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Rosebud Baker Was Raised by War Criminals (and Writes for Weekend Update)

August 11, 2025 / 50:51

This episode features comedian Rosebud Baker discussing her experiences as a writer for SNL's Weekend Update, her stand-up specials, and her journey through motherhood.

Rosebud Baker shares her transition from sketch writing to Weekend Update, highlighting the differences in creative processes and the pressures of writing for live television. She reflects on her time at SNL, including memorable moments and the challenges faced by writers.

The conversation touches on Baker's recent special, "The Motherload," which chronicles her pregnancy journey and the complexities of returning to work after having a child. She discusses the emotional and comedic aspects of motherhood.

Throughout the episode, Baker and the hosts, Dana Carvey and David Spade, share personal anecdotes and insights about the comedy industry, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and creativity in writing.

Listeners can expect a candid and humorous discussion about the realities of being a comedian, writer, and parent, as well as Baker's unique perspective on her career.

TL;DR

Rosebud Baker discusses her SNL writing experience, motherhood, and her new special, "The Motherload."

Video

00:00:00
And you just you go from feeling like uh cool and sexy and working at SNL to
00:00:06
being like the most unfuckable just like unc unccreative human. Yeah.
00:00:12
No, I was like raised by war criminals. I think I'm I got this. I fine. I'll be
00:00:19
honest with you. If I had um if I had any real home runs, I don't know if I'd be at update right now.
00:00:30
Dana, have you ever heard me say this? Having my baby back. Do you know that song from the 70s?
00:00:37
Oh, I know. It's just so funny. You're having my baby. You couldn't say that now. Wouldn't it be considered sexist?
00:00:43
Isn't she having a baby, too? Yeah. I mean, that song is so odd when he goes, "You didn't have to keep it."
00:00:50
I'm like, "I'm sorry. What? What did you say? We should We should Maybe we should play that song and talk. We don't use this
00:00:56
for this. We should use it for our next episode. We'll put it on. There's two. There's two like that. The
00:01:01
other one is No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. These are corny 80
00:01:08
anthems. So, save those for super for what we're doing. Well, it made me think of Rosebud because Rosebud Baker is a
00:01:15
very funny uh comic and she just did a movie where I'm sorry, she just did a
00:01:20
special where she's pregnant and then she does part of the special.
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She takes time off, has the baby and mixes it all together called the motherload, which has gotten great
00:01:31
reviews and people. Interesting concept. Smart writer. Uh she's a performer. She
00:01:37
um Oh, she writes a lot for Update. We talked about that. Yeah, we talked all about you're going to hear all about her SNL experience and
00:01:44
what the specificity of being a writer for update versus other things and her career plans and her child and um so you
00:01:53
should enjoy this one. Yeah, very interesting. And it's good because not everyone knows her right
00:01:59
now, but they will. So, it's kind of fun to have ones like this where we got her first.
00:02:04
We got her and just say, "Hey, here's why she's good." Hi. How's it going?
00:02:10
Hi. Nice to see you. Nice to see you. Nice to see you, too. The last I saw Rose Bud Baker was, if
00:02:18
you remember this, one of the shows, either the Hunter Biden one or the 50th in the hallway, and I think you were
00:02:24
prepping some update hallway stuff. Uh-huh. Is that possible?
00:02:31
That's possible for sure. I mean, you know, being at the show, you know, it's like you're too tired to form new
00:02:37
memories. most of the time. So, yeah. Um, new memory. Did you meet Dana during his
00:02:42
Biden run? We must have I did. I did. Yes.
00:02:48
Pleasure to see you. I I can't I'm still traumatiz. I mean, I just was not I'd been gone so long. I I
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really feel for the writers coming in with a pencil kind of some of them
00:03:01
really just drenched in sweat and just really nervous and then it's like could
00:03:08
we do this or that? We have to wait till Lauren's here. Oh, okay. Tell Lauren or one time Lauren came by. Could you
00:03:14
change that Biden line? Not so much Fred Flintstone something else. I said sure.
00:03:20
And then Allison Streeter and Kent came in. You talked to Lauren.
00:03:25
What What did he say? What did he say? He hates it. He hates it. Anyway, the pressure is crazy.
00:03:33
And I saw it because I wasn't in as much. I saw the writers, what they do.
00:03:38
So anyway, I'd like to know your stories about that time there on the 50. You were so great. You were so great. I
00:03:44
I have to tell you like we would be sitting, you know, most of the time in update. We barely see the show. I mean,
00:03:51
we I was I was on I was on the sketch side for three years and then moved over to Update
00:03:58
and the way that it is is so different and I don't I don't know any other writers.
00:04:05
Yeah, I don't know any other writers that have done that that have gone from the sketch to update.
00:04:11
Um but I I it's a completely different It feels like I write at a different show for sure. I mean, um,
00:04:19
with the exception of like it's still the sleep deprivation and the stress and all of that, but it's Sure. It's still gross. Mhm.
00:04:26
Yeah. Yeah. It's mostly because of the news, though, that you feel disgusting. Oh, yeah. That's right. You got to get
00:04:32
soaked in that news. You got to get in. Yeah. It's like training yourself to be
00:04:38
um like a psy like a sociopath or a psychopath because you just read these horrible horrific headlines and you're
00:04:45
like what's funny hilarious about Yeah.
00:04:50
And also when you do update do you I know this is I know some of these answers but not all of them. Do you help
00:04:58
uh put together the update pieces that come on from like a Sarah Sherman or whoever else or is that separately like
00:05:04
they just do them at readthrough and then you guys kind of chirp in of like which ones you like and do you help write?
00:05:10
Yeah, it depends. It depends on um I mean you know they'll come in on
00:05:16
Tuesdays sometimes and be like we have this idea and then we'll pitch on it with them. Um but usually they're
00:05:22
writing it with one of the sketch writers. Um, and then
00:05:28
but most of the time it's actually I wouldn't say most of the time I'd say 50/50. Like sometimes they'll just show
00:05:34
up, we'll see one at table, we'll be like, "That's hilarious." And then we work the tables and we we kind of punch things up here and there if it needs it.
00:05:41
Um, for the most part. Yeah. Yeah. It's tables. Listen to this lingo. Dana
00:05:47
table. I know. We got an insider here. We got it's
00:05:54
I think that um the the high for the writer is I the
00:06:00
ultimate mic drop is when you get it in you get it on update or whatever it's your line you thought of it or your
00:06:06
little stanza your bit you love it maybe some people went I don't know and then it crushes
00:06:14
because I see the writers afterwards were just so jazzed up all the tension was released when the sketch the whole
00:06:20
opening was just what they had to deal with was like at midnight on Friday it's
00:06:26
nowhere. It's horrible. That's one we're running through for the audience listening
