But I want to play the theme song from this because I think it's you and Ken actually singing the song. So that wasn't even - I didn't even know we'd get to be vaccinated. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #5: (As character) Did somebody say corn puddin'? STRONG: Oh, definitely. PAUL: You know, he's amazing, and he's so tender, and he loves cooking. Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong, a star of the series "Schmigadoon!," which is a loving satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s that's streaming on Apple TV+. Cecily Strong is an American actress and comedian who is best known for being a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022. . GROSS: You did you first paid gig when you were 10. A married couple, played by Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key, have gotten lost in the woods and emerged to find themselves in a small town called Schmigadoon. Because at "Update," you only get to rehearse on Saturday, really. Cinco Paul has loved musicals from his early childhood, and the opportunity to make a . I saw "Guys And Dolls." USA. And I always wanted to be an actor since I was little. STRONG: Well, first of all, just thank you for saying that. But I was just always performing around the house. And so in the spirit of turning your life into a musical, I just want to play the opening theme from your podcast, "Make Him Watch It. They get lost in the woods, cross over a bridge and suddenly find themselves on what looks like a backlot movie set of a small town in the early 20th century, a town called Schmigadoon. Did you see music theatre? STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Mrs. Menlove, forgive me for asking, but how much do you really know about your husband? STRONG: I haven't. And I wound up writing a lot of my "Update" characters with him or sort of those - anybody that's a real - you know, I write Marjorie Taylor Greene with him, and we did Sidney Powell together this year, too. So you're not in the middle of New York City right now. Corn puddin'. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) OK. Well, that one's on you. Like, he doesn't look at other women. I was so, like, mad that no one was letting me have my rehearsal. We're leaving. It's so, like, vaudeville era. SNL's Cecily Strong stars in it as Melissa and is also a producer. That's all. It played it on Broadway in the . It's like, can we skip that (laughter)? And I think she's doing well. And I think a lot of that, you can feel it when you watch the show, and I think that's probably why I enjoy rewatching it so much is just taking myself back there. That was my parents' question. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I didn't say that. STRONG: No because it wasn't like they were not emotional thoughts, you know? UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) It's just a lover's spat. If I think that he's laughing at something, I'll want to hit that harder. That was weird. Then I kind of want to, like, go further. You bought some weed with a friend, put it in your backpack, then school security discovered the backpack, and you were actually handcuffed and arrested? So I've gotten to see a lot of his shows in New York. It's streaming on Apple TV+. . Good. MICHAEL CHE: (As himself) With the election only two weeks away, both candidates are trying to get a final message out there to their supporters. It kind of felt like that a little bit. was a lifetime in the making. And so we'll hear Cecily Strong doing a little solo in part of this as Keegan-Michael Key objects (laughter) to her participation. But I was just always performing around the house. You know, I wasn't a super popular kid. Let's get back to my interview with Cinco Paul. And so she was devastated when, in early 2020, he passed away at age thirty from the brain cancer glioblastoma. What - my parents put me in one, I should say. If I can play devil's abacus for just a second, I think we all know the real reason Julian Assange is in jail, and that's 'cause she's a woman. It was my first year talking with Colin. And you go like, whoa, what's that? That strikes me as a little bit crazy. GROSS: To shoot and be in these, like, exuberant, like, joyful production scenes? KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I mean KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Look; this whole thing is insane. I think my favorite character that you've been doing lately is Judge Jeanine Pirro, the Fox News host. I'm Terry Gross. How are you doing? ", (SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "MAKE HIM WATCH IT"). The women are wearing long, colorful prairie dresses with big petticoats. GROSS: One of the things in some musicals is - the love affairs in some musicals, I think, would be considered pretty age-inappropriate now, like, for example, "The Sound Of Music," where, like, she's a young nun who's just left the convent. Congratulations on "Schmigadoon!" STRONG: No, it actually - I think it was probably Bryan Tucker, who I write with, and I wound up writing a lot of my "Update" characters with them, or sort of those - anybody that's a real - you know, I write Marjorie Taylor Greene with him, and we did Sidney Powell together this year, too. This is FRESH AIR. And that really changed everything because then suddenly that became my tribe, you know, the theater kids. This Mueller report completely exonerated the president, and therefore everybody on the Trump train, woo, woo (ph). GROSS: That's Cecily Strong as Judge Jeanine Pirro. COLIN JOST: Fox News personality Judge Jeanine Pirro returned to television tonight after being suspended two weeks for controversial comments about a Muslim congresswoman. And my mom made a little poster for me for my room growing up that said Cecily on Broadway. And I think that's probably why I enjoy rewatching it so much, is just taking myself back there. What did you do to try to capture her voice? KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Would you leave us alone for just a minute? Her characters have included Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Melania Trump and the girl you wish you hadn't started a conversation with at a party. PAUL: Yeah, that was part of the curriculum somehow. I'm so proud of the work he's done and who he is and how far he's come - and just a thing that he deals with and why I'm - you know, people have a lot of thoughts and opinions on psych meds and everything. I know from your new memoir that when "Saturday Night Live" did some episodes with everybody at home, that you were - you didn't want to participate at first, and you didn't do one or two of the shows because you just didn't feel ready to perform, I mean, because you really were in a serious state of depression and anxiety. Cecily Strong is good at women. GROSS: To shoot and be in these, like, exuberant, like, joyful