny Hagel, to deliver the punchlines instead.
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Among the October 3 Jokes Seth Can't Tell: "A conservative group is protesting a Westin hotels ad that features a lesbian couple in bed together," Meyers said in the setup.
"Even more disturbing, they're wearing natural deodorant," Hagel finished.
"Jenny, how can you tell they're wearing natural deodorant?" Seth asked.
"Because they stink," she answered immediately.
After a rousing round of off-color jokes that Seth definitely can't tell, Hagel turned to the Host and asked, "Hey Seth, why don't you do one?" We'll leave you to determine whether Meyers pulled his punchline off, but it did earn an A-OK sign from Ruffin.
"Amber taught me how to say that all day," Meyers confessed.
Who are "Jokes Seth Can't Tell" writers Amber Ruffin and Jenny Hagel?
Amber Ruffin has been a writer on Late Night with Seth Meyers since 2014, where she's known for appearing in "Jokes Seth Can't Tell" and additional segments like "Amber Says What?" She is also Host of The Amber Ruffin Show on Peacock, and co-hosts the podcast The Amber & Lacey, Lacey & Amber Show! with her sister, Lacey Lamar.
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Jenny Hagel has written for Late Night with Seth Meyers since 2016, and she also served as head writer for The Amber Ruffin Show. Hagel's also written for the Golden Globes and shares a production company with Ruffin, Straight to Cards.
Watch Late Night with Seth Meyers weeknights at 12:35/11:35c on NBC, and the next day streaming on Peacock.
