“Made me laugh so hard” - Amy Poehler recalls Jon Hamm's ‘perfect reaction’ on receiving devastating news

Amy Poehler, a popular face of the classic American sketch comedy variety series Saturday Night Live, shared a story in the latest episode of her podcast Good Hang with Amy Poehler. Speaking with guest Paul Rudd, she recounted how Mad Men actor Jon Hamm made her laugh quite hard because of his “perfect reaction.”

An upcoming comedy series and a funny moment

Poehler, who recently teamed up with Parks and Recreation alum Mike Schur for Peacock’s upcoming comedy series Dig, is currently co-writing the pilot episode.

The series is an adaptation of Excavations, a novel by Kate Myers. Interestingly, Poehler will also be starring in the show. However, she explains to Rudd that the strange yet funny incident took place right after she received shattering news regarding her OB-GYN (obstetrician-gynecologist). The doctor had passed away just a few days before she was supposed to give birth.

The Baby Mama actress, Poehler, who was married to actor Will Arnett, with whom she shares a son, Archie, continued and shared that it was a big deal for Jon Hamm. It was his hosting debut on SNL that week on October 25, 2008, so preparations were in full swing.

Amy recalls rehearsing all day Friday, as she was part of several sketches that week. She talked about how happy she was, and how they were shooting a Mad Men pre-tape. Everything was fine until she received the devastating news that her OB-GYN had passed away, and she began to cry. The moment she started weeping, everyone on the set became quiet, and silence prevailed.

Jon Hamm’s unexpected but “Perfect” reaction

As Jon Hamm was also present and saw everything that was happening, he understood what had happened and why Poehler was crying. The SNL alum, Amy, continued and revealed what Hamm’s reaction was:

"Hamm leans in, says to me, 'This is a really big deal, and I need you to get your sh*t together. This is the first time I'm hosting and I need you to f*cking... it's a big week for me, you gotta pull it together."

Amy continued with the story and shared her reaction to Rudd, saying:

"(Amy went from) crying to laughing so hard that like squirt tears came out."

While Poehler laughed and clapped at how funny that moment was so many years ago, she added:

"Again, a great example of like life is what you say it is, right? Life is what you make and what you say it is. And he made me laugh so hard, and I went into labor that night. And I think a lot of it was that."

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In February 2025, on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jon Hamm revealed his side of the story, saying:

"And, I said, 'God, Amy, that's really terrible, but you really need to pull it together because this is my first time hosting and you better bring it!' Which, was a big swing! She immediately started laughing."

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