00:06:31
and we it's nowhere and it's like and you go to bed and it's a disaster
00:06:36
and you wake up going, "Well, we've got about 12 hours to fix this." So, do you have some memorable ones
00:06:42
there where you [ __ ] a landed it um and you just that release uh must be
00:06:47
I'll be honest with you. If I had um if I had any real home runs, I don't know if I'd be at Update right now.
00:07:01
Go ahead. Cuz that's your your wheelhouse or what? Yeah. I think I think I'm more it was
00:07:09
like I knew by year three I was like if I don't feel useful by now there's I'm
00:07:17
like there's got to be a better place for me and I I just sort of was like
00:07:22
I've came in as a standup. I wanted to learn how to write sketch. I genuinely
00:07:27
don't it it's so different and so much harder for me to write sketch than it is
00:07:34
to like punch up a sketch or be like second or third writer on something. So ultimately I was like I really think I
00:07:40
belong over on the update side and that's you know where they put me and I was I was happy to move. Um because
00:07:47
genuinely I was like I don't know what I'm doing here. I didn't know at all. I remember my first week going
00:07:52
around to like Tucker's office and being like, "Is there like a book I can read about like how to write a sketch?" Like,
00:07:59
I didn't know. You know, it's hard to get your handheld, too. There's not Everyone's so busy. It's
00:08:05
hard to do a class. It's like, "Hey, what's your sketch? It bombed. Great. You'll be gone soon. That's all.
00:08:11
We don't need to worry about you." Yes. Yeah. And but to get that that lateral move instead of just taking
00:08:18
off the show which could be easier to let you come over because they must have seen something and to go over and write
00:08:24
jokes as update even to me is even more fun or interesting because there's it's just a different muscle but it's
00:08:31
great jokewriting skills and all that stuff. Well, I let me insert this before you answer makes total sense to me because
00:08:38
of your specials. These are A++ jokes one after the other. One after the other
00:08:45
on both that I watched. So go ahead. I just I it seems like a really good fit. And you've got Michael and you've got
00:08:51
Colin and they're they're kind of dicks. We understand that. But sorry that was a joke. Too sweet for
00:08:59
school. But go ahead. No, thank you. Thanks for watching them by the way. I appreciate it. And um
00:09:05
yeah, I feel like it's uh I'm happy that they I do feel like I lucked out that
00:09:11
they kept me on the show. I I was like, "Oh, okay. I didn't think this would work." I I they had every reason to go,
00:09:16
"Ah, just beat just beat it." You know what I mean? Just And I I would I would have understood that because there were
00:09:23
sketches that I I thought were very funny that got on the show, but that weren't not they were not Once they got
00:09:29
on the show, I was like, "Oh, okay. I see where I went wrong here." You know, it wasn't. It's hard to get it all that way. It's
00:09:35
hard to have it work read through rehearsal in front of the crew, in front of dress, and then work again on air.
00:09:41
There's so many ways for it to go wrong. There's so many ways for it to go wrong. I mean, it really it's like raising a
00:09:48
kid or something. You're like, I mean, there's only so much I can great grades in school and then right
00:09:53
before college, they bomb out. You're like, oh, we were doing so good. Yeah.
00:09:58
Well, the audience forget something. It it's nerve-wracking as hell, you know,
00:10:04
anytime because I was in Murderers Row. We were the four horsemen. Maya would crush it and, you know, Gaff again and,
00:10:12
you know, Andy and then I'm waiting. You know, it was weird in one of those like game show SC. I'm just like, you're just
00:10:17
sitting in a silo. You've got your Come on, folks. You know, I'm just waiting. How How will I do? You're grading
00:10:24
yourself. You're future tripping. You're not in the moment. You want to score. Don't try too hard, but but be, you
00:10:31
know, it's just like trying to catch the wind. Anyway, nerve-wracking on both sides. You got it in a way that I I just I've
00:10:37
seen Biden impressions and you got it in a way that I'd never seen it. I I remember just watching it even without
00:10:43
the sound and you were going and I was just like, "God, he's [ __ ] good."
00:10:48
Like you you like zeroed in on that thing. Yeah. I'm not getting around here. That was my
00:10:54
favorite. By the end it was like, "I'm not getting around here. I'm being serious. So, it was a it was a fun toy
00:11:00
and you know, it's it's just like stand up when the audience starts to ride it just like in standup and they're in your
00:11:06
rhythm with you and you're both enjoying it at the same moment. Nobody's has it that the the
00:11:12
other voice talking. It's it's a it's pure joy. That's what we're chasing. That face Dana is like funny funny uh
00:11:19
offended and vacant. Hey, I'm not kidding around here.
00:11:25
Come on. You're like, he's not even thinking anything. I I remember seeing that face on the
00:11:30
monitor from the update office and being like, oh my god, like
00:11:36
that's perfect. You made my day. You made my day
00:11:41
because, you know, always have second thoughts months later. Was that any good or what the [ __ ]
00:11:46
Oh my god, it was so good. Thank you. I mean, I get it. It's I get it. I think
00:11:52
we're all just sort of um mentally ill and that we're like plagued by self-doubt and stuff like that. But it's
00:11:57
it really we're all mentally ill. Let's confirm. It's it's uh that that's that's a pretty common denominator. You know, you never
00:12:04
want right before you go on, you're going to crush. You're you're going to crush. You always want to go, well,
00:12:09
we'll see. I don't know. It could turn, you know, you just it's a kiss of death to kind of go, we got this. And then you
00:12:16
just pull up, right? All right. How about an update? When you when you have an update, are there I
00:12:22
mean obviously it starts Sunday or Monday, you know, it starts right after the last show like what's in this week's
00:12:28
news. Are there joke counters? Do you look at the monitor and go someone told me there was a talk show like Fallon
00:12:34
where someone is like one, two, okay, I got I got three on today. I got three on today. I mean, I'm sure
00:12:40
people do in their heads, but yeah. Is it is it actively out there that people are like that one person gets
00:12:46
more on? No. Thank god. Um, I think they get tweaked, right?
00:12:52
Yeah, they get tweaked and they get changed and like by the end of it, it's almost like you could have come up with
00:12:58
a joke that got in the show, but then they're, you know, when you're sitting with the others and you're just like,
00:13:03
yeah, they're pitching stuff on it. There was like I think there was a joke this year that
00:13:08
I had pitched about Paddington Bear um that it was like it was about how I felt
00:13:15
like Paddington Bear should be executed and I was like
00:13:21
Paddington Bear I was like well he ruins apartments and that you know I just think he's a menace and I think I don't
00:13:26
think he belongs in someone's home. So anyway, I I I pitched it was like some
00:13:31
sort of crazy reaction overreaction to Paddington Bear and everybody sort of latched on to it
00:13:39
and by the end by Showtime it was this long bit that was like a builtout
00:13:46
like chunk that Colin did that everybody was throwing stuff in on and it was just
00:13:51
