once again! [ cheers and applause ] and the roots, right there, from philadelphia, pennsylvania. thank you so much for watching. stay tuned for "late night with seth meyers." goodnight, everybody! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> announcer: from 30 rockefeller plaza in new york, it's "late night with seth meyers." tonight -- tim robinson. from "elsbeth," actor

wendell pierce. star of broadway's "merrily we roll along," actress lindsay mendez. featuring the 8g band with fred armisen. ♪ [ cheers and applause ] and now, seth meyers. >> seth: good evening. i'm seth meyers. this is "late night." we hope you're doing well, and now if you don't mind, we're going to get to the news. former president trump held a rally today in green bay, wisconsin and still managed to have the dumbest hat. [ light laughter ] the trump campaign sent a joke email yesterday to supporters with the subject line "i'm suspending my campaign" while the body said, "just kidding." just kid -- i think you mean april fool's. [ laughter ] why can't you do anything normal? "i'm suspending my campaign. faked you out on this, the opening day of the month after march." the new york judge overseeing former president trump's criminal hush money trial warned yesterday that trump could lose access to jurors' names if he

does anything to harm the integrity of the jury selection process. why does he have access to the jurors' names? that's like giving cruella de vil the address of the local animal shelter. [ laughter ] donald trump jr. warned in a new fund-raising email that new york attorney general letitia james is trying to seize trump tower and said she is, quote, seizing my boyhood home. boyhood home? it's not a shack on the banks of the mississippi. it's weird to call something your boyhood home when it has a restaurant in the lobby. the house administration committee said yesterday it's updating its phone system to make it easy for capitol police to track threatening calls, and i think they're going to be surprised by how many of those calls are outgoing. [ laughter ] authorities in massachusetts recently arrested a man who allegedly pretended to be a delivery driver and robbed seven homes in one night. police first became suspicious when they saw his car.

wait a minute. no one orders papa john's. [ light laughter ] a few more papa john's fans in the house than maybe we thought. [ laughter ] according to a new report from the real estate website zillow, the worst time to purchase a home is in the fall or winter, and the best time is in 1958. [ light laughter ] i got a real deal. archaeologists in france recently discovered a 14th century castle under a hotel while at a hotel in jersey, they discovered a 14th century towel. [ light laughter ] today was international fact-checking day. no thanks, said your uncle on facebook. and finally, western washington university recently announced it will offer a new online certificate program in cannabis product development and design. but if you ended up going to

college online at western washington university, you're probably already a cannabis expert. [ light laughter ] and that was the monologue, everybody. [ cheers and applause ] we are off. we are running. we're very excited about tonight's show. we've got some fantastic guests for you tonight. he is the emmy-winning star of one of the funniest shows of the last few years, "i think you should leave." tickets are on sale for his live tour of that show, and i'm going tonight. i can't wait. tim robinson. our very good friend, tim robinson, is here, everybody. [ cheers and applause ] he's an incredible actor i first saw in "the wire," who was nominated for a tony for his work in "death of a salesman." he's currently starring in "elsbeth," which you can see thursdays on cbs. wendell pierce is on the show. [ cheers and applause ] and she is a tony-winning actress and singer currently starring in the critically acclaimed broadway show, "merrily we roll along" at the hudson theater. lindsay mendez will be here. [ cheers and applause ] we've got a good show. you guys, my brother and i, we got ourselves a podcast called "family trips with the meyers brothers." this is one of our most exciting episodes. julie andrews and emma walton hamilton, her

daughter, were on our show. really quite an honor. do give it a listen. it was very special for us. moving on, you guys, spring's in the air. i don't have to tell you guys that. you're outside. people are anxious because of spring being in the air to get back outside to enjoy the sunshine, and that includes my writers. you know my writers, they have to write hundreds of jokes every day just to get the 10 or 12 we use in the monologue, and honestly a lot of those jokes just aren't good. [ light laughter ] sometimes i think they throw in a few stinkers on purpose just to fill the page and meet the assignment. but just because the days are getting longer, that doesn't mean we can tolerate laziness, which means it's time for another "surprise inspection." [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> seth: here's how this works. i'm going to read some real jokes really submitted by my writers. some are dumb. some are offensive. some are just insane. most importantly, my writers don't know were doing this. and because they don't watch the

show, they'll never know. [ laughter ] let's get started. trader joe's announced last week it has lowered the price of green onions to one scallion dollars. [ light laughter ] brian wrote that joke, and as you can tell both from the joke's content and his photo, he's a dad. [ light laughter ] the food company kraft heinz has announced plans to install new equipment to decarbonize production at ten facilities, including heat pumps, electric heaters, and electric boilers, forcing the other industries to play ketchup. [ laughter ] who could possibly have written a joke like that? [ laughter ] [ applause ] by the way, can we go back? can we go back to those two cards? there's a billion things wrong with that joke. the most important -- so here's the thing.

