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---
description: Jerry Seinfeld&#x27;s audience Q&amp;A is one to watch on the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary special
title: Jerry Seinfeld at His Hilarious Best for SNL 40
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47cb7c2f71126bae/69877f6b06f2c14a2b333fb4/rtr4e3oe.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=3840&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
---

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47cb7c2f71126bae/69877f6b06f2c14a2b333fb4/rtr4e3oe.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)

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# Jerry Seinfeld Ribs Larry David, Dakota Johnson and Brian Williams on _SNL_ 40


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[Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


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Feb 16, 2015 4:26 AM CUT

![Jerry Seinfeld arrives for the 2014 Women's Leadership Award honoring Stella McCartney at Alice Tully Hall in New York](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt47cb7c2f71126bae/69877f6b06f2c14a2b333fb4/rtr4e3oe.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld arrives for the 2014 Women's Leadership Award honoring Stella McCartney at Alice Tully Hall in New York Nov. 13, 2014

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld arrives for the 2014 Women's Leadership Award honoring Stella McCartney at Alice Tully Hall in New York Nov. 13, 2014Carlo Allegri—Reuters

by 

[Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


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Feb 16, 2015 4:26 AM CUT

Jerry Seinfeld showed up at the _Saturday Night Live_ anniversary to host a Q&A session with the audience. But before he took a single question he delivered a zinger at the expense of [NBC News host Brian Williams](http://time.com/3703787/know-right-now-brian-williams/ "undefined"), noting that Williams had told him that he hosted the show back in the ’70s. (Seinfeld wasn’t the only one to target Williams, either. Earlier, [Jim Carrey made it awkward](http://time.com/3710704/saturday-night-live-snl-brian-williams-jim-carrey-matt-lauer/ "undefined") on the red carpet by asking Matt Lauer about Williams.)

Seinfeld then took some questions from the celebrity-packed audience, which may rival the [Golden Globes ](http://time.com/3663547/golden-globes-2015-review-fey-poehler-cosby-charlie-hebdo/ "undefined")or [Academy Awards](http://topics.time.com/oscars/ "undefined") when it comes to stars-per-square-foot, packed as it was with former hosts, musical guests, past cast members and friends of the show. First, Michael Douglas wanted to know why he, Hollywood royalty and a self-titled “sexual icon,” had only been asked to host the show once. Seinfeld did his best to explain that people who hosted a lot were always available and “pathetic,” which, of course, offended people like John Goodman who has hosted 13 times (a.k.a. “a Goodman’s dozen”).

James Franco asked the audience at large, “Did you get my email?” and [_50 Shades of Grey_](http://time.com/3058900/50-shades-of-grey-trailer-jimmy-fallon-the-roots/ "undefined") star Dakota Johnson asked for hosting tips (she’s fronting the show on Feb. 28). Then former Alaska governor Sarah Palin asked how much Lorne Michaels would pay her to run for President in 2016 — and bring Donald Trump as her running mate. Seinfeld assured her that it would be priceless. Former _SNL_ cast member Ellen Cleghorne wanted to know why there aren’t more black women in the world in general.

> [](https://twitter.com/nbcsnl/status/567164039739215872)

Then Seinfeld alighted on his old friend Larry David who had just one question: “Was I really a writer here?” Turns out he wrote for the show for one season. It was David who got the last laugh when Seinfeld asked him if he was going to the after party, and David got a look of abject horror on his face shaking his head, “No, no, no.”

Watch the full clip below.

SNL 40: Jerry Seinfeld Ribs Larry David, Dakota Johnson, Brian Williams

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