Seth Meyers Finally Let Will Forte Perform Famously Rejected ‘SNL’ Sketch ‘Jennjamin Franklin’ Last Night

As Seth Meyers has settled into his new gig as host of Late Night, he’s been able to find plenty of comfort in his Saturday Night Live roots. Leaning on SNL anecdotes and bringing on former cast mates and hosts to tell stories has been a staple of the show’s early run — maybe a little too “inside baseball” for the broader audience, but for die hard SNL fans it has been nothing but fun.

Seth unveiled another way to capitalize on his SNL pedigree last night, with the first edition of Second Chance Theatre — a segment in which former cast members are allowed to perform their sketches that were rejected (usually by Seth, as head writer) or cut at the last minute. One of the most fabled rejected sketches in SNL history is Will Forte’s “Jennjamin Franklin,” in which Forte plays a flirtatious young lady who looks exactly like Benjamin Franklin. The sketch was rejected so many times and Forte so strongly believed in it, that it has taken on a life of its own despite never making it to air. So it was only right that Forte got the first crack at Second Chance Theatre.

So, was it deserving of a slot on SNL, or was Meyers right to reject it repeatedly? You be the judge:

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After the sketch aired, Seth moderated an extended Q&A with Forte, Jason Sudeikis, and Fred Armisen. It was very serious:

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Late Night with Seth Meyers

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