the writers get -- every day they get setups to jokes, and they can just write the punch lines, but they also don't -- they can edit the setup, which clearly brian didn't do. again, if the punch line of the joke is this, "forcing other industries to play ketchup," tell me if you think you need all these words. "the food company kraft heinz has announced plans to install new equipment to decarbonize production at ten facilities." you're good there, but he keeps in "including heat pumps, electric heaters, and electric --" you almost [ bleep ] forget it's about ketchup. [ laughter ] you're not gettin' paid per word! [ laughter ] a professional escape artist in italy recently created a new guinness world records category after he escaped from a water tank in two minutes and 11 seconds while his hands and feet were restrained. the way he was able to do it was his mother-in-law was in there

with him. [ laughter ] matt wrote that joke. we hired matt from the 1950s. "i got a good mother-in-law joke. you guys --" officials in france have warned that cheeses like camembert and brie could disappear because of a decline in the fungi that makes the cheeses. like this fun guy, pierre. [ audience ohs ] [ light laughter ] you know what that means. [ laughter ] [ applause ] why are you clapping? why are you clapping? you just proved ketchup was his best work. [ laughter ] we did the ketchup joke. we didn't realize that was his peak. according to a new survey, 48% of americans said that they are more likely to eat out after receiving their paychecks. "still no," said dj khaled. [ light laughter ]

that's based on a story i wouldn't google. and that's a dad joke i wouldn't tell your kid. [ laughter ] a federal judge in new jersey ordered the state last week to redesign its election ballot. also, all elections must now take place on jersday. oh, my god. they all -- no, they're still here. [ light laughter ] ally. [ laughter ] now, if you're a regular watcher of this segment -- and why would you be. you know that one of my writers in particular seems to go out of his way to shock and horrify. it's almost as though when he writes his jokes, he's hoping they'll show up in "surprise inspection," which means it's time for a special edition of "surprise inspection: oops, all scollins." >> you're not better than me. [ applause ]

>> seth: in a new interview, rnc co-chair lara trump said she will ensure that all donations will go to causes republicans care about and added, quote, trust me. i am the daughter-in-law of donald trump. yeah, that does not instill confidence. that's like if your babysitter said, trust me, my sister's casey anthony. [ audience ohs ] [ light laughter ] by the way, the only person that laughed was scollins over there. oops, all scollins. a dog in florida recently dug up an unexploded military ordnance and did what any dog would do. [ audience ohs ] so the dog dug up an unexploded bomb and then used it to kill the mailman, and then -- [ light laughter ] and then the mailman -- the

mailman's family chose on the tombstone to just put "mailman." [ laughter ] today -- don't you dare. today was manatee appreciation day. in that case, thanks for making everything in the sea look hotter. [ audience growns ] anything to say about that one, bud? no. he didn't have to come to work today. [ light laughter ] according to a new study, 37% of americans slept worse in 2023 than in previous years. well, yeah. he's been in jail. [ audience ohs ] [ light laughter ] by the way, let me tell you guys something. it's a true story. these are the best ones i could

choose from, and scollins walked in today and goes -- i said, are you here to celebrate what we're doing today? and he goes, "yeah, but i guess i'm not going to be celebrating as much as i thought i was." and i go, "yeah, some of those jokes i can't do." and he said -- you know what he said to me? and by the way, he works for me. he goes "coward." [ laughter ] and they're all worse than these. do you think we're going to get him back with the last one based on how it's been going? i'll give you a chance. i can stop now. do you want me to do the last one or you -- >> yeah. >> seth: okay. it's the -- it's the dog -- it's the dog one. you remember which one it is? >> no. >> seth: dogs in a conga line. >> [ bleep ]. [ laughter ] >> seth: i'm so happy you're here. and finally, a dog trainer in germany set a world record for

most dogs in a conga line by telling them that michael vick died. [ laughter ] this has been a "surprise inspection," everybody. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ we'll be right back with tim robinson. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ (coi leray & metro boomin, “enjoy yourself”) new axe black vanilla? yum! ♪ he like when i get dressed, ♪ ♪ i live life with no stress, ♪ ♪ he said that's my best flex. ♪ ♪ i hopped on a big plane, said i'm doing big things, ♪ ♪ gonna bring out the champagne...yeah. ♪ ♪ baby i'm cool, yeah, you know what to do, ♪ ♪ yeah, we got nothing to lose.♪ sfx: yacht's horn ♪ metro boomin want some more ♪ ♪ with the bosses, i just pull up in ♪ new axe black vanilla. get closer with the finest fragrances. (♪♪)