for no reason just like and it was about a laboo at that point.
00:13:57
Right. Yeah. Well, I've seen those. But even single jokes, Michael might put a spin on like when you do monologue
00:14:03
jokes, something if you you get someone close enough, that's value. Also, I used to do jokes at Lights Out Show. They can
00:14:09
write me a joke that's close enough to my voice, I can run with it, and that's a value. Even though it's not the exact
00:14:15
same joke. I just want to say that Patty Denbear is funny. I mean, because
00:14:21
it's not the way he dresses is funny. It's not like Barney or something, but everyone knows it when you hear it. And
00:14:27
this is just a little insert for me. Maybe maybe in the early 90s, there was this catch where I as Tony Montana
00:14:35
Scarface Alpuccino got to say Padding Bear several times.
00:14:41
And so bear, what are you doing with a Pear? So
00:14:46
I just Sorry, it triggered me. I I didn't want to override. It sounds funny. It looks funny. What
00:14:52
the [ __ ] would a paratar is such a perfect for that but I you know I want
00:14:57
to ask this of you and you can say whatever you want to say but it seems like I'm watching your specials watching
00:15:02
you here photogenic on and on. Thank you that if if you should be on update
00:15:11
either in a segment or um if anyone ever decides to retire. Have you ever thought
00:15:16
of that? Because it seems like you got all the skill set to do that. You don't have to say,
00:15:21
"Yeah, I want Michael and Colin out." Or do you pitch yourself doing update? Are you allowed to?
00:15:28
Um, I don't I don't know. I don't know if that I don't know if that's like I
00:15:33
there was one moment I think it was like two years ago where there was like an IVF story and I had worked on all this
00:15:39
this bit you know that was like about IVF and I was like I thought about pitching a feature because it made sense
00:15:46
um in that one week that I was like oh okay I could I could do something with
00:15:53
this you know I have material on this um but right it was like right as I was
00:15:59
getting up the courage to like talk to somebody about it. It was like Colin had written something and I was like, "Oh,
00:16:04
okay, never mind." So, um, right. You know, I think there's like
00:16:11
I I don't I don't know. I'm like Colin and Chay are so funny that they I feel
00:16:16
like they've they've almost ruined it for whoever's comes next. I'm like, they're so good.
00:16:22
And um, you know, I don't know. I'm like, would it be cool? Absolutely. But
00:16:27
I don't know if it's like I don't know. Just a few just a bit. Yeah. Like an IVF for one week I would imagine would be
00:16:34
good. But I know being a writer there and it isn't always 1,000% welcome at
00:16:40
least by someone somewhere wouldn't love it. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. And you know some people would be like
00:16:45
that's [ __ ] awesome. We need it. Get out there. And you're already a stand up. It's not crazy. Wait a minute. David, are you
00:16:51
I just think it's a little weird that she David, are you suggest I just want to
00:16:56
clarify this. Are you Are you suggesting that there's a political environment
00:17:02
to the SNL experience that politics come and play? Everyone's pulling for everyone. I know.
00:17:08
Yeah, it is. It is overall a great experience. But I do to your point with
00:17:14
Michael and Colin, I don't think we'll see this again for a while because their relationship and the boundaries they can
00:17:21
cross because of for you know for the reasons are obvious and stuff they can
00:17:26
go at it, you know, when they were on this this podcast you know when I told him I
00:17:32
said you guys are in the Hall of Fame. I mean, I was just talking about Dennis Miller and, you know, and you know, uh,
00:17:39
obviously Tina and Jimmy, whatever. Just you guys are up there now. You're in you're in Mount Rushmore. They were kind
00:17:45
of like, thank you. I don't think they And some people don't know anything else. I mean, there's they've had a long
00:17:51
run where people that just sort of tune in here and there and they go, those are the update guys. You mentioned Bill
00:17:57
Murray or Trevor Chase like, huh? So, we remember, but not it's like everything
00:18:02
you go. Some people said, "I go back to your career all the way back to grown-ups." I'm like, "That's how far
00:18:08
back?" That was like newer. But they're like, "Well, you're old, so I don't know." Like 2008. I don't care. I don't
00:18:15
know. I don't really care. I started in ' 86, so I'm disappointed
00:18:21
when people go, "Oh, you you you're here in 86." Yeah. Do the math. Do the math.
00:18:28
Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Would you like to talk about your special a
00:18:34
little bit or or your tour or where would you like to go? Yeah, I listen
00:18:40
I there's a lot we could talk about here. I I guess my special we could talk about
00:18:46
that. It's up to you guys. It's your podcast. You know what I mean? I It's Anything else? We want to make sure you
00:18:51
get something covered here because we get all our interesting chatter, but you also
00:18:56
have some business. I definitely Yeah, I definitely I I had my special come out. I was literally just talking to another
00:19:02
comic about their special, their Netflix special, and they were like freaking out. It's like the week that it's, you
00:19:08
know, it's, you know, when your special first comes out, you're like freaking out and you're just
00:19:13
I I was telling this comic, I was like, "Oh, yeah. I was I just wanted everybody I wanted to move to the woods. I was
00:19:19
like, I just wanted to walk into the woods and live there for the rest of my life." like,
00:19:26
you know, and then some months goes by and it starts getting some play and you're like, "Okay, thank God." Like,
00:19:31
this wasn't, you know, for nothing. You You're always scared it's going to be for nothing. But, um, yeah, I'm like,
00:19:38
I'm really happy with it so far. It feels like, you know, when you make something, you're like, well, that feels
00:19:44
like me, you know? Yeah. It's like that that feels like that's a good representation. And for people don't know at some after let's
00:19:52
explain what what's unique about it but go ahead David. I was going to say, do you think a special in this day and age,
00:19:59
what about it sells tickets? Because that's sort of the idea is to sell tickets on the road and also gain awareness, but is it the special itself
00:20:06
or is it clips from the special or is it a long is it take like a year for it to
00:20:12
sink in and people to start to see, oh, I saw this on this, I saw a little piece here,
00:20:17
and then that's the value, right? That's you want to do a special. It's it's Yeah. I don't even know anymore, man.
00:20:24
I'm like I really feel like I don't I don't even know. I I'm
00:20:29
You put one out and ultimately you want to make something that is seen within the context of an hour. You want it to
00:20:36
be seen as a whole and that's how comedy should be watched.
00:20:42
Um that's how it's meant to be watched. Unfortunately it now people watch it in
00:20:49
like 30 second one minute clips. And if they like those 30 second one minute clips, they might might go watch the
00:20:57
whole thing, three minutes of your show. Yeah. You know, they might go watch a full five minutes
00:21:04
and inch their way up to an hour. Yeah. I mean, some people tell me when I just did mine, they go, "It's still an
00:21:10
