Jim Gaffigan’s Team Lied To Get Him Cast As Tim Walz On SNL | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

you've been in comedy for so long but. you never your DNA never merged with. saret live and then you get this gig. yeah to play uh Tim Waltz during the. runup to the election and so suddenly. you're in the world of SNL and it was. kind of interesting to me because I. thought I want to get Jim's take yeah on. SNL because he's a really smart funny. guy and I know that that was something. that would you know everyone wants to. check that bucket list off absolutely so. what was that like for you it it was.

really interesting because uh that is. one of the questions that you know I've. been doing standup or in the comedy. thing for 35 years and I I never. auditioned for SNL I've never hosted. never and it's just it never lined up uh. where it was a possibility I think there. was talk of me auditioning to be a. writer but at that time I was like no I. want to be an actor I want be on the.

west wing and so I I mean I obvious no. but I terrible instincts why Rob low. what she got that I don't got no it's so. it was obviously it is this uh it's the. the ultimate Graduate School of Comedy. right to go there there's nothing that. it's Unique to the the comedy business I. mean it's a unique television show in. that they you know outside of Living. Color and Mad TV no one's even come.

close to replicating it probably. financially doesn't make sense and it's. the impact on the Z guys so it was a. huge thing there's uh I've always been. uh been aware that it's something that. you don't campaign for yep and so I I'm. respectful of the the boundaries and. kind of the cultural phenomenon that it. is so when she picked Tim Walls uh as. her running mate and then Steve Martin. turned it down you know the internet was.

bringing up like every doughy white. Midwestern guy and I was like interested. but I was like well I'm not uh you know. you can't campaign for it y you can't. kind youi get the call or you don't yeah. you can't be like hey you know what I'm. going to do is I'm GNA go on Howard Stan. and do my Tim Wallace and you can't do. that right and so I uh very much stood. back and then I would check in with uh. my manager who would say you know here's. what they're thinking uh.

you know but you're supposedly on a list. and again there's nothing you can do on. it and so then I was in you know I get. one acting job a year so I was in L in. England doing this acting job and then. and at night I'm walking back to my. hotel and I uh get a call from my. manager and he's like hey so we've been. telling people at uh the booker at SNL. that you've been sending us little. videos where you're pretending to be Tim. Wallace and I'm like oh that's that's.

interesting and he goes and you weren't. and I wasn't and and so he was on with. my manage my manager am I'm like oh well. that's an interesting approach but you. know this is what you guys do and. they're like yeah and they now they want. to see those and I'm like so what do you. mean they want to see him I'm like well. we brought it up and now they're like. why don't you send them i' be mad at. this management team then I spent the. next hour kind of in my hotel room. taking off a jacket putting on a thing. doing different and I kind of been you.

know checking out uh Tim Walls and. looking at speeches and then I just in. that moment I just did an impression of. my brother Mitch who is this similar to. Tim wall is a very sincere. enthusiastic Midwestern guy who's kind. of got a little bit of that golly G and. so I essentially did an impression of my. brother Mitch in a different settings in. this England Hotel sent him off and then. uh you know I don't know what happened.

but it worked they hired your brother. Mitch yeah so when people are like how. do you do that impression I'm like well. just don't meet my brother Mitch and we. should be fine yeah grow up in Indiana. yeah grow up in Indiana surround. yourself with very. sincere uh Midwestern people that have. that optimism that Tim Walls has you. know but just like we can do this yeah. you know what I mean I mean gez come on. Jimmy you know like that's my my brother.

Mitch I mean geez Jimmy you know I mean. Jimmy you're a bad driver like my. brother Mitch would just get so angry. when even sweet he's even sweet when. he's telling you bad things about. yourself yes he's like a great guy so. it's that's that's what happened but it. was absurd because not only was I uh so. this opportunity to be on SNL and it was. just for five weeks but I then they. bring in all these all stars right so. they bring in Maya who I had worked with.

before Dana and Andy and I'm like so not. only am I doing this guest star but like. the MVP from every decade for the last. 40 years so it was it was stressful in. uh in an unnecessary way where it's like. you know I go on stage in front of huge. rooms but I was like I have two lines. how do I do it so I was definitely uh a. little nervous yes I there's a something. about uh I think it's easier to if. someone said to me you've got to go out.

