Why Tina Fey Called Lorne Michaels About Jon Hamm for 30 Rock

Tina Fey wanted some insight into what Jon Hamm was like before asking him to guest star on her sitcom 30 Rock.

In a joint conversation for Interview Magazine, in which Fey and Hamm reminisce about their careers, friendship and Hamm’s Your Friends and Neighbors series, Fey mentions calling SNL creator Lorne Michaels to ask about Hamm.

“I didn’t meet you before you hosted [SNL], and I remember calling or emailing Lorne and saying, ‘Let me know if he’s funny because we have a part coming up on 30 Rock that would be great for him.’ And also to make sure you weren’t a dick,” Fey told Hamm.

“I mean, that’s a real thing. It’s not fun to work with people that aren’t fun,” Hamm replied.

Fey added, “That’s one where you’re just like, ‘I won’t do that anymore.’ Life’s too short and the hours are too long.”

Hamm then recalled learning about the 30 Rock role: “That was such a fun moment for me too, because I remember coming back down to the host dressing room at SNL, and the phone rang. I’m in 30 Rock and it’s like, whose phones are these? Does somebody have this number? Who’s calling my dressing room? So I picked up and I think it was Robert Carlock on the other end who said, ‘Hey, would you like to do this? We have a part for you. It’s a totally normal doctor that won’t go weird at all, I promise.’”

Hamm took on the guest role of Dr. Drew Baird, starring in a multi-episode arc on the series in 2009. In the show, Fey’s Liz Lemon likes her neighbor, Baird, given that he’s a “normal human man” and also happens to love baking.

However, not all is what it seems, as Fey recalled, “And by the end of this arc, you have hooks for hands. And it turned out you were an incompetent doctor. We ruined you.”

Fey and Hamm have since been friends for 15 years, said Hamm, and reteamed to star in Friends With Kids, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Maggie Moore(s), and the recent Mean Girls film reboot together.

Hamm is next starring in the Apple TV+ series Your Friends and Neighbors, streaming April 11 and was already renewed for a second season.