production scenes? But at that point, I think I had started getting pretty depressed, and I - because of the time I missed. The couple is totally disoriented and dumbstruck when the townspeople break into song. GROSS: (Laughter) The music is kind of like a hoedown. Our countdown includes Princess Jasmine, Gemma, Cathy Anne, and more! I appreciate it. ", which is a loving satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s. . PAUL: He was not a fan. And he was trying to help me find things. Strong will also serve as a producer. She is also the longest-tenured female cast member in the show's history. Cecily Strong is saying goodbye to Saturday Night Live. CHE: (As himself) Yeah, OK. Can you just please tell us about the candidates? It's streaming on Apple TV+. KEN DAURIO: (Singing) Some Cinco hasn't seen, too. So, you know, I'm - I would love to do it. The same year, she starred in, and was a producer for, Schmigadoon!, a musical parody series on Apple TV+. OK, so here's "He's A Queer One," and this is Ann Harada singing. STRONG: Right. The couple, Josh and Melissa, are played by Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong. So you're back on Fox? And, you know, she talks about, like, other men are really harsh and - but he's gentle, you know, like a lacy valentine. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) That's it. It's not like I drove myself. We'll start with Cecily Strong. Oh, he'll have to marry me. I am eating ice cream, and the voiceover says, like, well, McDonald's now has ice - soft-serve for 37 cents or whatever it was. How were you first exposed to musicals? GROSS: Yeah, yeah. This was performed after Pirro made anti-Muslim remarks about Representative Ilhan Omar. He also co-wrote the animated films "Despicable Me," "The Secret Life Of Pets," and "Horton Hears A Who.". You know, we were getting ready for one of those - I think they were two "Update" specials because it was an election year. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So you don't really love me? It's such a contrast for me seeing the joy in "Schmigadoon!" and "The Lorax.". Strong also has a new book that will be published tomorrow called "This Will All Be Over Soon." The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. The Keegan-Michael Key character hates musicals. No - 'cause I - I mean, we shot in - last fall. He co-wrote, co-created and wrote all the songs for the satire of musicals called "Schmigadoon!" Outside of SNL, Cecily Strong hasn't really established an especially large presence in Hollywood. You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) And it may be a waste. GROSS: Well, I hope your mom, like, recovers really soon. No. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) That's fantastic. She stars in the new series "Schmigadoon!" Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn puddin'. I mean, it's real to most people, but, I mean, you saw the worst that could happen. GROSS: Then you have a couple episodes where you share your opinions of films of the '80s and films of the '90s. GROSS: And so is that one of the things you wanted to play with - also the idea that, like, love can totally transform a person into - you know, a kind of stern, rigid person into a much more loving, lovely person? PAUL: (Singing) So now that there's COVID-19 PAUL AND DAURIO: (Singing) Here's what we're going to do. PAUL: The first cartoon I saw that really impacted me, I think, was "The Jungle Book." So I've gotten to see a lot of his shows in New York. My Uncle Ed is a theater producer in New York, my dad and I went to his shows and saw "Guys and Dolls," "The Secret Garden." I was into the soundtracks. So we just were relying on testing. And so it's like, I knew I was kind of - it wouldn't last, this safety that I was feeling by being vaccinated. Here to explain is Jeanine Pirro. She's been in the entertainment business since 2012, officially making her a ten-year veteran of the arts. GROSS: Oh, you wrote the song? KEY: (As Josh Skinner) We already tried together. And then, then, we found the art school. The series stars Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key as a couple who find themselves stuck in a 1940s musical's wacky town, where people sing about their love of "Corn Pudding" and quite . GROSS: Well, let's take a break here, and then we'll talk some more. It's a nice melody. I'm sorry. I rented every musical on VHS they . And so I think they thought that might be a good outlet for me. And, actually, I flew out of the chair the first time because, you know, I hadn't done much physical comedy on the show at all. Like, he's just - when he's managing it, he is the most delightful, wonderful - my brother is, like, one of my favorite people in the world. And in many ways, that was Ken. And that's what I'd always rent whenever we'd go to the movie store. GROSS: And he's not just a Broadway producer. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, singing) You can't plow a field without hitting some stone. This election is a misgrace (ph), OK? STRONG: It was awful. CHE: (As himself) Yeah. A powerful memoir from the Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong about grieving the death of her cousinand embracing the life-affirming lessons he taught heramid the coronavirus pandemic. Cinco Paul, who also wrote all the songs, after we take a short break. God, this whole musical is so much fun. Farmer McDonough craved a son. Andrew Singer executive produces with Lorne Michaels on behalf of Broadway Video. And there's a bunch of kids who weren't as lucky as I was. COLIN JOST: (As himself) Fox News personality Judge Jeanine Pirro returned to television tonight after being suspended two weeks for controversial comments about a Muslim congresswoman. First two episodes streaming Friday, July 16, on Apple TV+. Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong. And we wrote a sketch, actually, that didn't make it onto the show. Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong. Unless she's a superwoman, you won't be seeing Cecily Strong on "Saturday Night Live" tonight. My brother actually did try to kill himself in eighth grade. I should really just drink olive juice; it'd be safer. We're leaving. She has had numerous popular celebrity impressions in SNL. We're going to make him watch it for a podcast. Why couldn't we cross? UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character, singing) Every steak's bound to have some fat. Why did you want him to hate musicals? It's brought me such pleasure at a time when I think we all need some pleasure. And she just told me she's got COVID. And, you know, even, like, operas have, like, songs like that, where there's, you know, like, a festival or, you know, a picnic or something. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record have a episodes. 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