Hi, I'm Jon Lovitz. Most of you know me by my stage name, "JLO." You probably have seen me at some point on SNL, The Critic, or in a movie like A League of Their Own, The Wedding Singer or Rat Race. I have a comedy club at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles, and I also have a vodcast. I'm also working to make Comedy Dreams Come True to help comedians get their first big break.

Go ahead and ask me anything!

tweet: https://twitter.com/realjonlovitz/status/400785466007355392

Well thank you everyone for all the comments, all the nice compliments, I really appreciate it. It was fun talking to all of you. I hope I answered your questions ok! Please check out my FundAnything campaign if you're interested, we have great rewards: http://fundanything.com/JLO?locale=en and thank you again!

Comments: 2022 • Responses: 45  • Date: 

Iamtheonewhobawks1682 karma

Please, please, PLEASE make a Critic-style youtube series reviewing bad movies.

Please do this. For the children.

IamJonLovitz1007 karma

It's up to Al Jean and Mike Reiss who created the show!

DohRayMeme1217 karma

Who wrote the Hitler scene in Rat Race? That sequence is by far the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. I start laughing at "I'm not putting my mouth on it, I'm not suckin on the dashboard" and I dont stop. If anyone missed this movie, go see it immediately. Most underrated comedy of all time. Forgive the smash mouth, everyone was doing it back then.

IamJonLovitz971 karma

Andy Breckman wrote the movie. He used to write on David Letterman and SNL and he created the TV show Monk. He is one of the few comedy writers who is also a very funny person. I love his sense of humor.

doginyellowcoat1082 karma

Hi Jon, no question here, but my brother and I once ran into you in a McDonalds in NYC, and you couldn't have been cooler.

There was also a family that was there, who asked you to eat with them even though you were clearly looking to be in and out, but you indulged them for a few minutes and sat down with them. Kudos to you for being a good dude.

IamJonLovitz1033 karma

well thank you very much!

Tk14388786 karma

what ever happened to the critic they need to bring it back

IamJonLovitz1141 karma

The show was a hit, but Fox cancelled it anyway. I would love to do it again.

herpderpherpderp569 karma

Tartlets.

IamJonLovitz550 karma

That's from my first time doing FRIENDS. Thanks for remembering.

jjidi410 karma

Hey Jon, no question here, just wanted to say you were funny as hell in High School High.

IamJonLovitz477 karma

Thank you! That was the first time I had the lead in a movie, and I got to a love scene, a fight scene, but they were all funny too. I met Tia Carrere working on that movie and we've become really good friends. Anyway I'm glad that you liked it. Thank you.

Zoomerlawns359 karma

I've got a remodel project going on in the bathroom. What kind of tile do you see as being popular in the next 10 years?

IamJonLovitz513 karma

White tile.

lacienega347 karma

You were friends with Michael Jackson, weren't you?

IamJonLovitz941 karma

No, my father was his family doctor. I met him 5 or 6 times briefly over the years since he was 11. I wouldn't say I was friends with him but one of my best friends worked for him and I got to stay at Neverland Ranch. The last time I saw him he recognized me. He was the most generous person I ever met in my life.

GWBush2016340 karma

[deleted]

IamJonLovitz495 karma

Well I don't have 1 but he became an older brother to me and was just the nicest guy in the world. Whenever we worked together he always made me laugh and I looked up him and thought he was brilliant. He was also one of the nicest people I've ever met in my entire life.

Al and Tom Davis were producing the show and they hired me to do SNL. I was in the Groundlings theater and they came to see me and I was doing a Master Thespian sketch and nobody was laughing except for Al. I remember thinking thank god that guy from Saturday Night Live is laughing. He recommended I meet with Lorne Michaels.

tenniskirst21324 karma

when can we expect the return of artie ziff?

IamJonLovitz349 karma

You have to ask Al Jean who runs the Simpsons! But I always have fun doing that character.

CapableLover321 karma

[deleted]

IamJonLovitz310 karma

Once in a while people recognize my voice as Radio.

Jayzub261 karma

[deleted]

IamJonLovitz375 karma

The cast accepted me but understandably, emotionally it was tough to do.

huntergraybles254 karma

I don't even have a question to give you. Only my love! You are so amazingly quotable, every line, pure comedy gold. You help me seem funny sometimes. Thank you!

IamJonLovitz270 karma

That's a huge compliment. Thank you!

MissSpicyMcHaggis231 karma

i am so sexual attracted to you it's awkward in every way.

I loved you in the wedding singer and hope one day you can be my wedding singer.

Also, Rat Race. Hands down one of my favorite movies ever. Thank you for exploding my bladder.

IamJonLovitz735 karma

Well that is very flattering, thank you. I am glad I attracted someone sexually. Finally, somebody who gets it!

mmirela187 karma

So what's mr bean like in real life?

IamJonLovitz331 karma

He's very nice. He's very reserved and very quiet. He doesn't tell jokes, he's very shy. He's very into his family. When he's doing a scene and working it out, he is very funny.

evansmith182165 karma

What was your experience like on Seinfeld?

IamJonLovitz312 karma

I had a great time. It was the number 1 show on TV and I had known Jerry Seinfeld for a long time. I remember I kept making Jason Alexander laugh every time I said "You got that right Jack." And Julia Louis-Dreyfus was nice, Larry David was great, I was excited to be on it. I thought the idea of the character was very very funny.

Cadrid161 karma

Do you have any interest in playing a non-comedic role in a film or show? I was both impressed and creeped out when I saw Robin Williams in "One Hour Photo", and I could definitely see you playing a sleazy businessman or creeper in suburbia.

