John Mulaney reveals Will Forte's shocking move after he and Colin Jost took too long to write “SNL” sketch
John Mulaney reveals Will Forte's shocking move after he and Colin Jost took too long to write “SNL” sketch
Emlyn TravisMon, April 13, 2026 at 8:41 PM UTC
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John Mulaney; Will Forte; Colin JostCredit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty; Leon Bennett/Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty
John Mulaney is remembering the surprising move Will Forte once pulled when he and Colin Jost were working on a Saturday Night Live sketch.
The Sack Lunch Bunch creator, 43, revealed on a recent episode of the Off Menu podcast that Forte once popped into Jost’s office, picked up a baseball bat, and smashed it into a wall because the duo were taking too long to complete their work.
“One time, I was in Colin Jost’s office and we were working on a sketch for a long — we were taking way too long,” Mulaney explained to hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster. “We were eating Teddy Grahams out of a box slowly, individually. I remember [Jost] was taking them out one at a time, so I was self-conscious to dump.”
John MulaneyCredit: Frazer Harrison/Getty
Their methodical munching certainly wasn’t helping to speed up their sketch writing. “We’re taking a long time to write this piece and Forte’s waiting on Jost to be done,” Mulaney said. “And so [Forte asks], ‘Uh, Colin, are you done yet? I’m waiting on you.’ [And we respond], ‘We just need a few more minutes and we’ll be done.’”
That “few more minutes” ended up actually being an extra “two hours,” Mulaney said. And it’s clear that Forte wasn’t happy about being kept waiting for such an extended period of time.
“He comes in and he goes, ‘Are you done yet?’ [Jost] goes, ‘Will! I need a little more time and we’ll be done!’ And [Forte] goes, ‘Oh, a little more time!’” Mulaney recalled. “There’s a baseball bat and he picks it up and he goes, ‘Who makes this bat? Easton!’ Smashes it through the wall.”
Will ForteCredit: Amy Sussman/Getty
The stand-up comedian explained that Forte’s swing was “so loud” that it startled everyone on the floor.
“[Writer] Erik Kenward was in the next office and all the stuff flew off his shelves,” he said. “And people came in and were like, ‘What! Will!’ People were really mad. It was very upsetting to people.”
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Earlier in their conversation, Mulaney prefaced that Forte often enjoyed pulling gags that seemed to prank himself rather than the other person. However, he wasn’t sure if Forte’s bat blow-up could be considered one or not.
“It’s interesting that we’re getting into the word ‘prank.’ It’s the first time I’ve ever really thought about it [for] these acts of, like, destruction,” Mulaney said. “Like, Will once threw someone’s dinner out the window. I guess that’s a prank? But there’s no tension and release to it. It was just one big thing.”
When Gamble asked Mulaney if he believed that a key element to a prank is that life can return to the status quo afterward, Mulaney replied, “That’s a good question. Does a prank involve planning and misdirect? ’Cause there was no misdirect."
He continued, “Although pretending to be upset at the name of the bat brand, I guess? ‘Who makes this brand? Easton!’ That’s what made it a prank.”
Now, time is of the essence for everyone but especially Forte, who was told by a spirit via Ouija board that he would be stabbed to death at age 73.
“I don't really spend too much time thinking about it,” Forte said of the prophecy in a 2024 episode of Rachel Dratch’s Woo Woo podcast. “But from time to time, when I tell this story, I do think like, 'Oh, when I'm 72 when I'm nearing the end, do I like, start looking into full-body Kevlar suits?’”
Watch Mulaney discuss Forte's prank (?) in the clip above.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