honor." I mean, I'm I'm not negating anything you're doing. Of course. Obviously, everybody wants a special. It's such a big deal and Netflix is a
00:21:16
big deal. And they get out there and you see a billboard. It's it's really really fun. and uh relevant, all the great stuff you
00:21:23
want, but you also say, "Okay, what are they actually seeing? Are they seeing?" Like, don't put this in your act because
00:21:30
when you go on the road, you're in your head, you're like, "Everyone in the audience has seen 100% of every special
00:21:35
and they're like, "Right, no. I saw two clips on TikTok. That's why I'm here." Yeah. No, I mean literally you could you
00:21:43
could tour with the same hour, you know, like the in the 80s they would tour with the same hour for like three, four, five
00:21:49
years and you could do that again. You could do that now and it wouldn't there's no problem. No one
00:21:54
I open for guys and every time I saw them every year not not a word different. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, ultimately, you want
00:22:02
to keep writing. You want to keep doing and and I I'm the idiot who goes up there with
00:22:07
brand new stuff and is like kind of struggling and then people get like pissed, you know, and I'm like, well, I got to try new
00:22:15
things. I got to I want to put out a new hour. Um, but it it is nice to know that the
00:22:21
pressure is off a little bit to like you don't have to do 100% new. You can do some stuff from the special. No,
00:22:27
I agree. You want some stuff to kill for sure. You owe them that. And you want some stuff that's a little different for
00:22:33
those people that are like comedy files that are like, I I must have I I got something on Instagram the
00:22:39
other night that goes, I saw you at the comedy store the other night. Funny, but a little off. Wasn't your best night. I'm like, I'm trying stuff. I have to
00:22:45
Where can I try it? I have to I I even know when I get off. It wasn't great. But there's something
00:22:51
fun. Even Dana will agree. When you watch someone, it's fun to watch them bomb, too. you go, "Whoa, where was that
00:22:58
one going?" Like, you go, "Oh, shit." But it's a different thing to see. I had I had a show in um there was a
00:23:05
show in Dallas like three years ago or something, two years ago, I don't remember. I was there in Dallas and I
00:23:11
the guy a guy took a picture of me and posted I just saw Rosema Baker. Um I
00:23:18
think she was tired. I get that, too.
00:23:24
But I had I had fully bombed. It was like I I was it was a bomb. It was just a bomb night. I remember there was like
00:23:30
a heckler in the front they wouldn't get rid of. And the whole time I was like well this is a it's this is un I can't
00:23:36
do it. You know what I mean? I'm like we're the ship's going down and we're just all going to go down together. But that guy kind of covered for you
00:23:42
instead of saying you fully drowned completely. He was like she was a little tired I think. Instead of going my guy
00:23:49
my people go it was [ __ ] horrible. I know. I'm like but that's almost better than them feeling bad for you.
00:23:55
Ah, I She shouldn't do this. It's hard on her. There's a There's a I guess it's a a
00:24:01
trope. It's kind of funny, but they would maybe say about you, which I just want to talk about this special and the
00:24:07
way you do stand up. Yeah. She doesn't pull any punches. Like you
00:24:12
I feel like you are so connected to your material that I've seen and you can see where it's too burnt out or the
00:24:19
comedian's not quite in their eyes, right? Really connected or whatever. I've done a couple like that. But for
00:24:24
this one, it was so personal literally for people don't know. Explain the
00:24:30
conceit of the mother. It's on Netflix right now. Yeah. It was essentially I I was I So
00:24:38
the whole thing is shot over two um years. One year where I was about nine
00:24:43
months pregnant or eight months pregnant and then um exactly one year later after
00:24:49
my kid had been born. And I had this crazy experience with trying to get
00:24:54
pregnant. First I didn't want kids. Then I got pregnant by accident. Then I had a miscarriage. Then I was like, well, do I
00:25:01
want kids? And then I did like IVF and then I got pregnant without IVF. And I
00:25:06
so the whole journey to it was so crazy and all over the place that I was like
00:25:11
there's so much experience packed into that that I was like it doesn't really
00:25:17
make sense to shoot the special until the until the kids been born and I can let them know what it's like as a mom
00:25:24
cuz yeah I'm like ultimately I really wasn't sure about kids or not and I really
00:25:31
wanted I wanted there to be something to watch where I was like what is it like really like what does it feel like? And
00:25:39
um cuz I was really curious about the postpartum [ __ ] and all of that. So yeah, I I shot both. Um and the
00:25:47
material cuts back and forth between. So some of the jokes that I wrote while I
00:25:52
was pregnant um I expanded on after I'd had a kid. Um, there were jokes that I
00:25:59
that I liked better that I had written before that I liked better from the perspective of having had a kid and then
00:26:06
there were c certain ones that I was like, "No, you got to cut back for that." So, the whole thing is like editing wise was obviously a challenge,
00:26:14
but I really I really enjoyed kind of reporting from both from behind enemy
00:26:21
lines, you know what I mean? Um, and just telling jokes about what it
00:26:26
really feels like because I was somebody that was so confused about the the
00:26:32
deciding to be a parent. Um, especially as a woman in comedy, you're just like,
00:26:37
is everyone going to think I disappeared? Is everyone going to think I died? Like, you know, are am I going
00:26:43
to be written off? Luckily, I I think in a way I I wrote this special kind of out
00:26:51
of a feeling of like self-consciousness or being afraid that that if I didn't I
00:27:00
I would just stop or something. I didn't know what was going to happen afterwards. So, um yeah, there's a lot.
00:27:07
It's definitely personal. I was up there fighting for my life for sure. Like, was there
00:27:14
Yeah. Where you say like was there parts where you say this is how I feel about to have a baby. It's
00:27:22
the most beautiful thing in the world. And then now you get to say some is beautiful, some is tougher than I
00:27:28
thought. Some is easier than I thought. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I wanted to talk about like what it felt like to go back
00:27:34
to work, you know, what it feels like to go back to work and how to go away from your kid and be
00:27:39
separated. Yeah. Yeah. And well, no, just to be back at work and to be to want to be
00:27:46
treated the same way. Okay. um as like as like a working member of society, you know, but like
00:27:53
also having just had a kid and being like I'm kind of an open wound right now, but I'm but I'm capable and I can
00:27:59
be here, you know, and you just you go from feeling like uh cool and sexy and working at SNL to
00:28:07
being like the most unfuckable just like unc unccreative human and and
00:28:14
you're like surrounded by cool young rich people and you're like
00:28:20
[ __ ] you know, like I know and you just feel like you got to compete in that. So, there was a lot of
00:28:25
that feel that way at restaurants. Um I don't even know what that means,
00:28:30
but I'm unfuckable and uncool and everyone's cool around me.
00:28:36
You're in the corner nursing a cocktail, you know. Is uh SNL still Rose Bud Baker? Is it
00:28:45
