Saturday Night Live has been an institution on NBC for five decades now, and Seth Meyers was around for one glorious decade+ of that run. However, if you were to ask him, joining Studio 6H was not the best time of his life; instead, it was his forties that have stood out the most so far. He didn’t hesitate to share his feelings on the matter during a recent Q&A.
Amidst a recent chat with the audience, Meyers got candid about how 40 was the big turning point in his personal life and career. This was marked by the ending of his tenure on Saturday Night Live just and his switch to late night a little less than a year later, a move which was announced before he even left the late night sketch comedy series. On the home front, he married Alexi Ashe in 2013, and they had kids in 2016, 2018 and 2021.
NBC Insider):
even of the celebrity variety — are turning 40 these days and the milestone, at least for me, comes with mixed feelings and emotions. Regardless, according to Meyers, your forties are great and should be a time to look forward to and be celebrated as a whole.
This honestly squares with some comments Seth Meyers made earlier this year when he was talking to Howard Stern about SNL50. The shock jock made a comment that the former head writer was happiest on the sketch show and he disagreed, noting,
I think I am happier now doing my show than I would be if I was still there. I think at some point you have to ride the crest and get out at the right time. Part of the reason I’m smiling…I think the people who knew me then, the amount of stress I was under, the lack of sleep I was getting, they would say, ‘Let’s not forget the brutal part of it.’
If I could have written out on paper which is more exciting: day drinking with celebrities on Late Night or working wild hours for part of the year on SNL, the sexier answer is definitely the sketch comedy series. However, there’s something to be said for being more settled in your career, and I do hear Lorne Michaels can be an intimidating presence.
Meyers has said before it’s also a breeding ground for insecurities, and even when he briefly came back for SNL50, he felt that tug of: “I don’t belong here.” Even after “ten years of reflection and personal growth” the second “one thing” went wrong, he flipped out. He’s previously said he’s still holding onto some stressful memories during his time on SNL, too, and he’s certainly not the only famous name to speak out about fears and insecurities with being on the sketch show.
While prior to hearing the Late Night host’s words, I probably would have guessed the time Meyers spent on Saturday Night Live with its new guest hosts, musical guests and creative ideas each week, would have been his best decade. But it turns out, the grass is truly greener on the other side.