Will Ferrell SaysSNLSketch with Shaq Got Cut Because It Was 'Funnier' Than Host Kelsey Grammer

Mar. 15, 2025

Shaquille O’Neal (left); Will Ferrell (right).Photo:Paras Griffin/Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Paras Griffin/Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Will Ferrell will always remember thisSaturday Night Livesketch — even though it never aired.The comedian appeared on the Jan. 10 episode of theNew Heightspodcast withJasonandTravis Kelce. During the conversation, Jason, 37, asked theAnchormanstar if he had any advice about doing comedy, sincehe launched his own ESPN late night showthis week. Ferrell, 57, spoke about some of the athletes he thought were successful as hosts ofSNL, including Yankees starDerek Jeter.“He just committed to everything regardless of how stupid we put him,” Ferrell said. The comedian — who is a massive Lakers fan — also remembered that he met Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal for the first time during an episode ofSNL.Shaquille O’Neal in 1998 on ‘The Tonight Show’ in 1998.Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via GettyKelsey Grammerwas the host of the 1998 episode, but, Ferrell remembered, “They said, ‘Hey, Shaq’s in town. He wants to do some sketches.’ ” And when O’Neal came on, “He destroyed.”“He was so funny and natural to the point where one of his sketches got cut because he had a funnier show than the host,” theStep Brothersstar recalled. He remembered one particular sketch that was dropped, even though it was hilarious.“We wrote this sketch where all the cast members were picking on me and making me cry. And Shaq came up, he’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ And I’m like, ‘Shaq, everyone’s making fun of me.’ And he’s like, ‘Come with me, Will.’ … And he picked me up in his arms, and we proceeded to sing a duet called ‘No One’s Gonna Hurt My Little Man.’ And Shaq was cradling me … That got cut, and it, like, destroyed.” (However, the sketch did eventuallymake its way online.)From left: Cheri Oteri, Alec Baldwin and Will Ferrell on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1998.Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via GettyFerrell also reminisced about another one of his memories with O’Neal, 52. In 2013, Ferrell dressed as a Staples Center security guard andescorted the NBA legend out of the stadium. “I had friends who gave me a Staples security guard outfit, and I snuck it into the building and then just pretended to be one of the security guys,” Ferrell told the Kelces. He was “afraid” that someone at the stadium would kick him out, but, “It turns out the other security guys, they were like, ‘Dude, I love it. Just don’t stand on the court.’ ”O’Neal just happened to be sitting courtside, and someone tipped Ferrell off that he was about to leave. “I escorted him out,” Ferrell said. “And then we had the biggest laugh. I go, ‘Shaq, do you know how extraordinary that is that you’re allowing me to to throw you out of an NBA basketball game?’ He was like, ‘Are you kidding me? That is so funny.' ”Will Ferrell in August 2024.Vivien Killilea/GettyBack in November,Ferrell opened up to PEOPLEabout his time atSNL, where he was a cast member from 1995 to 2002. “I had a wonderful seven seasons on that show, where I made lifelong friends,” he said. “I knew in that moment it would be the hardest but most fun job I would ever get to do, and I still look back on it that way.”“It was the one thing I always dreamed about being a part of,” he said of the series, whichcelebrates its 50th seasonthis year. “It’s kind of enormous to think about in a way, 50 years of what has really defined American comedy.”

Will Ferrell will always remember thisSaturday Night Livesketch — even though it never aired.

The comedian appeared on the Jan. 10 episode of theNew Heightspodcast withJasonandTravis Kelce. During the conversation, Jason, 37, asked theAnchormanstar if he had any advice about doing comedy, sincehe launched his own ESPN late night showthis week. Ferrell, 57, spoke about some of the athletes he thought were successful as hosts ofSNL, including Yankees starDerek Jeter.

“He just committed to everything regardless of how stupid we put him,” Ferrell said. The comedian — who is a massive Lakers fan — also remembered that he met Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal for the first time during an episode ofSNL.

Shaquille O’Neal in 1998 on ‘The Tonight Show’ in 1998.Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Kelsey Grammerwas the host of the 1998 episode, but, Ferrell remembered, “They said, ‘Hey, Shaq’s in town. He wants to do some sketches.’ ” And when O’Neal came on, “He destroyed.”

“He was so funny and natural to the point where one of his sketches got cut because he had a funnier show than the host,” theStep Brothersstar recalled. He remembered one particular sketch that was dropped, even though it was hilarious.

“We wrote this sketch where all the cast members were picking on me and making me cry. And Shaq came up, he’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ And I’m like, ‘Shaq, everyone’s making fun of me.’ And he’s like, ‘Come with me, Will.’ … And he picked me up in his arms, and we proceeded to sing a duet called ‘No One’s Gonna Hurt My Little Man.’ And Shaq was cradling me … That got cut, and it, like, destroyed.” (However, the sketch did eventuallymake its way online.)

From left: Cheri Oteri, Alec Baldwin and Will Ferrell on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1998.Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Ferrell also reminisced about another one of his memories with O’Neal, 52. In 2013, Ferrell dressed as a Staples Center security guard andescorted the NBA legend out of the stadium. “I had friends who gave me a Staples security guard outfit, and I snuck it into the building and then just pretended to be one of the security guys,” Ferrell told the Kelces. He was “afraid” that someone at the stadium would kick him out, but, “It turns out the other security guys, they were like, ‘Dude, I love it. Just don’t stand on the court.’ ”

O’Neal just happened to be sitting courtside, and someone tipped Ferrell off that he was about to leave. “I escorted him out,” Ferrell said. “And then we had the biggest laugh. I go, ‘Shaq, do you know how extraordinary that is that you’re allowing me to to throw you out of an NBA basketball game?’ He was like, ‘Are you kidding me? That is so funny.' ”

Will Ferrell in August 2024.Vivien Killilea/Getty

Vivien Killilea/Getty

Back in November,Ferrell opened up to PEOPLEabout his time atSNL, where he was a cast member from 1995 to 2002. “I had a wonderful seven seasons on that show, where I made lifelong friends,” he said. “I knew in that moment it would be the hardest but most fun job I would ever get to do, and I still look back on it that way.”

“It was the one thing I always dreamed about being a part of,” he said of the series, whichcelebrates its 50th seasonthis year. “It’s kind of enormous to think about in a way, 50 years of what has really defined American comedy.”

source: people.com