Mistakes happen on live TV, and the bloopers on Saturday Night Live are sometimes even funnier than the sketches themselves, especially when the cast members lose it. This still holds true today, but Amy Poehler recently remembered an episode with Jason Bateman where she was genuinely scared, not laughing. Her experience echoes Bateman’s own story about a difficult moment with a chimpanzee on the show, and both suggest things could have escalated into a much bigger problem.
On her podcast, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Amy Poehler chatted with Ariana Grande, who asked about a funny mistake from Poehler’s time on Saturday Night Live. Poehler recalled a sketch from 2005, called “Monkeys Throwing Poop At Celebrities,” and admitted that even after 20 years, the experience feels more upsetting than humorous. She then went on to describe what happened, saying:
You know, one time on SNL, Jason Bateman was hosting, and we had a chimpanzee in the sketch. I really don’t like working with animal actors – it’s just too stressful! This chimp was pretty young, and I was rushing to change costumes when it suddenly grabbed my wrist and just held on. I swear it was something about my blonde hair or just my energy, but I totally started screaming! Those chimps are seriously strong, and I couldn’t shake it off at all!
The story of monkeys attacking celebrities could have been seen as funny if the monkeys had been smaller. However, anyone familiar with chimpanzees – or who has seen the HBO documentary Chimp Crazy – knows that even seemingly harmless chimps can become dangerously aggressive, especially when people mistakenly believe they are tame and safe.
Fortunately, the animal guest on Saturday Night Live didn’t cause any problems, and you couldn’t tell from the sketch that Amy Poehler was worried. You can watch it below, or stream the entire episode on Peacock.
The camera switched away before anyone could scream, and the quick turnaround time of producing SNL likely didn’t give Amy Poehler enough time to fully process what had happened. She only appeared briefly in the sketch, playing Sharon Stone while Seth Meyers was Carrot Top and Kenan Thompson was Bill Cosby. This all took place in 2005. Jason Bateman hosted the show, Darrell Hammond played his famous SNL Celebrity Jeopardy impression of Sean Connery, and Will Forte played the person in charge of the chimpanzee.
In a 2020 appearance on Saturday Night Live, Jason Bateman recounted that the infamous incident with the chimpanzee didn’t occur until after the show had finished filming. He recalled a particularly chaotic hosting experience during his time on Arrested Development, explaining that’s when things really went awry.
If that sketch were done today, they’d definitely use a puppet or someone in a costume for safety. But back in 2005, things were a lot more relaxed, and they actually used a real chimpanzee. It was so casual that at the end of the show, during the goodnights, the monkey was allowed to come up on stage and take a bow with us. We were all hugging and saying goodbye as the credits rolled, and that’s when the monkey tried to attack me. I was just trying to be nice and tell him ‘good job’ when he suddenly opened his mouth wide, showed his teeth, and tried to bite my nose clean off. I’m serious – this really happened!
Bateman shared a story about receiving an apology from the chimpanzee, then made a dark joke claiming he was responsible for the animal’s demise later that night. Of course, the monkey actor wasn’t actually harmed, but this incident likely marked the end of using live chimpanzees in pitches for the show.
At first glance, the scene seems calm, with goodbyes continuing as usual. However, Rachel Dratch’s reaction around the 2:30 mark in the clip below reveals just how frightening the situation actually was, despite Bateman’s attempts to remain composed. Watch it here:
You can watch Jason Bateman’s episodes of Saturday Night Live on Peacock – specifically, seasons 30 and 46. A funny story about a chimpanzee highlights the great chemistry between Bateman and Amy Poehler, who both appeared in his SNL monologue and worked together on Arrested Development. Luckily, the story they share didn’t end any worse than it did!
Read More
- Hazbin Hotel season 3 release date speculation and latest news
- This 2020 Horror Flop is Becoming a Cult Favorite, Even if it Didn’t Nail the Adaptation
- Silver Rate Forecast
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Fishing Guide in Where Winds Meet
- 7 1990s Sci-fi Movies You Forgot Were Awesome
- Britney Spears’ Ex Kevin Federline Argues Against Fans’ Claims About His Tell-All’s Effect On Her And Sons’ Relationship
- BrokenLore: Ascend is a New Entry in the Horror Franchise, Announced for PC and PS5
- Valve’s new Steam Machine is just a PC at heart — here’s how to build your own and how much it will cost
- South Park Creators Confirm They Won’t Be Getting Rid of Trump Anytime Soon
2025-11-21 14:11