"Just full impostor syndrome" - Seth Meyers recalls his early Saturday Night Live days with Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers attend the Worldwide Orphans 13th Annual Gala on November 13, 2017 (Image via Getty)
Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers attend the Worldwide Orphans 13th Annual Gala on November 13, 2017 (Image via Getty)

On June 3, 2025, Amy Poehler was joined by Seth Meyers on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, where the latter recalled his early days at Saturday Night Live.

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Seth Meyer explained that he felt that the show had made a "terrible mistake" by hiring him when he debuted on SNL in 2001. He explained that he was excited to be a part of the show alongside big stars like Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, and Tracy Morgan, but soon realized that he had to be on the same level as them. He stated:

"I just felt as though they'd made a terrible mistake, like just full imposter syndrome... I was so excited 'oh my god they're hiring me at the same time as Amy Poehler,' and then you walk down the hallway and you're like 'oh my god I'm in the same show as Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, and Tracy Morgan,' and then you have to... show that you're at the same level."
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Seth Meyer also noted that he had a "hard" time at the beginning of SNL, stating that he kept his feelings hidden. He further claimed that he was glad to keep his emotions to himself, as that was not a "vibe that people want to be around."

He further stated that he was also confident in his writing skills and wanted to contribute as a writer at the show. However, he was unsure if his skill added value to the show.

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"And I don't feel like I was being hard on myself either," Seth added.

Read more: "I don't know how to explain it other than pure rage" — Amy Poehler says she hates being physically picked up in comedy improv scenes


Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers reflect on moments of conflict in their friendship

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Elsewhere in the podcast, Seth Meyers reflected on moments of tension he had with Amy when the duo was on Saturday Night Live. Although they have been friends for a long time, there were still some subtle moments of friction between them.

"I feel like the most tense [moments] our chemistry ever had was mornings, Update mornings, bagel times," Meyers commented.

Poehler remembered that the writers of Saturday Night Live often had leftover jokes that both of them wanted, which became quite a topic of contention between them. Meyers claimed that he understood when Amy felt a joke was more suited to her.

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"Here's how I saw it from you. It's like 'That feels like an Amy joke,'" Meyers said.

To this, Amy recalled thinking that she was hiding her feelings of wanting the "better" jokes well. Poehler further claimed that she would "curse" those jokes that Meyers did eventually end up getting.

"Then I would go, 'I hex this joke.' I would hex it," she said.
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Even after all of this, they both agreed that they never really had any real fights. Pohler further recalled only lighthearted disagreements with Meyers, claiming that these arguments resulted in the Weekend Update segment, Really?!, where the duo would react to frustrating news items.

"We like to be frustrated and irritated, and I don’t mind being frustrated and irritated with people that I’m close to," Amy added.
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The full conversation between Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers is available on Poehler's official YouTube channel.

Read more: "I was going to be a superhero that I created" — Jack Black talks to Amy Poehler about his planned audition pitch for Saturday Night Live

Edited by Arunava Dutta
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