Gasteyer told PEOPLE that the two comedians debated performing Lamar’s diss track to Drake at the ‘SNL50: Homecoming Concert’
Ana Gasteyer is revealing how she and Will Ferrell decided on what song to perform at the SNL50: Homecoming Concert.
The actress, 57, chatted with PEOPLE about the performance on the red carpet of SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Sunday, Feb. 16. Two days prior, she and Ferrell sang Kendrick Lamar’s controversial diss track to Drake, “Not Like Us,” as their beloved husband and wife music teacher characters Marty and Bobbi Mohan-Culp.
“We went back and forth,” she says of the song choice. “We were like… it’s song of the year, obviously. The thing about the Culps is they’re just trying to stay current and they want to reach their students where they are. So, song of the year.”
She adds: “And we always kind of start with the premise, which is Valentine’s Day and love, and then naturally, because of the feuding, it was sort of like, you have to have the contrast. So, it was just fun to write and ridiculous.”
Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer as Marty Culp and Bobbi Mohan-Culp perform Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” during #SNL50‘s Homecoming Concert 👀pic.twitter.com/CimtkrYNeB
— Saturday Night Network (@thesnlnetwork) February 15, 2025
She says that the rest of their performance was also inspired by the most popular music at the moment.
“Obviously, Doechii, first female hip-hop artist, so I also thought that the breathing exercise — she’s very funny, she’s got a great sense of humor in her writing — so I don’t know, it just seemed like she would enjoy it and think it was funny,” Gasteyer explains. “I hope she did!”
“The transitions make [the skit],” she says. “You’re literally going from ‘Do That To Me One More Time,’ literally into Britney Spears, into Doechii.”
Gasteyer went on to gush over being back on stage with Ferrell. The two debuted the Culps in 1997 and the characters quickly became a fan-favorite.
“It is like just the most comfortable, familiar — I wish I had better words to describe it,” she says, proceeding to detail the writing process. “Because we wrote that sketch with Paula Pell, the national treasure who was the star writer during our time and really had my back in particular, wrote so many amazing collaborations, and then has just burst out of her little caterpillar cocoon into a butterfly acting career that is very deserved. And so she called me up and she said, ‘Hey, I think they want to have a little Bobbi and Marty thing for the music concert.’”
“First of all, it just made me laugh because I have to describe Bobbi and Marty backstage with [rock band] Arcade Fire,” she jokes. “It was just funny.”
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Ferrell and Gasteyer’s reprisal of the dorky duo at the Feb. 14 concert brought other hilarious moments, as well. During the sketch, Meryl Streep made a gesture that led the crowd to break out in laughter.
As Ferrell said, “We have pretty significant floaters right now, but it doesn’t stop us from seeing so many middle fingers peppered in both the upper mezzanine and orchestra section. It’s just unbelievably rude,” Gasteyer, replied, “We’re talking about you, Meryl Streep. We see you.”
The camera then panned over to the Oscar winner in the audience, and Streep raised her hand and flashed her middle finger while Martin Short, who was sitting next to her, chuckled.
SNL50: Homecoming Concert and SNL50: The Anniversary Special are now available to stream on Peacock.
Source people.com