still um 24 hours a day you have to be there or can you come in late or do they
00:28:51
do jokes from home and you write them and send them in and or is it really it's still I mean for me I got to be
00:28:57
there I got to be there like personally I I don't I don't want to be writing jokes from my
00:29:02
kind of fun to be there. I think that's a new world of people that don't are buying into this, but as hard as SNL
00:29:08
was, you wish you weren't there, but you you have to sort of be there all the time to be involved in jokes that like
00:29:14
organically are coming up or sketches or interacting with everyone. And it's all important to me. It feels like it was
00:29:21
all important. I want to be there because I want to remember like who I am, you know? It's
00:29:28
also like it's this feeling of like you know when you're a creative person
00:29:33
you got to be create like you got to be surrounded by creative people and to stay in touch with that and to
00:29:39
kind of be in the mix and you know I I I think co kind of did a number of all of
00:29:44
our on all of our brains making us think that oh it's we it's possible to work from home so we should and it I don't
00:29:51
know I don't think that really I don't think that really works in a creative setting. I never thought it would work.
00:29:57
I thought people would want to come back. Not not want to come back. Some jobs obviously are [ __ ] horrible. But this the creative, you're right.
00:30:03
Everyone around us there when I was there, I got Dana. I got everyone like I could say, Dana, can I grab you for one
00:30:09
second and pick your brain? And the the fact that you have that the value of like, oh my god, I have all these like
00:30:15
superstars that you're just and writing geniuses to go, can I just talk to you for a second about this and maybe they
00:30:21
can crack a code for me or something I'm trying to figure out is great because everybody's good.
00:30:27
I know. And the and the other thing is that that I really love about it is it kind of feels like
00:30:33
um like you went to like you went to college at the same place as some of your favorite people,
00:30:38
you know, like that. Oh yeah. Like I get to talk to you guys, you know what I mean? Or I get to talk to people
00:30:44
that I I wouldn't necessarily like I don't know. Maybe my career would have we would have crossed paths. I mean, but
00:30:50
it's I don't know. It's just this special kind of uh bond that you have
00:30:55
with people that have like worked at SNL and you go, "Okay, so you get it." You know what I mean?
00:31:00
It's like you you understand. Yeah. Running down the hallway, 8H, uh you know, the grease paint, the smell,
00:31:06
the roar of the crowd, it's identical. Lauren Lauren Michaels is still there, you know. So, I I do think uh do you
00:31:13
find it's kind of fun if someone you're in a writer's room, it's someone else's idea and sketch and everyone's bouncing
00:31:20
around. It's it seems more relaxing to kind of bunch up someone else's sketch in a way. Like, oh, how about this? How
00:31:26
about that? And the other fun part I found is like I'd be in the chair getting the Biden thing
00:31:32
on and we're just right right almost going live television and Allison and Kent and and um Streer would be there
00:31:39
and then we'd go round and round and we always completely agreed when we got it. Oh, it's that.
00:31:44
Yeah, there was usually all the writers go, "Oh, we got it now." So, this is fantastic. So, to your experience, You
00:31:51
had all those kinds of uh experiences, I assume. Yeah. It's very much like that kind of
00:31:56
feeling of um like when something just uh when something fits. It's like Tetris
00:32:02
or some, you know, like you you go, "Oh, yeah, that goes there. That's absolutely there's nowhere else for that to go but
00:32:08
there." Um I think when I did one of those shows, Go ahead. Sorry. No, I Go ahead. I I was just saying when
00:32:15
I popped out, I think it was maybe that Hunter Biden week when I popped out and I just looked down the hallway from that dressing room because I was over there
00:32:21
with Dana and I think I saw you in the hallway with Chay and and that you were doing Q cards in the hallway cuz update
00:32:29
was coming up. Is that's is that kind of where you guys do it over by Q cards where they write them and and you're
00:32:35
just kind of cramming and just doing like maybe a last thing before. Is that what that is?
00:32:40
Yeah. Yeah. So, it was cool. Whatever it was. Generally speaking, uh it was so we'll go through
00:32:47
qards. Colin will read um yeah jokes. It's in that hallway is where Colin reads them and then chase under the
00:32:54
bleachers. Um okay. Usually we're all there's more of the writers are out by
00:32:59
Colin because Colin wants to change things a little more like right up until the last minute. There's might be little
00:33:05
words that he wants to change. Chay is pretty much like he knows what he wants to do. what by the time he's under the
00:33:12
bleachers, he's like, "We're g we're doing it, you know." Okay. Um, so we tend to like be right out in that
00:33:18
hallway just running things like and little making little tweaks and changes, little words here and there, you know,
00:33:23
or period there, you know? Yeah. Those things matter because you like Dana knows, you trust the card. So
00:33:29
once you're out there and you're on a card, it's hard to edit while you're talking. So it's like I'm
00:33:35
saying what's on this card. We already went over it. So I trust Wally did it. everyone did it right because if it's
00:33:41
the wrong one or if it's in the wrong place that buys you time and that stutter step will kind of ruin the
00:33:47
momentum. There's little things you got to have it like. I'm always curious as cast members like
00:33:54
how cuz there's some some people you can tell it's harder for them to lean on the
00:34:00
cards to like take their eyes off, you know? They they just rely more on their own memory and it always kind of
00:34:07
backfires. You just It's so true. That's like a hoax.
00:34:12
Yeah. It's like just read the read what's on the card. And I'm always wondering because I've never been in
00:34:17
that position. It's so easy to be like just read the card. But how it goes against every instinct.
00:34:24
Yeah. It's because you want to act with Dana. Like I want to look at Dana. And if you're looking a little to the side of Dana,
00:34:30
you also want to go, hey, like I want to scoop up the lines and then say them to Dana. But you're supposed to just act
00:34:36
like this is Dana here. And people will believe that until you look over like this and go back and they go, "Oh, wait.
00:34:42
Where are they? What's he looking at?" you know, it goes back and forth. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There's so many metrics to this. You
00:34:49
know, the one thing I was thinking about was just if it's getting too late, but you know that your little piece is the
00:34:56
rhythm is not right. So, it drives you a little crazy. It's off by a couple syllables, but it's too late. So, that's
00:35:02
one thing that's very frustrating. So, I think that me coming back, coming from the 80s, I didn't feel like it was a
00:35:08
career move. like I've got to score, but you still want to just do the best you
00:35:14
can. And a lot of it is the mind [ __ ] of like have a sense of playfulness.
00:35:19
Doesn't mean you're sabotaging anybody or going off the script, but a sense of being playful when when the camera's
00:35:26
there. Being alive in the frame, you know, not locked on the cards, not scared. And so, it's a great place to
