Seth Meyers felt like he was “mishandling” Tim Robinson for the brief time he was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.”
While talking with Marc Maron on his “WTF” podcast this week, Meyers and the host both gushed over Robinson as a singular comic, praising his booming popularity, Netflix’s “I Think You Should Leave” and his latest film “Friendship.” But upon brief reflection, the late night host admitted that while he was head writer at “SNL,” he felt like he fumbled the talents that Robinson possesses — he did not know how to harness Robinson’s brand the right way.
“I was at ‘SNL’ when he was hired as a cast member and it did not work the way anybody who is a fan of his thought it should,” Meyers said. “I, having been the head writer at the time, felt like I was mishandling this asset.”
He continued: “Everybody knew how funny he was. At every table read he would crush. And a lot of sketches he tried at ‘SNL’ — not that many, I should say — found their way into ‘I Think You Should Leave.’ For everybody at ‘SNL’ to see him have this moment, along with Zach Kanin his co-writer, it’s so lovely. He’s honestly the best dude in the world – they both are. They weirdly found their way into the zeitgeist almost beyond what ‘SNL’ is because it’s so singular.”
Robinson was a cast member on “SNL” for just one season in 2012 before moving to the writers’ room for four seasons and leaving in 2016.
A banner year for Robinson following his dual 2023 Emmy wins for “I Think You Should Leave,” this spring saw the release of his movie “Friendship,” which he co-stars in with Paul Rudd. TheWrap reviewer Chase Hutchinson heaped praise on the film while calling Robinson a “comedic wrecking ball.”
“‘Friendship’ is the funniest film of the year by a wide margin. Not only does it prove once again that Robinson is one of the most talented comedic voices of his generation, but it shows DeYoung is a filmmaker worth seeing with whatever he does next as well. You won’t want to become friends with Craig after this, but may neither of the maniacs bringing him to life ever change. Here’s hoping their collaboration is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
