John Mulaney recalls 'SNL' joke that bombed with Mick Jagger: 'I don't like that'

Bombing a joke is a rite of passage for every stand-up comedian, but John Mulaney’s comic duds happened on an A-list level.

During a Thursday appearance on the online talk show “Hot Ones,” the comedian and “SNL” alum was asked by host Sean Evans what the “worst reaction” was by a celebrity host to a sketch he had pitched on the NBC sketch comedy series.

Mulaney brought up an unsuccessful joke he had written for Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger when he hosted the show. “I remember we had a joke when Mick Jagger hosted that was: ‘Hey everyone, I’m Mick Jagger, so mothers lock up your daughters, or should I say, daughters lock up your mothers,’ ” Mulaney said. “And he listened and he went, ‘No, I don’t like that.’ And I actually remember I made Seth Meyers read that one.”

The “Baby J” star also recalled a comedic rejection he received from actor Josh Brolin, whose directness Mulaney appreciated.

“I was writing something and I started to walk him through it and he went, ‘Yeah, no, but that’s not funny,’ ” Mulaney said. “It was so matter of fact, I wouldn’t even call it the worst. I found it very refreshing.”

John Mulaney talks writers’ strike, artificial intelligence in comedy

Mulaney and Evans also discussed the impact of the recent writers’ strike on creative productions in Hollywood. In April, the Writers Guild of America — the union representing most screenwriters in Hollywood — went on strike. The board of directors for the WGA voted unanimously to strike after talks between the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach a contract.

Mulaney highlighted the picket-line issue of artificial intelligence and its potential effect on screenwriting, saying he has faith in the value of human-made comedic content.

“(I’m) very confident that there is a profound difference between knowing you’re hearing a joke from a person and knowing you’re hearing it from A.I,” Mulaney said.

But Mulaney acknowledged the role A.I. could play in the comedy landscape moving forward.

“I have heard A.I. jokes that are solid,” Mulaney said. “I wouldn’t call them crossing over into good, but they’re solid. So maybe A.I. could replace that 15th joke in an award show monologue that’s fine, and it acknowledges — you know when they have to acknowledge a movie that’s nominated or something — but like the joke isn’t that good? Maybe A.I. could provide that.”

'My little shadow': John Mulaney and Anna Marie Tendler mourn shared pet dog, Petunia

Writers strike 2023 explained: Why the WGA walked out, what it means for TV and film

Contributing: Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Mulaney on 'Hot Ones': Comedian recalls scrapped Mick Jagger joke