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♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: give it up for the fantastic 8g band right over there, everybody. we are so, so lucky to have fred armisen here with us this week. round of applause for fred. [ cheers and applause ] and, fred, i know you are an incredible patron of the arts. you're always doing things for new york city, and to make it a more vibrant, artistic community. you know, we had jeremy strong here last night, and he has this wonderful show, "enemy of the

people," and the theater is in the round, you know. everybody sits all around. and i heard you'r opening a new theater that also has a very unique seating setup. >> fred: yeah, it's a theater in the tube. >> seth: in the what? >> fred: in the tube. >> seth: tube? >> fred: tube, like t-u-b-e. where it's like -- almost like a funnel pipe. >> seth: okay. >> fred: and the audience is like, you know, stacked up one on top of each other, but not on each other's shoulders. there's like levels to hold uptheir weight. >> seth: okay. >> fred: so you sort of open up the side of it. you go in. and it's just, you know, 200 people tall. >> seth: okay. >> fred: and this way, you're not distracted by anyone. you can just focus on the performance. >> seth: okay. and where is -- so the show obviously is not happening within the tube? >> fred: no. [ laughter ] that's for the audience. the audience is inside the tube. so they just open up the sides of it. they go on this platform. >> seth: uh-huh. >> fred: there's like a ladder next to it, and they just can watch the show from there. >> seth: wow. so where is -- the stage is next to the tube?

>> fred: no. it's in -- it's in front of it. so they're watching -- [ laughter ] so they're watching from there, and it's like sort of in front of them. they're all facing the same direction. >> seth: okay. gotcha. and they're inside a tube. it must be a very tall theater. >> fred: yes. it's a very tall theater. >> seth: okay. >> very, very tall. >> seth: i would feel like a bad -- >> fred: it's about 200 people tall. >> seth: i would feel like a bad seat would be the top of the tube. you know what i mean? >> fred: yeah, it's a little cheaper up there. [ laughter ] >> seth: it's very exciting. congratulations on that, fred. >> fred: thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: our first guest tonight is an emmy-winning writer and comedian you know from shows like "saturday night live," 'detroiters," and "i think you should leave: with tim robinson." tickets for "i think you should leave" live tour are on sale now. please welcome back to the show, our very good friend, tim robinson, everybody. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ >> seth: welcome back to the show, tim.

>> thanks for having me, pal. >> seth: i'm very excited for you this year. "i think you should leave" won best short form -- an emmy for best short form. very exciting. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: i've been in -- i've been in that category a couple times before. i do a little thing called "corrections." it's been nominated a couple times. >> oh, that's great. >> seth: yeah, yeah. it never won, though. >> yeah, it's fun. [ laughter ] >> seth: winning is fun? >> very fun, yeah. >> seth: were you nervous? >> oh, yes. >> seth: really? >> yes, so nervous. >> seth: and then was like -- when you actually gave your acceptance speech, was it not enjoyable at all? >> definitely -- it's not enjoyable because i'm just about to barf. [ laughter ] >> seth: yeah. but then after is when the enjoyment sets in? >> yeah. then it's -- then it's nice. but then i just keep thinking how nervous i looked when i was up there. >> seth: yeah. a little bit of nerves because you're doing a tour now. "i think you should leave" tour. you're doing it tonight at the beacon. i'm very excited to go and see it. so by the time this airs, it will -- that show will have happened. it will have gone great. but are you a little antsy right

now? >> yes. [ laughter ] yes. all you're asking me about stuff that i'm scared of. [ laughter ] calm me down a little. >> seth: do you like bears? >> they're so scary! >> seth: but this is -- and this is the first of a tour. so i mean you're going to get one out of the way, and then you're going to feel good. it's going to be good to go. >> yeah. >> seth: and you're doing chicago. >> uh-huh. >> seth: and you're doing detroit. those are your next three, and that's kind of your career in reverse order. you started in detroit. you're from michigan. >> yep. >> seth: then chicago, did second city stuff. then came out here and did "snl" in new york city. are you excited about the detroit show? >> i'm so excited. >> seth: and that's the fox, right? >> that's fox theater. >> seth: one of the most beautiful theaters in the country. >> have you done it before? >> seth: i've done the fox. it's the best. >> it's so cool. when i was a kid, i used to go see shows there all the time, so it's going to be so surreal to be like where i -- i saw santa claus there. >> seth: what was the santa claus show? >> he had a -- he had a show. [ laughter ] >> seth: was it like a christmas show, or was it off-season? >> stories. stories.

