We haven’t had episodes in a while due to the strike, but if you found yourself asking who those three young nerdy guys who made awkward videos on Saturday Night Live were when it was still on, now you have your answer. As the picketing and protest continues, Martin Herlihy, Ben Marshall, and John Higgins collectively calling themselves Please Don’t Destroy are doing other stuff, like going on tour (they hit the Wiltern tomorrow). They obviously scored the gig of a lifetime as writers and performers on SNL, making videos about… being writers on SNL. But how did they get there?
The trio were formed at New York University, after creating an act titled “Please Don’t Destroy My Farm,” which turned into monthly comedy shows and ultimately a YouTube channel. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the troupe expanded its output with shorts on TikTok and Twitter. In the same way that he embraced Pete Davidson as a sketch player, Lorne Michaels continues to discover unexpected new stars like these three, and while they may not be everyone’s cup of laughing emoji tears, they obviously speak to today’s ironic humor-loving social media-addicted crowd, and beyond. Their work on SNL earned them an Emmy and WGA nominations for comedy thanks to clips like “Three Sad Virgins” featuring Taylor Swift. Look for the trio’s first movie, produced by Judd Apatow, coming to Peacock on November 17.
Please Don’t Destroy at the Wiltern, Thurs., Sept. 21. Ticket here.
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