A version of this story appeared in Esquire’s entertainment newsletter, T he Cliff-Hanger . Sign up here to receive weekly criticism of the movie or television show of the moment shipped directly to your in-box.
Some comedians are simply born funny. When Will Ferrell appeared on The Late Show earlier this summer, Stephen Colbert asked him to name who he saw at his first concert and he responded “Roddy Ricch” with a straight face. “Just a hip-hop guy, about five years ago,” he joked. “My first concert.” It was enough to bring me to tears, and Ferrell did it so easily—like King Midas, but if everything he touched burst into laughter. It’s that same ability that probably keeps Kenan Thompson on Saturday Night Live in prime form year after year. He can just walk on stage and t