there and just talk for 40 minutes I. wouldn't be as nervous as as if they. said okay you've got this one line you. have to say absolutely did you like the. Machinery of it being around because. there is a it's a there's nothing else. like it yeah and I've always thought. there is the the carnival atmosphere of. it the the machine aspect of it it's. Willie Wonka's factory it's all these. things that you grew up watching and. then suddenly you're inside it and then.

there's the the buildup to the show. there's the meeting between dress and. air and then after the show there's a. party it's it's this whole uh Roman kind. of crazy it's it's like the the the the. Coliseum followed by the orgy you're. just what's happening this is madness it. is it's insane every step of the way so. I remember I did the table read the. first week I guess that's on Tuesday MH.

and then I was like all right I know. what I'm and I know that there's going. to be a lot of changes and then by the. end I would be like calling my point. person at like 10 you know 8:00 on. Friday I'm like do we know what we're. doing and they're like I'm going to S it. you know it's just because it's the cold. open and it was the election so they. were kind of you know what and so like. yeah there were things where if you have. an idea you're looking at a writer who's. been up for 4 days days who's also uh.

realizing there's there's uh there's the. element of serving everyone in the the. cold open there's also Lauren stuff so. it's it's you know it's a very. complicated thing so you're like I don't. want to be a pain in the end like one of. the things I kind of pride myself on is. hopefully being a good soldier when I'm. in a situation like that cuz having do. your part well don't let any body down.

yeah and and not be the pain in the ass. so I kind of want to do that but yeah so. that whole process of the. bureaucracy and and maybe that's not the. right term but it's the process is so. bananas yeah that you also have to just. go with the flow and then the meeting in. between the dress where Lauren would go. up there and be like don't touch your. ear and you're like okay all right I. won't touch you I didn't know I was.

touching my ear but okay and some of it. is he's giving his notes he's also this. icon who obviously you know like I I. realize now that he is the modern day. equivalent of PT barnab right like yeah. the impact he has on the zeist is so. enormous so he sits there and he goes. yeah we're not going to do that or like. things that you I think people could. judge as bizarre but if you consider the.

history and the on base percentage the. batting average it's it's pure genius. yeah it's funny because I think if. someone could watch the process of how a. sketch gets written and then it's read. through I do think it's Wednesday it. gets read through on Wednesday and then. it gets to rehearsal then it gets to the. the dress show then there's that meeting. beforehand and then.

um they select you know they select the. sketches finally they reorder it and. then there's the air show that happens I. think. watching that. process would make less sense than how. they pick a pope at the Vatican I think. there's just there's more mystery smoke. signals craziness yeah you know. Cardinals making crazy. deals in behind ancient walls that would. seem more normal than what happens at. and I think there is also something of.

the resiliency that you need to process. I mean you went through it but the. resiliency that these creative types. these people that are creative because. they know how to react listen to their. emotions or keep in touch with their. point of view but CU even the so like I. only did one table read so like I don't. even know what day that is and then also. like the the moving Parts like I think. on the last episode they dress they they.

did cuts and then I think they had to. cut a sketch mid show yeah they do all. the time which is just like how do you. yeah not happening no I I I back in my. day I authored several of those sketches. where you're I've called my parents and. I've said it's about two you know coal. miners and they're and they're you know. their little bird that's with them and. and then uh look for me cuz that I mean. that's my sketch and it's going to be on.

at 12:55 and my parents would be like. well we're going to watch yay my my. father was Ronald re well well and well. Democrats with their taxes we could use. you up on Capitol Hill um and then at 12. 48 I'd see my card come off CU other. stuff went long so my card would come. off the board and go to the side of the. board which means there's this side of. the board that's outside the grid where. literally you see your card slipping.

beneath the waves and so suddenly my. parents the next day well we thought it. was terrific it wasn't on yeah they are. lying oh no they went to bed at 9 they. went to bed at. 9: um and uh so anyway I was just I'm. I'm so happy that you got to have exp. and I'll I'll just put it out there um. you'd be the a perfect Hast for that. show and um and you are in the Zeitgeist. now and they'd be lucky to have you so I.

mean from my lips to Lauren's ears well. I am I am uh standing back I have no. opinion on that I am I have all. nominated I will not I will uh I have. all respect for the. process the convention I will do as I'm. told.