As part of the Student Committee of Programming Event’s (SCOPE) Comedy Week, actor, writer and comedian John Mulaney appeared in a Zoom webinar, where he answered questions submitted by students.

The Q&A was moderated by Elizabeth O’Neill, senior forensic science major and the president of SCOPE.

During the virtual seminar, students asked Mulaney a wide range of questions such as who he would play in a sitcom.

He said, “If I could be anything on a sitcom, I’d be the nosy neighbor.”

“It is by nature repetitive,” said Mulaney on doing the same round of jokes for every show. “I like doing stand up because it’s ephemeral. Each performance is different. I like to highlight that by having some spontaneous chit chat.”

Another student-submitted question mentioned his long-time collaborator, comedian, and “Big Mouth” co-star Nick Kroll and prompted Mulaney to speak on one of the duo’s most recognizable projects. “‘Oh Hello’ on Broadway. I love “Big Mouth” and I’ve loved everything we’ve done but ‘Oh Hello,’ the off-Broadway play and the Broadway play was absurdly fun. It was the most fun you could ever have in show business.”

Mulaney spoke about his feelings on not doing in-person shows during quarantine.

“Being a comedian, I’ve obviously haven’t been able to do shows so there’s been a big subtraction from my life,” said Mulaney. He even acknowledged his sympathy towards college students during this time when he said, “being disrupted by this, you’re dealing with a lot more of a dysregulated experience.”

Mulaney was also asked what his favorite “Saturday Night Live” sketch was. He said, “We’ve done a few more of these since, but I would say Diner Lobster. That was very fun because, one, it seems like it was popular and we had written it in 2010, Colin Jost and I.”

Students also found out whether the comedian preferred intimate shows or large crowds. “If I have to pick one, intimate shows, but certainly don’t mind large crowds. It feels like talking to the ocean.”

At the end of the Q&A, Mulaney expressed his gratitude for being able to share his experience with the student population and wished them good luck on the rest of the semester.

Junior communication major Shaylen Stancil said, “It felt really personal considering the Q&A was over Zoom. It was really fun to be able to hear him answer all the questions.”

John Mulaney talking to us was absolutely amazing,” said Maddie Oliver, a junior communication major, “not only did he fill the time answering questions we submitted but he was able to find a way to make jokes at the same time and the whole thing was really engaging and felt natural just like any normal conversation would.”

Mulaney is most famous for his stand-up specials, “Kid Gorgeous,” The Comeback Kid,” and “New in Town,” as well as his children’s special, “John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch,” all of which can be found on Netflix.