Bobby Moynihan has been a cast member on Saturday Night Live since 2008, and since he began his tenure on the show, he’s seen a lot of wacky things, had a lot of mind-blowing experiences and occasionally had some run-ins with other celebrities that didn’t go quite as expected. He was recently interviewed by fellow cast member Sasheer Zamata who asked him about crazy moments on the sketch series. Apparently, one of them involves a strange run-in with John McCain on the show.
There are the weird moments, where John McCain comes up to you and says, ‘Always a pleasure, Horatio!’
McCain was obviously referring to Horatio Sanz, another key SNL player who actually left the show two years before Bobby Moynihan even joined the cast as a featured player. While Sanz and Moynihan are not the most cut individuals to ever appear on the series, it’s pretty weird that McCain would mix up Sanz, who is from Chicago by way of Chile, and Moynihan, who is from New York. It’s not as if McCain has been immune to blunders in the past, though.
Moynihan also tells Zamata in the Gotham Magazine interview that he had an awkward elevator exchange with executive producer Lorne Michaels when he was still a newbie cast member.
My most fearful moment ever was the last episode of my first season, coming in and thinking, “This could be it, this could be my last episode.” I got on the elevator and Lorne was there, on the phone. I said, “Hey, Lorne.” I stood there in silence, and then he said, “Oh, I’m sorry. How are you, Bobby?” As he was getting out of the elevator, I yelled, “How are you?” He turned around, and said, “I’m great,” as if to say, “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” I thought I was done, I’m fired. It was so silly, though, he’s such a nice man.
Luckily, despite having weird and awkward exchanges on the set, there are always bright moments on SNL. Multiple cast members have cited getting to say “Live from New York” as a huge moment, and Moynihan has other fond memories.
My first ‘Live from New York.’ That whole episode was a good one, and then meeting Pearl Jam. You’re like, “Did I just do an SNL sketch with Pearl Jam?” High school Bobby would have exploded.
Anytime you work in a fast-paced and highly volatile industry, odd stories often emerge. On Saturday Night Live, cast members work extremely hard for most of the week during the TV season, trying to write and work their way into sketches. It can be intimidating, and many have washed out after only one season, but it’s all balanced out by appearing on live television and getting the opportunity to meet interesting famous people—even if they don’t remember your name.
NBC’s SNL is currently airing Season 40 episodes on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET.