00:35:32
get to, but it it's nerve-wracking as hell, like I said. So, yeah. I mean, yeah, it just seems like some people got
00:35:38
it and some people are like, I I can't, you know, like, yeah, it's tough. The amount of
00:35:44
I'm never going back the car. Like, I think Dana likes to live by this interview.
00:35:49
The hardest part about ad living is if it affects the next card or the next actor because if you you don't give them
00:35:55
their feed line, then they're thrown and you don't want to do that. But you also go, [ __ ] I
00:36:00
could go on a run right here. Something you just think of that second and go, the crowd's right here. this would work.
00:36:06
And if like Dana is doing Biden directly to camera, he can just go off, you know. But if someone's waiting for their line,
00:36:12
it's like that's the Well, I would have loved to have done Biden and one. It wasn't the Dana Carvey show one for like five minutes. But when
00:36:20
I was doing George Bush Senior going way back, but I was first time I didn't have
00:36:25
any bandmates with me. It was just me with the cards and I was getting so into it toward the end that I just said to
00:36:32
myself that uh the Q cards are suggestions. I still did them, but I said they're
00:36:39
just suggestions because if the audience is going to go for something, I'm going to ride that wave because it was just
00:36:45
got to do all that stuff. But by the way, by the way, um this is just an interesting fun fact about you. Your
00:36:51
grandfather was James Baker the third. know this, but your grandfather,
00:36:57
the guy behind the throne, the guy that everyone in that era that your grandfather came up is like that was the
00:37:03
guy that was kind of the president or like he was so respected between the Reagan administration and
00:37:10
George Bush senior that um you know um I met him at one of
00:37:16
the one of the events. You did? Isn't that funny? Dana met him. Well, I had to go down because they said um they
00:37:24
wanted me to perform in the East Wing. This is after Bush lost the election and I he invited me to come out.
00:37:30
Fun crowd. Cheer up cheer up the troops. I thought I thought go
00:37:35
like a win-win. You guys will love this. I thought he'd go, "Well, you do 10 minutes, then bring
00:37:41
me up." He goes, "You'll do 45." 45
00:37:47
with his staff. It would have to be all about him for 45. This is like 20. And I
00:37:54
saw your grandfather over there and he just kind of smiled and he's looking around, you know? It's like 45 [ __ ]
00:38:00
five minutes of N. They don't know how long it boo. But then here's here's the other one
00:38:06
about your grandfather. This is I've never said this. It's not that it's not dramatic, but it's just so I'm having
00:38:11
dinner with the president, Barbara. My wife and I were having dinner. there's a phone there and something's going on in
00:38:18
Somalia. He goes, "Well, I gotta go talk to James." And I go, "At this point, he
00:38:24
transitioned into being the uh uh secretary, not secretary of state in
00:38:30
into chief of staff." So, he was chief of staff. And I said to Barbara Bush, I go,
00:38:36
"Why is he talking to James Baker?" And he goes, "Well, you know, once a secretary of state, always a secretary
00:38:42
of state, even though he was chief staff. That's all I got.
00:38:48
Sorry, we can edit that out. You know, they're really they were like tennis partners and sometimes I love the
00:38:55
fact that they would like chat like like girlfriends on the phone. Like they were kind of just like
00:39:01
gossip buddies, you know, like Yeah, I could see that. It can't be about together on the phone.
00:39:08
Love Island Somalia. Yeah, they they break it all down in behind the scenes, you know. It's all
00:39:14
like, well, that guy's he's kind of a [ __ ] you know, or whatever it is, you know, they're just seeing
00:39:20
to talk to this prick. Everybody's a high school senior. That's why I say people are intimidated by
00:39:25
politicians or anybody. Everyone is recent high school senior. Yeah. I think that's also why I like um
00:39:34
you know, people my first year at SNL, I remember people coming up and being like, are you okay? Are you good? Is
00:39:40
everything okay? They only ask they only ask you your first week because after that nobody cares and no one's going to
00:39:47
ask you. No, everyone in the building will ask you how you're doing your first week because no, you'll never hear it again. No one
00:39:54
ever again will be like, "How are you feeling?" So, I remember people coming up and
00:40:00
being like, "Are you nervous? Are you okay? Are you good?" And I was like, "Yeah." No, I was like raised by war
00:40:07
criminals. I think I'm I got this. I'm fine.
00:40:12
Oh, that's your next special raised by war criminals. Like doesn't scare me.
00:40:21
By the way, uh I was going on Fallon and I think
00:40:26
people don't realize that to change gears and I think we've all been in this position. I'm backstage and something
00:40:33
happens and I get a call and there's a huge argument and some bad news and they're like, "You're up after this
00:40:39
commercial." I'm like, "Oh, I'm up right now." And I'm so mad. I'm behind the curtain going because you have to flip
00:40:46
in one in 30 seconds they're coming back. The guy's like 30 seconds. I'm like, I'm so mad I cannot walk out there. And
00:40:52
it I people forget that you do have normal things in life and you got to come out and be like yada.
00:41:00
Yeah, it took a second for me to honestly even walk out like almost mad and shake his hand and give him a little
00:41:06
push and go, "Fuck, let's do this." It was almost like that and then of course he's in a great mood. Of course the
00:41:12
crowd is great and you can change up but in your head you're like it was that was that one was
00:41:17
almost too fast for me to switch. It was very, you know, we've all been that spot. But a lot of times if you're what what
00:41:24
have you must have had horrible experiences where something hap I I bit my tongue and I was bleeding. Ladies and
00:41:30
gentlemen, welcome to shenanigans. So you must deal with that all the time or you get a call and maybe it's your
00:41:35
husband or the nanny and something happened. Not well whoa. Oh [ __ ] we'll do this and then you got to be on.
00:41:42
You know, ordinarily though, I really thrive in those moments. Like I was like I really enjoy like a piece of dark news
00:41:50
and then and then having to perform with like while working on that. You know
00:41:56
what I mean? It's just a fun, you know, wakes you up kind of, you know? Yeah. You're woken up and there's just
00:42:02
there's there's something I just universally ironic. You're living in the
00:42:07
irony of just being alive, right? And so that's just funny automatically because
00:42:13
it's like here we are, we think life's life's so great, everything's so good. And then you get a piece of news and
00:42:18
it's like, you know what I mean? It's like it's the universal stepping on a rake and then having to like keep going
00:42:25
and then you got to go, "Hey, dogs are funny. Do you ever notice dogs?" And then one's like, "I have a dog." And you're like,
00:42:32
but in your head you're like, "Oh my god." a good a really good set in the early days. I noticed when I had streped
00:42:38
throat or whatever the [ __ ] it was doing so much stand up and I gotta go up
00:42:45
and I'm really sick. So there was no pressure. It was like I can just get through this and then
00:42:50
usually those are really good sets. Something to learn from that kind of circle what you were saying like when
