SNL Fans Are Freaking Out After Learning Bob Odenkirk Wrote Chris Farley's Greatest Sketch

By Jamie Jirak

These days, Bob Odenkirk is best known for playing Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and leading action films like Nobody. However, the actor spent many years of his career doing comedy. For a long time, he was known for the HBO series Mr. Show with Bob and David, and he also had a long history as a writer on Saturday Night Live. Like many SNL alums, Odenkirk got his start doing comedy at The Second City in Chicago. During Odenkirk's time at the comedy theater, he performed with the legendary Chris Farley. In fact, Odenkirk recently appeared on Hot Ones and revealed he was responsible for writing one of Farley's most famous sketches. During the interview, Odenkirk spoke about Farley's iconic Matt Foley character AKA the motivational speaker who lives in a van down by the river. 

"I love Chris, and then the motivational speaker sketch that I wrote for him, the one that did so well.... We had done an improvisation, and we were all playing teachers of a school, and it was like a 'Don't Do Drugs' rally, and we were talking to the students, and he did his coach character. And it was Matt Foley. He might've even used the name Matt Foley. It didn't have the story, 'van down the river,' it wasn't a motivational speaker, but, you know, he was going, [imitates Matt Foley]. It stuck in my head, as it would anyone, and I went home that night and I wrote that sketch, and I've written hundreds of sketches in my life, and I wrote it exactly the way it's done, although Robert Smigel added the breaking table."

Odenkirk shared, "My daughter once asked me, 'What was the most fun you've had in showbiz?' and I said, I did this sketch with Chris Farley. I played the dad in the sketch and we did it seven times a week at Second City." He added, "Every time I did that was the most fun I had in show business."

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This news of Odenkirk's history with the famous sketch has caused many SNL fans to react online. "Bob Odenkirk talking sweetly about Chris Farley on Hot Ones just feels right," @fathergore tweeted. "Bob Odenkirk wrote the Chris Farley motivational speaker sketch?! That's so f*cking cool!" @Fiberking4 tweeted. "Are there any videos of this? I'd love to see it," @TangentTen wondered about Odenkirk's Second City days. 

Are you surprised to learn Bob Odenkirk's history with Chris Farley's famous SNL sketch? Tell us in the comments! 

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