Aurora Starchild
Tina Fey just told the world that she knows NBC hides how much Seth Meyers really drinks on his show. Her source? The producer himself. While on Seth Meyers’ Late Night show, the SNL alum and comedy genius let the cat out of the bag. Specifically, she found out what really goes on after watching Meyers and Lizzo on his “Day Drinking” segment.
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Tina Fey Just Called Seth Meyers Out for Alcoholism On-Air
“You sent me a very lovely text that was both complimentary and maybe a little concerned after you saw “Day Drinking with Seth and Lizzo,” Meyers began.
Tina Fey proceeded to explain to the audience that she’d watched the segment, released over the holidays, and had a mixed reaction. “I watched it, we all did, and it was hilarious and fantastic. And Lizzo is the best, obviously. But I texted you and Shoemaker [Michael, the show’s producer] and said like, ‘But you don’t really drink all that, right?’”
In case you haven’t seen Seth Meyers’ “Day Drinking” segment, you probably should. He gets absolutely hammered with celebrities on his show. Usually, he begins with a game where he shows old photos and asks the celebs to correctly cite what event they’re from. If the celeb gets it wrong, they drink. If they remember, he drinks. This generally gets Meyers off to a strong start as he downs numerous shots of hard alcohol in minutes.
Late Night with Seth Meyers Producer Personally Texted Tina Fey and Revealed They Leave Out More Than Viewers See
Tina Fey continued. “Shoemaker wrote back, ‘He does drink all of that and he actually drinks more than that. And we have to cut it down for air because the network is worried it’s irresponsible.’”
“Yeah,” Meyers interjected. Obviously, he knows.
“And so, then I went back I rewatched like, Ina Garten. I became concerned for you. That’s so much alcohol.”
“Yeah, I know,” Meyers agreed. “And I’m not getting any younger. I really wear it for like, a full week.”
Tina Fey proceeded to do an imitation of what she imagines Meyers’ wife Alexi Ashe must be like after his “Day Drinking” segments. “No, we don’t want to go out for subs. No, the kids ate. Wow, either brush your teeth or go to bed.”
Meyers then revealed that there was a point when Alexi recommended he stay at a hotel after the segment so he could sleep it off.
Lizzo Held Her Own While Drinking with Seth… But Lorde Needed an IV
“Day Drinking with Seth Meyers” is certainly not for the weak-stomached. With Lizzo’s appearance, the two got absolutely hammered by the end. What we see is over 17 minutes, but it’s obviously been edited. They switch activities, including making some crazy cocktails and playing breakup games. Then Seth Meyers drunk calls his father as Lizzo is heckling him. The two are practically falling over.
That wasn’t the worst shape we’ve seen Seth Meyers or his guests in, though. He and rapper Post Malone once got drunk on the show and got Sharpie face tattoos.
And New Zealand singer Lorde once drank so much with Meyers that she needed IV fluids afterwards.
“Someone came to my hotel and administered fluids to my corpse,” Lorde told Meyers during a later appearance on Late Night. “I can’t look at an alcoholic drink ever again. It was insane.”
Other celebs who have braved Meyers’ drinking show include the Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Parks and Recreation star Retta, Rihanna, his brother Josh, his mom Hilary, and as Fey mentioned, chef Ina Garten. Seth and Ina’s segment ended with him slurring and her cozying up against a bar like a kitten.
Drinking on TV Is a Hotly Contested Concept
While drinking on TV isn’t unheard of — some networks have featured the act while some actors are simply closet boozers — it is a bit eyebrow-raising to watch someone get so close to black-out drunk while hosting a show. CNN actually attempted to ban alcohol this past New Years after Andy Cohen was “overserved” the year before. Conversely, Savannah Guthrie caught a bunch of flak when viewers thought she was pretending to chug what was appeared to be a fake beer while interviewing Ashton Kutcher. She insisted it was real, fyi.
And while it’s understandable that the higher-ups at NBC would be concerned with maintaining some semblance of responsibility, the entire premise of the show almost makes that a moot point. NBC itself has proudly discussed Seth Meyer’s epic day drinking adventures, which apparently began with him and his family before they segued to drinking with celebrities.
“The premise is simple: Meyers interviews the stars as they down copious amounts of alcohol and play silly games. The results are delightfully uninhibited as we realize celebs are just like us when they’ve had a few drinks,” wrote McKenzie Jean-Philippe. Insider also reached out to Late Night with Seth Meyers reps to see if they had anything to say but reported that no one answered.
Tina Fey isn’t alone in her concern about Seth Meyers’ “Day Drinking.” But it sure is entertaining. All I have to say is, hopefully Meyers has a really good health insurance plan. Because that can’t be good for you.