00:42:57
you this is just ridiculous what I'm doing. Don't take it too serious. Yeah. Yeah. And I it makes me think of
00:43:03
that um that it was like a famous set that Tig Nataro did when she was like, "Hi, hi, I have cancer." You know,
00:43:10
it's like that that's like a perfect comedy. That's a perfect comedy set, you know?
00:43:18
Yes. Yes. And it's a weird way that just releases so much whatever energy or any
00:43:24
anticipation. It's like, whoa, whoa, what? I mean, the audience has to wake up too,
00:43:30
you know? Right. It's like, well, I'm I'm processing it, so you should pro. So, you know what I mean? It's like, let's
00:43:35
all just process this together. I guess I'm going to do the thing where you said where you step on a rake.
00:43:41
Yeah. Yeah. Step on a rake. Slip on a banana.
00:43:46
Step in a bucket. I've said this before. You might find it interesting. Steven
00:43:53
Cob Bear, he does a great Scooby-Doo. Stephen Cobear said to me that right
00:43:59
before he goes out every night, even recently, that he slaps himself so hard.
00:44:05
He He wants to worry that did I do it too hard this time right before he goes
00:44:11
out. He wants to have that stress of like maybe I bruised myself or maybe I really hurt myself. Just whack. And then
00:44:17
he would go out, you know? So we all have Is that just to Is that every night? Is
00:44:24
that what he says to dinner? That's unless he stopped doing it. He
00:44:30
says every single night. And then coincidentally, I told that story to Lord and he goes, I do the same thing.
00:44:37
My nipples. Uh Marcy, please.
00:44:44
Ryan Sheri, did you end up having Let me see. Oh, we're Get your last question in.
00:44:52
No. What's my last question? I'm I'm having a nice time with Rose. You ask her one more thing. We'll let her go.
00:44:58
Um, let's see. Well, you want to just tell people you're out there a little bit. You're not on a massive tour, but
00:45:04
you're going to Dublin, Ireland. You're going to I'm doing the Dublin. Yeah, I'm doing Dublin and then I'm coming back to the
00:45:10
States. I'm doing Westchester or Westport, Connecticut. What? [ __ ] One
00:45:15
of those. West uh very fair. What's that one? Chester
00:45:20
or Westport. I think it's Westchester. Um, but anyway, I'm
00:45:26
all of my tour dates are like on my website at rosebudaker.com. Yeah. And you're playing the punchline,
00:45:32
the original comedy club in the San Francisco comedy scene. That was the first time there was an actual dedicated
00:45:39
comedy club in San Francisco like 7879. Is that true? That came before Comedy
00:45:45
Magic. Well, just that's down in Hermosa Beach, but in the in San Francisco scene, it
00:45:51
was all just bars. What about music clubs? Cobbs was after Punchline. Punch line
00:45:57
was first. What about Standup Cafe or whatever you call it?
00:46:03
Uh, the other cafe, the comedy cafe. Yeah, other cafe. Well, Rosebud, thank you. And you have a
00:46:09
fun name. It's fun to talk to you. It's a very good name. The motherload. I actually I went on
00:46:16
Reddit actually and it's just like five stars. People are coming on to it.
00:46:21
Good. And that's that's where they say the worst things. So I appreciate those are the haters. Yeah. I'm glad you went to the haters first
00:46:28
just to make sure. Cuz I wanted to get, you know, cuz I'm still competitive at this age and I still want to go, what the [ __ ] are they
00:46:34
saying about her? Yeah. Yeah. She ain't good. God damn it. Uh but anyway, um you got
00:46:42
it all going on. just have fun. I don't know. I don't have any words of wisdom. It's been a pleasure. If I end up out
00:46:49
there and you're out there, please please come and say hello during all the madness.
00:46:54
I would love to. I would love to. Um, thank you guys so much for having me. I really appreciate it.
00:47:02
She's so anything about the episode except these were my notes.
00:47:09
Done. Yeah, you got to everything. We dug deep.
00:47:14
No one expects anything from this podcast. That's the best part. Okay, go Rose. She's leaving. All right, that was
00:47:21
RB. We were just totally She was still on there now. She left.
00:47:28
Um, that was Rosebud Baker. Really got to know her. Um,
00:47:34
lots of fun. We learned a lot about Update, which people are very curious about. Weekend Update is a huge part of
00:47:39
that show. Mhm. Colin and Michael do a great job and uh and she helps write put it up there and
00:47:46
uh that's really fun. It was fun for me to see it from a different perspective when I was there. You were there. Uh and then when
00:47:52
people come on and do Update, that's a whole another interesting world of
00:47:57
writing your own bit to go on update. Who cuts, how many they cut, it's all
00:48:03
scary. Yeah. And you could tell that there is a
00:48:08
um you you have to have really good people skills. So meeting her and her whole
00:48:14
vibe and how copathetic she was and and smart that uh of course she fits in.
00:48:20
It's just a it's a tough place. We always we say it too much, but it's also a lot of fun and it sounds like she's
00:48:27
having a good time and it's fun to be a valuable part of all that. And then she's also got her kids. She's got her stand up. She's got a lot of things
00:48:33
going right now. Well, it's interesting to me after we've done what do we this that was our 12th podcast, I think as flying the wall. But
00:48:41
I never get tired of the the human experience of someone saying what they're feeling about going through
00:48:47
that. I still find it really interesting because it's her own personal story
00:48:53
around all the different things and everyone's has a slightly different take on it. Sure, that's true. It's a little
00:48:59
different. We we we relate to her in a lot of it, but she's got her own life and different things. So, different
00:49:04
things are stressed to her. Different things are more valuable and fun. And I was like I liked hearing about uh what
00:49:11
what is the week like because I'm so wrong on a lot of stuff now because readthroughs move. There's there's
00:49:16
different things. What's the work week like and uh who adds what? Blah blah blah.
00:49:22
Yeah. It's it's it's it's identical and yet it's slightly different, you know, but it's only been 50 years. But anyway,
00:49:29
that was very, very interesting. Um, I liked her. I'm glad we got to know her because I didn't did not really know her
00:49:34
at all. I just said hi to her at the show and uh she turned out to be a blast. So, yeah, hope you guys liked it. We'll see you
00:49:40
next time.
00:49:45
Hey guys, if you're loving this podcast, which you are, be sure to click follow on your favorite podcast app, give us a
00:49:52
review, fivestar rating, or maybe even share an episode that you've loved with a friend. If you're watching this
00:49:57
episode on YouTube, please subscribe. We're on video now. Fly on the Wall is presented by Odyssey,
00:50:03
an executive produced by Danny Carvey and David Spade, Heather Santoro and Greg Holtzman, Mattie Sprung Kaiser, and
00:50:10
Leah Reese Dennis of Odyssey. Our senior producer is Greg Holtzman. And the show is produced and edited by Phil Sweet
00:50:18
Tech. Booking by Cultivated Entertainment. Special thanks to Patrick Fogerty, Evan Cox, Mora Curran, Melissa
00:50:27
Wester, Hillary Shuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gainner, Shan Cherry, Kurt
00:50:33
Kourtney, and Lauren Vieiraa. Reach out with us any questions to be asked and answered on the show. You can email us
00:50:40
at fly onthewallsey.com. That's audacy.com.

