Saturday Night Live released a new episode of its web series Stories From the Show today, following last week’s episode featuring show alum and recent host Eddie Murphy. This time around, former cast member and five-time host (he most recently hosted last November) Will Ferrell looked back at his stint on the show as a cast member. He reminisced about the time he did a yearlong bit dressed in a costume from a sketch every day (despite Alec Baldwin telling him, “It’s not a good look for youâ€) and a very odd character he created named Ron, who you might have seen in a couple Mango sketches but truly got his big break behind the scenes.
The character — whose entire gag was a mustache, glasses, ascot, and the catchphrase “I’m Ron†— once crashed the Studio 8H stage while Puff Daddy was rehearsing his musical performance, the result of a dare that the writing staff gave Ferrell. “Someone said, ‘Ron should go up onstage,’ and before everyone turned to see, I had sprinted out the door,†Ferrell remembers before watching some behind-the-scenes footage from the episode. Later on the tape, writer Paula Pell asks Ron afterward, “Hey, Ron, what’d you think about Puff?†“I’m not familiar,†Ron tells her. “He seemed fine.†It should come as no surprise considering he once visited almost every late-night show as a fictional character, but Ferrell — more than most — knows how to commit to a bit.