Jack Black Shares the Story Behind a Funny SNL Skit by Amy Poehler That Didn’t Make It to Air

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Jack Black hosting ‘Saturday Night Live.’
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NEED TO KNOW

• Jack Black discussed an unaired Saturday Night Live skit penned by Amy Poehler and Emily Spivey.
• The skit, titled “Boys Night Out,” depicted Black being stood up on boys’ night as he ordered chicken wings.
• Black noted that the skit “really took a dump-ski” during dress rehearsal, leading Lorne Michaels to decide against airing it.

Jack Black recently reflected on a never-before-aired skit from Saturday Night Live. During a December 16 episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, Black shared insights about the sketch “Boys Night Out,” which was written by Amy Poehler and Emily Spivey. The actor has hosted SNL four times since his debut in 2002.

The premise of the sketch, as described by Meyers, involved a man having a boys’ night out while his wife was away for the day.

Jack Black on ‘SNL.’

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“I pitched it to Amy, and Amy wrote it up for me. Bespoke for me. And it was just a little song. I was like, ‘I think it would be really fun to come out and sing a song,'” Black recalled, launching into the chorus: “Boys night out / Boys night out / Now we’re really rockin’ / And the chicks are all a-squawkin’ / ‘Cause we’re talking ‘bout a boys night out!”

Although Black and the audience of Late Night found the sketch amusing, he remembered the dress rehearsal crowd’s lukewarm reception: “It really took a dump-ski,” he said. Ultimately, SNL creator Lorne Michaels chose to pull the sketch, a decision Black endorsed, humorously stating, “I was like, ‘No, yeah, don’t, let’s not do it.'”

While the sketch may not have resonated with the dress rehearsal audience, Meyers commended Black for his commitment to delivering the performance. “He never took his foot off the gas,” Meyers noted, praising the comedian for his effort.

Despite its cancellation, Meyers, who was associated with SNL from 2001 to 2014, mentioned that the sketch remains “incredibly beloved” among his peers from that era.

Jack Black on ‘SNL’ in 2002.

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Black and Poehler also revisited the skit during a discussion on Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang, in April. Poehler explained that “Boys Night Out” centered on Black waiting for his friends, who never arrived, leading him to keep ordering more wings.

Since his debut in January 2002, Black has returned to host SNL in October 2003, December 2005, and most recently in April 2025.