Wordy Wednesday: Andy Samberg starting yearning for 'SNL' at about age 8

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Andy Samberg said he was sneaking to watch late-night professional wrestling as a kid when he discovered "Saturday Night Live."

"I kind of found it by accident ... and just became obsessed with it," he said.

Samberg, a cast member on the show for the past five years, spoke Tuesday at the University of Florida's O'Connell Center to a crowd of about 5,000. He is best known for musical parodies on "SNL" including "Lazy Sunday," "I'm on a Boat" and a couple with names unprintable in a newspaper, a few of which were shown during the event.

"Stupid and weird -- I would say those easily describe what I do," he said.

Samberg said he wanted to be on "SNL" since the age of 8. His devotion to comedy could be frustrating to teachers, he said, although they might take a different view today.

"Then they'd probably say 'Just shut up, just shut up, just stop talking,'" he said. "Now they'd say, 'We had a special connection.'"

Mike Foley, a master lecturer in journalism at UF, interviewed Samberg for the event. Foley asked a variety of random questions, some suggested by his students. Most were met by smart-aleck answers.

What would Samberg do if he was a woman for a day?

"I'd probably try to have a baby," he said.

What's next with singer Justin Timberlake, his song-parody collaborator?

"Marriage."

Who would he want in the next bed if he was in the hospital?

"A doctor."

Samberg was paid $72,000 for the event and, as part of the contract, no photographs or video recordings were allowed. The ACCENT student-run speakers bureau sponsored the event as part of Jewish Awareness Month, a distinction that led Samberg to rate his placement on the Jewish scale.

"On a scale of like Hitler to Moses ... I'd say probably somewhere between Larry David and Steven Spielberg," he said.

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