Ana Gasteyer, a former Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast member, recently shared a funny story about rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs during her appearance on the Las Culturistas podcast.
Gasteyer was on SNL from 1996 to 2002, and she remembered when Combs appeared on the show as a musical guest in May 1998.
Gasteyer explained that Combs was treated like a very big star when he came to the show. She said that sometimes, when a famous person would visit the show, everyone else would be told to stay in their dressing rooms.
This rule would make sense if a president or a very important person was in the building, but Gasteyer thought it was too much for a musical guest like Combs. She said, “Apart from that, really, it’s my house,” meaning that she felt like the set belonged to everyone, not just the special guest.
She also talked about how Combs was rehearsing his song “Come With Me,” which samples a famous Led Zeppelin song called “Kashmir.” During his rehearsal, comedian Will Ferrell decided to make it a bit more interesting.
In a meeting with other writers, someone suggested that Ferrell’s character, Ron, should go into the rehearsal. Ferrell, known for his funny and silly characters, quickly ran down the stairs and walked into the room where Combs was practicing.
Gasteyer said she even had a video of the moment. In the video, you can see Ferrell, dressed as Ron, walking around while Combs is rapping.
It was a funny scene because Ferrell’s character seemed lost and confused while Combs was seriously performing. Gasteyer thought it was the funniest thing ever because Combs looked uncomfortable, and it was like his serious moment was being interrupted by a silly character.
Ferrell also talked about this funny moment in a 2020 interview. He said that when the idea was mentioned, he didn’t waste any time and immediately ran to the rehearsal to make it happen.
Both Gasteyer and Ferrell agreed that it was a memorable and funny moment that showed the playful side of the SNL set.
