Robert Smigel reveals his pick for corniest show on TV during 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' appearance

Robert Smigel spoke about the event where he had the opportunity to dust off his popular puppet, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
PUBLISHED JAN 22, 2024
In a recent 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' episode, Robert Smigel unveiled his pick for the corniest show on television—Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Late Night with Seth Meyers)
In a recent 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' episode, Robert Smigel unveiled his pick for the corniest show on television—Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Late Night with Seth Meyers)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a recent appearance on 'Late Night with Seth Meyers', comedy writer and performer Robert Smigel shared his candid thoughts on what he considers the corniest show left on television.

The revelation came during a discussion about Smigel's experience at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where he attended to celebrate the presence of a balloon featuring the beloved character Leo.

Triumph's hilarious take on the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade

"We know Triumph, and here is -- There was a Leo balloon, which is very exciting. That was why you were there," Smigel began, setting the stage for the amusing tale. "And so I'm there -- And, um, I don't know. I just -- It's the corniest show left on television. I love it."

Seth Meyers, visibly intrigued, quickly guessed the show in question, exclaiming, "Oh, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The best." Smigel confirmed Meyers' hunch, elaborating on his reasons for dubbing the iconic parade as the epitome of corniness.

"Everybody's lip-syncing, and Hoda Kotb is reading from a prompter. The corniest stuff. And I'm like, 'I got to bring Triumph. I know I'm here for Leo, but...'" Smigel confessed, revealing his impromptu decision to showcase his famous rubber puppet, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, during the parade.

When Meyers inquired if the parade organizers had requested Triumph's presence, Smigel chuckled, "Yeah. Hoda Kotb -- Hoda Kotb is like, 'What is this show missing? How about a rubber puppet to [bleep] on all of us? That's what we need here.' No."

A puppet's unplanned dance takes over Macy's parade

Smigel then recounted the amusing moment when he, with Triumph on his hand, couldn't resist mocking the parade while filming himself. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the cast of the show 'Shucked' made their appearance, engaging in the typical lip-syncing routine.

"Yeah. A great show. And they're lip-syncing like every show does. It's fantastic. And then this amazing performer -- I think we have a clip. Alex Newell," Smigel continued, introducing a clip featuring an outstanding performance by Alex Newell.

"I notice that she's like three feet away from me. So out comes the puppet," Smigel explained, describing the moment Triumph stole the spotlight and joined in the fun. Meyers expressed his delight in the clip, remarking, "I love this clip because we realize - you realize you're on TV and then you realize that means Triumph can also be on TV."



 

The clip showcased Triumph getting into the groove, dancing along to the music. "It's like second nature. It's second nature. Triumph just got into it. He started dancing. I mean, Triumph is NBC property," Smigel concluded, highlighting the unexpected but entertaining turn of events during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

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