>> seth: okay, but it was like a summer -- santa when he's not doing toys? >> yeah, and he just tells stories like -- [ laughter ] >> seth: as a kid, was that what you wanted to see, just like a long show of santa telling stories? >> i thought -- i didn't think it was going to be that. [ laughter ] i thought he was going to do something else. but, no, he was like -- he had like a little whiskey, and he just kind of like -- [ laughter ] >> seth: oh, and were they at least stories about christmas? >> no. [ laughter ] >> seth: so santa would come out and just do non-christmas stories? >> yeah, just sip whiskey and talk about like -- talk about like hot chicks and stuff. [ laughter ] he kept saying, like, "this chick was the hottest chick i've ever seen." [ laughter ] >> seth: i mean parents must have been so mad, because i feel like with santa live, you think -- it's fair to have an expectation it's going to be a kid-friendly show. >> yeah. no, not at all. not at all. [ laughter ] and then he'd swear. he's like, "if there's kids here --" and he said a swear word, he would be like, "now is your time to leave." [ light laughter ] >> seth: oh, so he was sort of aggressive towards the audience? >> very aggressive. >> seth: wow. >> it might not have been santa.

[ laughter ] it might not have been santa. >> seth: okay. yeah. >> i don't think that was santa. >> seth: you have a famously bad memory for these kind of things. [ laughter ] this is going to be tigers -- detroit tigers home opener. >> yeah, yeah. >> seth: are you going to go to the game? >> i'm going to the game, yep. >> seth: see, i'm happy that you can -- sometimes when i do shows on the road, i have too much anxiety to like go enjoy the day. but that's too good a thing to pass up. >> it is. it is going to be -- i'll be distracted because i'll be worried about the fox, but i got to, right? >> seth: you got to go. will you be affected -- will your mood be affected based on the tigers game, or is it too early? >> well, they're undefeated right now. >> seth: they are undefeated. >> yeah. >> seth: 3-0? >> yeah? >> seth: yeah, i think so. >> yeah -- no, four. >> seth: oh, look at you. >> beat the mets, i believe. >> seth: all right. sorry, mets. >> sorry. >> seth: this, though, i would have more anxiety about this. you and your buddy, sam, threw out the first pitch a few years ago. >> yes. >> seth: and i did that once,

and i was maybe sick for a full month leading up to it. >> because you were nervous? >> seth: i was so nervous. >> yeah. >> seth: now, the good thing is what you forget is no one's actually there when you do this. >> i don't think they really care. >> seth: nobody cares. >> but you can't get over the fact that they could all look at you if they wanted to. >> seth: right. it's like a full hour before the actual game starts, though, so it's pretty -- it's pretty thin. but it's still terrifying. i mean i -- you got it a little easier because you threw with a buddy. >> yes. it was so nice to have sam out there, because i felt like -- i felt like at least 50% could have just looked at me, and that's another 50 that's looking at sam. >> seth: yeah. [ laughter ] did one of you have a noticeably better pitch? >> i actually don't -- i think i -- i think i bounced. i don't think it was very good. >> seth: yeah. but you have no memory of sam's? >> i don't remember sam's, no. >> seth: i remember it was awesome. >> sam's was? [ laughter ] >> seth: i remember they had a gun, and the guy was like -- >> they had a speed gun out for -- >> seth: they had a speed gun. it was like a scout, and i think

he was getting ready for the game. he wasn't there to see sam, but he had it. and i think it was accidentally on. >> accidentally on? he had it on? >> seth: well, he did because he was -- >> then if the batteries run out during the game, he's like, "oh, crap." >> seth: no, but he saw it because sam's number came up, and he was like -- and he just called over a lot of other scouts. you don't remember this? >> i think he was doing that on mine. [ laughter ] >> seth: i don't think so. you have one of my favorite sketches from season three, "the driving crooner." >> right. right. [ cheers and applause ] thank you. thank you. >> seth: i mean my favorite thing about your sketches is -- everybody who clapped has seen it, right? because nobody here would be like, he's got a sketch called "the driving crooner." nobody would go like, "oh, i know what that is, right?" >> right. >> seth: can you explain it real quick for people who haven't seen "the driving crooner?" >> it's a -- so believe it or not, that's not -- that's not actually, in my mouth. [ laughter ] >> seth: yeah. >> and that's not on my head. [ laughter ] >> seth: right. those are decals on the window of the car. >> they're decals on the window of the car. so if you're perfectly next to

