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Mikey Day Names His All-Time Favorite SNL Sketch — and a Favorite He's Written
The Season 50 cast member and SNL co-head writer Streeter Seidell look back at the show's history in a new behind-the-scenes video.
Everyone who's watched Saturday Night Live has their favorite sketch — including, of course, the show's cast members and writers. But Day deems choosing just one a "difficult" task.
In a new behind-the-scenes video, SNL cast member Mikey Day and co-head writer Streeter Seidell break down their favorite sketches from sketch series' deep catalog.
As Seidell shares in the video, Season 50 marks his eleventh season with the show. Day, who began as a writer in Season 39 before becoming a Featured Player in 2016, is on his twelfth season. The duo named sketches that pre-dated their time in 30 Rock, and reflected on writing one of their best-known collaborations starring Nate Bargatze.
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Mikey Day's favorite SNL sketch is "Spelling Bee" with Jack Black
First up is Day, who says "Spelling Bee" starring Will Forte "is up there for me."
The December 17, 2005 sketch episode stars Forte as a young boy at a spelling bee, who attempts to spell the word "Business" by incorrectly using a ridiculously long string of letters.
At the end of the sketch it's revealed that Forte's character is actually a young Jack Black (the episode's Host), who goes on to sing about his traumatic spelling bee fail.
Seidell chose a classic: "Devil Can't Write No Love Song," from the November 13, 1999 episode. Host Garth Brooks plays a struggling songwriter who sells his soul to Lucifer (Will Ferrell) in return for a radio hit. As it turns out, the Prince of Darkness isn't so good at penning original tunes.
When it comes to favorite sketches that they've written, an Emmy-winning SNL Season 49 episode wins the day: Day shouts out the viral "Beavis and Butt-Head" sketch from the April 13, 2024 episode hosted by Ryan Gosling, while Seidell names "Close Encounter" — also starring Gosling — as "a real special one for us."
"And then all the hundreds of ones that we've written that didn't go that well were very special for us," jokes Seidell, as Day adds, "Every sketch is special."
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SNL co-head writer Streeter Seidell on the history of SNL's "Washington's Dream" sketch
The final question in the short behind-the-scenes video asks the duo how they came up with the idea for "Washington's Dream" — the fan-favorite sketch from Nate Bargatze's October 2023 episode that they co-wrote.
"The initial idea was on me. It was at his inauguration or something — it was not what it became," reveals Seidell.
"I think it became clear, especially at dress rehearsal, Nate, he was perfect," recalls Day. "He's got a fantastic blank stare that kind of matches Washington, when you think about all of Washington's portraits."
Watch Day and Seidell talk about their favorite sketches in the video above, and stream all 50 seasons of Saturday Night Live on Peacock anytime.