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 60
    Funniest
  • 60
    Best performance

Episode Highlights

  • The Journey of Motherhood
    A comedian shares her chaotic journey to motherhood, from unexpected pregnancy to IVF.
    “There's so much experience packed into that.”
    @ 25m 06s
    August 11, 2025
  • The Creative Environment of SNL
    Discussing the importance of being in a creative environment and the camaraderie at SNL.
    “It's like you went to college at the same place as some of your favorite people.”
    @ 30m 38s
    August 11, 2025
  • The Pressure of Live Performance
    Navigating the challenges of performing live while dealing with personal issues.
    “I really thrive in those moments.”
    @ 41m 50s
    August 11, 2025
  • Rosebud Baker's Comedy Journey
    Rosebud shares her experiences in the San Francisco comedy scene and the evolution of comedy clubs.
    “Punchline was first.”
    @ 45m 57s
    August 11, 2025
  • The Power of Feedback
    Rosebud discusses the importance of understanding audience reactions, even from critics.
    “I wanted to get, you know, what the [ __ ] are they saying about her?”
    @ 46m 28s
    August 11, 2025
  • A Unique Podcast Experience
    The hosts reflect on the charm of their podcast and the insights gained from their guests.
    “No one expects anything from this podcast. That's the best part.”
    @ 47m 09s
    August 11, 2025

Episode Quotes

Key Moments

  • Bombing on Stage23:24
  • Personal Comedy Special24:30
  • Ad-libbing Challenges35:49
  • Tour Dates45:26
  • Comedy Clubs History45:39
  • Reddit Reviews46:16
  • Guest Appreciation46:49
  • Podcast Reflection47:09

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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