the driving crooner, it looks like he's smoking a cigar, and he's got that hat on. >> seth: and that would be exciting for, like, i guess the idea. the driving crooner thinks that's going to be cool for people -- >> it is cool. >> seth: well, i'll tell you what is cool, because i texted this to you, and i'm sure you wasn't the only one. the mets have a driving crooner cam this year. >> yes. >> seth: so they literally cut to people in the -- [ laughter ] i mean this is opening day, they're already doing driving crooner. >> it's so awesome. >> seth: it's so awesome. also, this is merchandise that you don't get a penny from. >> not a penny. not a cent. >> seth: people are just already on -- they're literally going to amazon to get the decals. >> i'm getting so taken advantage of. >> seth: so you can buy that, and you're not getting anything. >> and that's got a -- doesn't have all full stars. [ laughter ] >> seth: 4.3. >> 4.3 is pretty good, but -- [ laughter ] >> seth: one of my other -- this

is other merch you can get. you can hang zipline tim from -- [ laughter ] so the zipline sketch, this is a dating sketch show, and you're a guy that's sort of a, you know, one of those dating locations. you're pretty into the zipline. [ laughter ] now, in the actual sketch, there's like five or six ziplines, but how many times did you actually do it when you were filming? >> probably like 80-something. [ laughter ] >> seth: and did you ever enjoy it? >> did i enjoy that? >> seth: like did you, the actor, enjoy doing the zipline? >> absolutely. it was so fun. [ laughter ] >> seth: and so you never got bored of doing the zipline? >> i did not get bored because i kept trying tricks. >> seth: were there tricks in it that - >> there was a 360. >> seth: oh, yeah, you did do a 360. there was a very loving -- there was a very nice profile of you in "the new york times" magazine. >> yeah. >> seth: he's a big fan of the show. >> yeah, yeah. >> seth: but then like did this thing where he started describing the way you look. >> mm-hmm. >> seth: how did you feel when you were reading it? >> i thought it was pretty mean. [ laughter ]

>> seth: i mean and, again, huge fan. like no shade to the writer. >> no, no, no. >> seth: gets it, loves the show. >> right. >> seth: amplifying -- he has a big flaring dolphin fin of a nose. [ laughter ] small deep-set eyes that sit in little pools of shade. [ laughter ] a warm gap-toothed smile. that's kind of nice. goes a little bit -- goes on more. what were you feeling when you were reading it? were you like -- >> i was just like thinking that as i talked to this person, he was thinking all that stuff. [ laughter ] that's when i was like, "oh, wow." like first time meeting him, he probably was like, "whoa." >> seth: do you look back while he was -- while you were answering his questions, and he was like -- [ laughter ] >> he kept going, "oh, my god. oh, my god." [ laughter ] >> seth: i do -- we're a little short on time, but these are some of my favorite.

i had us pull my favorite faces of you from "i think you should leave." because you do have a real -- can you tell me -- just explain that one for me? like, what's that guy thinking? >> he's -- uh, he's thinking -- [ laughter ] >> seth: i believe that's his actual line. >> it is his actual line. >> seth: was it written to have you say -- >> no, no, no. >> seth: it was -- because you say it a couple of times. >> yeah, yeah. he's mad. >> seth: he's mad. >> he's mad. >> seth: he's mad because he knows they got him dead to rights and he actually did only want to be on the dating show because of the zipline. >> he's mad but he's being cute mad, so he'll get to stay. >> seth: show us cute mad one last time. [ laughter ] it's the greatest show. i'm so excited to see it live tonight, and i'm sure i'm not alone. thank you, buddy. >> i love you so much. [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: i love you too. >> i appreciate it. >> seth: tim robinson, everybody. tickets for the "i think you should leave" live tour on sale now. we'll be right back with wendell pierce. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ it's yo,

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♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: our next guest is a tony award-nominated actor you know from his work on broadway in "death of a salesman" and shows such as "the wire," "treme," and tom clancy's "jack ryan." he's currently starring in "elsbeth", which airs thursdays on cbs. let's take a look. >> miss tascioni, what are you doing here? >> oh, you know, observing. >> yeah? you can't be doing that. >> but the consent decree --

>> you're supposed to observe high-profile investigations, not get into every little thing. >> oh, i don't mind. >> my officers do. focus on this woman's accident in her bathtub. it's not even a homicide, and it's eating up my day. >> actually, i'm not sure it was an accident. in fact -- >> i don't want to hear it, and i don't want you hovering. >> seth: please welcome to the show wendell pierce, everybody. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ >> seth: welcome to the show, wendell. it's been too long in coming. >> i know. this is great, man. i watch your show almost every night. >> seth: well, i'm so thrilled you're here. you were in -- you know, you've done a lot of great work over the years, but "the wire." >> yes. >> seth: one of my favorite of all time. [ cheers ] and here you are with the great michael k. williams. rest in peace. >> yes, indeed. great actor. >> seth: we were just talking to tim robinson about the emmys he's won.

