Pete Davidson, John Mulaney expose 'SNL' secrets in shock confession

Pete Davidson and John Mulaney have spilled the beans on their sneaky behind-the-scenes habit of lying to celebrity hosts on Saturday Night Live to protect their egos, even when their performances were a total disaster.

Speaking at Netflix is a Joke Festival, Mulaney admitted that during his time as a writer on the show from 2008 to 2013, he regularly reassured famous guests their monologues had “crushed it”, even when they had clearly bombed in front of the live audience.

Davidson, who starred on SNL from 2014 to 2022, laughed as he confessed he did the same thing, telling anxious hosts they had “killed it” no matter how awkward or flat the reaction really was backstage.

The 32-year-old actor also admitted he softened reality for nervous stars, even describing the packed New York studio audience as “tourists” who didn’t understand English, despite the crowd actually being die-hard fans who camped outside for tickets.

The Bear star also recalled moments where high-profile guests struggled so badly they asked for honest feedback afterwards, only for him to dodge the truth with excuses like “bad acoustics”, despite the studio’s legendary sound setup.

Thee 43-year-old comedian added that in the high-pressure world of live TV comedy, these little white lies became second nature, a way to keep celebrities calm, even when everyone backstage knew the truth.

Fans of the long-running sketch show have been amused by the confessions, with the pair joking that “protecting egos” was just part of the job in live television.

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