Jon Hamm’s debut on one of the best sketch comedy series, SNL, back in 2008 had plenty of memorable moments. Known for leading the cast of Mad Men, he of course brought Don Draper into the mix, giving outdated seduction advice and ran an “A-Holes: Pitch Meeting” in another sketch. As part of your 2025 TV schedule, Hamm returned as host for his fourth time in April. As for memorable behind-the-scenes moments from his first stint more than 15 years ago, Amy Poehler recalls going from “crying to laughing so hard” thanks to Jon Hamm’s comments on SNL after she received tragic news.
When Jon Hamm first hosted SNL (which is streaming on your Peacock subscription), he remembered being “scared” before going live, reminding himself not to trip. While the Bridesmaids actor had his share of worries, so did his future Parks and Rec co-star Amy Poehler the day before Hamm’s episode. She recalled on her podcast, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, about her plan to perform on the live sketch comedy on Saturday and then give birth to her son, Archie, the next day. However, the comedy actress received tragic news during rehearsals:
We rehearsed all day on Friday — I was in nine sketches or something that week, and six days before I had done the Palin rap. I was still feeling pretty good. Jon was the host for the first time. Friday, we’re shooting like a Mad Men pre-tape. I get a call that my OB-GYN has passed away.
I can’t imagine how terrible that must have felt. One minute you’re having a good time with your Saturday Night Live cast, and then the next, you discover the OB-GYN expected to deliver your baby in just a couple of days had passed away. The shock must have been really overwhelming for Amy Poehler, but moments of tragedy can lead to moments of compassion, like the SNL cast proved to her that day:
A wonderful doctor who was in his 80s, who was this incredible doctor, he passed away, and I burst out crying on the phone. And when you see a very, very pregnant person who has started crying, it’s very scary, and the whole crew gets really quiet, and I go behind a partition to talk, and I find out the news. I come out, and everyone is like ‘Are you OK?’ and I said ‘Oh my god, my OB-GYN just died. He passed away of a heart attack last night.’
I’m sure it must have been really difficult for the SNL cast and crew to see Amy Poehler crying her eyes out over the unfortunate news she got. However, it was really sweet of everyone to come to her aid to see what was going on. If Amy Poehler had to receive sad news, there was one benefit of that happening on the set of a comedy series. Host Jon Hamm had an unconventional method of comforting the Baby Mama actress:
Hamm leans in, says to me, ‘This is a really big deal, and I need you to get your shit together. This is the first time I’m hosting and I need you to fucking… it’s a big week for me, you gotta pull it together.’
I love that! It’s like Jon Hamm was channeling Don Draper energy to focus her worries on something else: the Emmy Award winner’s SNL debut. Hamm may have been known at the time for his dramatic role in Mad Men, but he proved right there that comedy is a good home for him. Laughter really was the best medicine for Amy Poehler. She continued to talk about what a huge help Jon Hamm was to her:
And I go from crying to laughing so hard that like squirt tears came out. And I start clapping and laughing. And it was so fun and funny. Again, a great example of like life is what you say it is, right? Life is what you make and what you say it is. And he made me laugh so hard, and I went into labor that night. And I think a lot of it was that.
Who would have thought that making someone laugh to the point of tears would lead to an early birth? I guess Archie has to thank Jon Hamm for making his mother laugh her way into labor sooner than expected.
Jon Hamm is one of SNL’s best hosts, not only for giving his comedy A game live from New York, but for making Amy Poehler go from sad tears to happy tears. Finding out your OB-GYN passed away days before your due date could have stayed a tragic moment, but the Black Mirror actor instead worked his magic to find a way to make his co-star laugh again. That’s a team player right there!
Make sure to catch new episodes of SNL50 Saturday nights at 11:30 pm ET/8:30 pm PT on NBC, streaming on Peacock the next day.