you know, i've lost a lot of emmys, and every time i lose an emmy, you know what i think? >> "the wire." >> seth: "the wire" never won one. >> we not only never won one. we were never nominated. >> seth: yes. it's shocking. >> right? that's it. but to have the appreciation of the audience is the thing. that's the true reward. [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: and you it's certainly -- you know, the other great thing about it is it holds up so well it really endures. have you gone back? i mean it's 20 years now, which is crazy to me. but have you gone back and watched it. >> yeah, i go back and watch it all the time. it's one of those things it was like a canary in the mine. it showed us the dysfunctions in american society and cities that, you know, if we don't take heed, then, you know, we could lose it all. and we still haven't learned that lesson. >> seth: we certainly haven't learned that lesson. but it was also, you know, it was all those things. you know, it had all this, you know, important nutritional content, and yet, it was so much fun to watch. >> oh, yeah. >> seth: it was so exciting, great, and just so well-acted. >> we had a great time too because we were always shooting it when we weren't on air. so we were always like a boys

trip in baltimore, you know? [ laughter ] so i had a really good time. >> seth: that's great. [ laughter ] >> and shout-out to the people in baltimore. god bless them. that accident, that tragedy that just recently happened, you're in our prayers. [ applause ] >> seth: it was nice to shout them out. it was nice to shout them out. you're lucky enough to be shooting in new york city. >> yes. >> seth: so "elsbeth," this is a character from "the good wife," and is this a fun project to be involved with? is it great to be working in new york city? >> it's fantastic. new york is like a character, you know? >> seth: yeah. >> new york is a character in a play. i hope that someday they're going to have a bus ride around town like the elsbeth tour. >> seth: yeah. >> you know? this is where this guy got killed. this is where this guy -- you know. it's a great show, and so we maximize being in new york, you know, and, you know, carrie is just fantastic. >> seth: she's a fantastic actor. >> fantastic actress. >> seth: over the years, we looked. you've played a law enforcement 18 times in your career. >> wow. >> seth: a lot of police officers, a lot of judges, a lot of district attorneys. >> i played a cop more than i've met cops in real life. [ laughter ] >> seth: i'm going to ask you -- we thought it might be fun. i'm going to name the

characters. you see if you can remember the show. fbi consultant william bradford. >> ah, yeah. yeah. [ laughter ] wow. >> seth: it's not -- this isn't yes or no, wendell. [ laughter ] >> yeah. he was -- he was -- his name was bradford, and he worked for the fbi. >> seth: god, you have like a photographic memory. >> i can learn my lines, but i do not know my characters. [ laughter ] i really don't know. >> seth: "numbers." >> oh, yeah. he was a psychiatrist. >> seth: oh, well. >> you got to say that. [ light laughter ] >> seth: what about agent dick gill? >> oh, yes. "hackers." >> seth: there you go. you got it. >> yeah. yeah. >> seth: all right. >> agent dick. >> seth: yeah. i think -- i think they use their last name. i don't think they use the -- if your name is agent dick gill -- >> no. in the film, it was a running joke. >> seth: oh, gotcha. >> that the hackers all got on

television and said, "to you, agent dick." >> seth: oh, gotcha. >> that was my name. >> seth: there you go. conrad "candyman" jones. >> oh, yes. that was here at this wonderful network of nbc. i played the candyman in, um -- [ laughter ] >> seth: buying a lot of time here. this is what we call -- this is what great actors called stalling. >> yes, or a dramatic pause -- because that was [ bleep ]. [ laughter ] what was it? >> seth: it wasn't the first or the second -- >> it was "third watch." >> seth: "third watch." >> yes. [ applause ] >> seth: this is a very exciting piece of casting. i am a big superhero fan. i'm a big comic book fan. you're going to be playing perry white in the new "superman" film. [ applause ] james gunn. the great james gunn. >> the great james gunn is directing that film. that's what i hear. you may know more about it than

i do. >> seth: oh, really? >> yes. >> seth: okay. sorry. this is -- i mean i know more about your past roles. [ laughter ] i know more about your future. >> my future roles. but, you know, like i said, i can remember my lines but not my characters. but i'm looking forward to this. i mean i -- i never grew up reading comics, so i relied on my friends to tell me about it, you know. >> seth: yeah. >> as you can see, i have a problem with memory. [ laughter ] but i'm excited about this, you know. but like i said, you may know more about it than i do right now. >> seth: we met each other about a year ago, and i remember one of the things i was talking about, speaking about memory, you were working on "death of a salesman." >> yes. >> seth: you were so fantastic in it. and you had a book. these were just sort of the notes. >> oh, yeah. >> seth: and i would imagine on a lot of your projects, you do this, especially your stage work. just sort of extensive workbook, would you call it? >> extensive journal. a journal as the character. and i did "death of a salesman." to play willy loman is one of the great roles in the american

canon of theater. and it is -- i'm a part of a small fraternity of men who have played it on broadway. you know, lee j. cobb, philip seymour hoffman, you know, dustin hoffman, and wendell pierce. and i wanted to record that time. and i went out shopping, and i lost the journal. [ audience aws ] and i freaked out, and i went on social media, and people were so mean. they said -- it was like "you stupid idiot," you know? but i retraced my steps, and i found it in the bathroom of bergdorf goodman, where i was shopping. >> seth: yeah. [ applause ] it must have been -- i will say it was one of those, like, the weirdest -- there's no happy endings on social media. >> yeah. >> seth: and i read -- you know, i saw you tweet that you lost it, and i was, "oh, son of a gun." >> i tweeted i found it. >> seth: yeah. >> everyone just really

congratulated for me for being able to surpass my stupidity and find the book, but it was a joyous thing because that was one of the highlights of my career, my life, to play willy loman on broadway in "death of a salesman." [ applause ] >> seth: well, it has been a real highlight for me to have you here. what a delight. >> thank you. >> seth: thank you so much, wendell. wendell pierce, everybody. [ cheers and applause ] "elsbeth" returns with back-to-back new episodes this thursday at 9:00 p.m., then returns to its regular time slot on thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on cbs. stick around. we'll be right back with lindsay mendez. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ [meowing] (♪♪) hi, what's your name? this is our new friend. we'll talk about it later, ok? (♪♪) what does a cat need? -chewy's here. (♪♪) [smash] (♪♪) no, no, no, no. that good? hey, wait, come back. (♪♪) is this normal? ask the chewy vet team. how much is too much catnip? for everything you need and everything you need to know.

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♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: our next guest is a tony-award-winning and grammy-nominated actress and singer who has starred on broadway in shows such as "carousel," "wicked," and "grease." you can see her back on broadway in "merrily we roll along," which is now playing at the hudson theater through july 7th. please welcome to the show lindsay mendez, everybody. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ >> seth: how are you? >> oh, my god. i'm fantastic. >> seth: i'm fantastic. i can't believe you are kind enough to come here knowing that you have to go and do a show tonight. >> oh, please. >> seth: we're incredibly grateful and honored. and you have very exciting personal news. you're expecting your second. congratulations. [ cheers and applause ]

>> thank you, yes. this is my -- this is my farewell to leather for a while. [ light laughter ] >> seth: was it exciting to be on a broadway stage every night knowing you're carry around someone that later in life you'll be able to say, "and there you were. you were out with me." >> yeah. i keep thinking they're going to -- they're going to know uncle dan and uncle john's voices. >> seth: yeah. >> they're going to know a sondheim score when they come out of the womb. that's pretty -- pretty cool. >> seth: that's really, really fantastic. >> yeah, it's awesome. >> seth: and your 2-year-old, is that correct, does she ever come by the theater? >> yes. she's there three times a week. >> seth: that's fantastic. >> she -- she hands out props and checks the mics with the sound, and then when we all go down for the overture, we all, you know, go offstage and warm up and stuff. she dances with us all offstage. >> seth: that's fantastic. >> and then my fiance swoops her up and takes her out of the side door when the show proper starts, and she's always like, "i'll see you guys later. have a great show," so loud,

like while our mics are on. so i feel like the audience very often hears her. >> seth: that's really fun. hearing a child say "i'll see you guys later" is really funny. >> yes. >> seth: this is jonathan groff. this is daniel radcliffe. >> yes. >> seth: and this is a story about a 20-year friendship, but it's told in reverse. >> yes. >> seth: you -- when you were a young person, you first came to new york city, do you remember what your 20 years ago in new york was like? >> uh, of course. i mean i was a baby then. >> seth: yeah. a child. >> a mere child. yeah, i -- i remember moving here from california and just knowing that there was a place for me here. i never felt like i fit in anywhere quite like i did when i got to this city. i just -- i just felt the electricity here. i felt that there were so many unique people here, and i felt like i could really -- >> seth: had you visited as a kid? had your parents thought to bring you here? >> i had come one time. >> seth: okay. >> with my dad when i was 12, and i saw a couple broadway shows and was like, this is -- this is it for me.

>> seth: that's fantastic. >> i didn't go to college. i moved right here. my parents were crazy. >> seth: but supportive? >> but so supportive. >> seth: that's really wonderful. now, again, their support has been -- you've justified it, right? you are a tony award winner. congratulations. >> yes. yes. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: i have heard that your siblings have a very fun nickname for you. >> yes. my siblings used to call me dr. mendez because they felt -- i was the only one of us who didn't go to college, and, yeah, my parents spent more money on lessons for me. they felt i should have my doctorate. [ laughter ] so i felt like winning the tony was -- that was kind of like equal to that. >> seth: yeah, that's your doctorate. >> i've made it enough that they should feel their money was well spent, i hope. >> seth: yes. >> at this point. >> seth: this is a very famous sondheim play, so it's very exciting to do a revival and especially now, you know. we obviously recently lost stephen. it must be very special to do it, have it be succeeding. and i think obviously a lot of fans are showing up because it's sondheim.

but you also -- you know, you have jonathan groff, and you have daniel radcliffe, and they've been in massive things out of it. can you ever look out and be like i know who is a harry potter fan in the audience? >> the people with the gryffindor scarves. >> seth: yeah, that's a dead giveaway, right? >> yeah, yeah. but it's funny. they come -- they come a harry potter fan, but they leave a sondheim fan. >> seth: that's great. i mean that's almost why it's so wonderful when someone like daniel does something like this. >> oh, 100%. he draws this audience in, and then people come away loving theater. i mean it's just -- it's the best. >> seth: you also did "wicked." >> i did. >> seth: you actually had -- i mean everybody who plays the role has to wear the green makeup. how was your reaction to the green makeup years? >> i mean i always looked ill. >> seth: yeah. [ laughter ] >> yeah, even when i -- like offstage all the time. >> seth: did you just choose not to take it off, though? i'm just wondering. >> yeah. [ laughter ] i like to cosplay from time to time, you know. yeah, i had like a press thing that day, and so i had to go out in it that day. that was -- that was really a blast.

i never got a cab. [ laughter ] >> seth: you almost can't blame them. >> i know, i know. they're like, i'm not sure i want to deal with that today in new york. >> seth: you were in "grease." >> i was. >> seth: was that your first broadway show? >> that was my broadway debut. >> seth: and your broadway debut was "grease," and a very unique casting story for how you ended up in "grease." >> yeah, that was "grease" ♪ you're the one that i want ♪ where they let people vote for the sandy and danny on reality tv. >> seth: so you were reality tv show casted -- >> i wasn't casted on reality tv. i was cast the normal way. >> seth: i see. >> but the two leads -- >> seth: i see. gotcha. what a trip. >> but i was cast like a year before. and so, then, i got to watch the show and vote for who i wanted to be in my cast. >> seth: i know you can't -- now you have to say -- >> i'm definitely not going to say. >> seth: -- who you voted for. >> who i voted for. >> seth: okay. that's very smart. this is a wonderful photo we were lucky enough to get our hands on. there you are in "sound of music," the youngest of the von trapps. >> yes. yes. that was my first show ever, and i totally fell in love. >> seth: were you of the age -- did you know the musical when

you auditioned for "sound of music?" >> i had seen the movie. >> seth: yeah, and were you one of the kids who watched that movie a hundred times? >> of course. >> seth: yeah. >> yeah, a million times. i mean all i did was watch musicals. once i like understood that there were these things, it was all i could watch. >> seth: it's very nice when people find exactly what they want to do at a young age. >> isn't it lovely? >> seth: and we're very lucky for all of us that you did. thank you so much for being here. >> thank you, seth. thanks for having me. >> seth: congrats on the show. [ cheers and applause ] that's lindsay mendez, everybody. "merrily we roll along" is playing at the hudson theater july 7th. we'll be right back with more "late night," everybody. [ cheers and applause ] ♪

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♪ >> announcer: come join the audience at "late night" live in studio 8g. for tickets, head over to latenightsethtickets.com. follow us @latenightseth on all social media platforms. subscribe to late night seth on youtube. find us online at latenightseth.com. and subscribe to the "late night podcast," featuring "a closer look," guest interviews, and more. available wherever you listen to podcasts. ♪ thinking i should bring back my 100% all-white meat popcorn chicken combos for $6.99? you're in luck, i did. if you weren't thinking that, i bet you are now. my popcorn chicken combos are only $6.99. get 'em sauced & loaded for just a buck more.

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