...No offense!

IamJonLovitz279 karma

I did a movie Casino Jack that was kind of like that. You should watch that movie, it's a good one, with Kevin Spacey.

Dajbman22146 karma

What work of yours do you feel is the most misunderstood or under-appreciated?

IamJonLovitz456 karma

Mom and Dad Save the World. Only because it was only out for one week so hardly anybody got to see it, but I think if they had publicized it it could have been a hit, it was a very funny comedy.

Also the movie Rat Race. It was funny but the trailer to the movie was incomprehensible, so...

mrshatnertoyou130 karma

What is your best memory from your SNL days?

IamJonLovitz250 karma

Just the camaraderie of all the comedians and every week getting to do scenes with the best actors in the country. I would always Master Thespian with John Lithgow and he was a great actor and just the nicest guy in the world.

Frajer121 karma

Which Simpsons character was/is your favorite to voice? What's your best memory doing The Simpsons?

IamJonLovitz280 karma

Llewellyn Sinclair the director in "A Streetcat Named Marge."

We used to record in the basement of a building called The Daryl Zanuck Theater. And the whole cast would be there all day, and in between takes there's a ping pong table, and we would play ping pong, and the cast would be very very funny and nice. It was always very entertaining to me to watch them do their voices.

klemkaddlehopper118 karma

Dang, I've missed you. How have you been?

IamJonLovitz148 karma

I missed you too Red!

ajb1990103 karma

First of all, "Top Billing" was the best episode of Tales from the Crypt. You were so damn good in that.

Your scene in Happiness is one of the most unforgettable openings ever filmed. Is Todd Solondz someone you'd be interested in working with again?

IamJonLovitz100 karma

Thanks for the compliments. Yes I loved working with Todd and would love to work with him again. He was very smart, very funny and very collaborative.

SonThisIsWhatHappens94 karma

First off, thank you so much for spending time with us tonight. You did a couple of guest appearances on NewsRadio before the untimely death of Phil Hartman, after which you came on as a regular cast member. It sucked we lost Phil Hartman, but you did a fantastic job all things considered. One of the funniest shows I had ever seen was just as enjoyable with you on the cast.

My question is this: What was your favorite movie role and why?

IamJonLovitz213 karma

A League of Their Own was a great part written for me. I love baseball and old movies and I had a blast, plus I had a lot of friends on the movie like Penny Marshall and Tom Hanks. And I had worked with Geena Davis and Madonna on SNL, got to meet Rosie O'Donnell for the first time and she was great. I love baseball, women and movies and that part combined all of it. I also liked my part in City Slickers 2, I thought it was a great part and working with Billy Crystal and Jack Parance was great.

aiming-low83 karma

  1. Was there much (any) ad-libbing on The Critic, or was it all pretty much recorded and aired as scripted?

  2. And what was your favorite episode? :-)

IamJonLovitz149 karma

It was pretty much recorded as scripted but if I had an idea they would let me try and then keep it in. Pretty much close to 100% except for a few lines here and there that I made up was written.

My favorite episode was the one where he runs the New York Marathon.

stile9971 karma

I loved The Critic. I cannot hear "Beauty and the Beast" without hearing "Beauty and King Dork" instead. This is not a bad thing, I love it. Thank you for that and your other wonderful works.

Oh wait, I didn't phrase it as a question. OK, here goes:

Do you have any idea how awesome you are?

IamJonLovitz77 karma

No! I don't think I'm awesome, but I appreciate you saying that, that's very kind of you.

SOAP_before_HMMER50 karma

Hi Mr. Lovitz. Let's not forget your excellent part in the movie Happiness.

What was it like starring in such a film, and what is your primary memory derived from working on that film?

Thanks, for the AMA; I'm a big fan of your work.

IamJonLovitz63 karma

Todd Solondz wrote a great scene and it was a real challenge because I had to be funny and sad at the same time. It was a challenge but he wrote a great scene and was a great director to work with.

deadmallsanita50 karma

If there was a Jay Sherman/Jon Lovitz doll out there, I would carry him in my purse every day. Justssayin.

Do you have any upcoming projects with with Matthew Broderick again?

IamJonLovitz58 karma

No, not right now, but he's a great actor and a good friend. I love working with him and hope I get to work with him again.

uberlad47 karma

What's your very best life advice?

IamJonLovitz185 karma

2 things.

One is happiness is a choice.

And the second is are you willing to do what you have to do to get what you want.

Pleaseluggage43 karma

Who should I believe, you or Joe Isuzu?

IamJonLovitz95 karma

Well, I would believe me.

littlekikistar40 karma

Saw you perform once at the Comedy Club in LA, great show! Who are some of your biggest comedic inspirations/heroes? Also I miss The Critic :(

IamJonLovitz74 karma

Woody Allen and Lenny Bruce. I saw Woody Allen's first movie when I was 13 years old and that's when I decided I wanted to be a comedian.

mynameisseven37 karma

Jon: Your time at 'Saturday Night Live' is, definitively, the greatest era of the series. It was because of you that you saved the series from the brink of cancellation. Congrats.

What was the writers' room like? I mean, in your time at the show, you saw the three-headed powerhouse that was Robert Smigel, Bob Odenkirk, and Conan O'Brien churning sketch-after-sketch out like it was nothing. I've always been curious what you thought of those three.

IamJonLovitz54 karma

Robert was there my first year so we started together. I became friends with all 3 of them. Bob is a great guy, he got the show because Robert recommended him. And Conan came on my second year, it took him 2 weeks to get the courage to introduce himself to me, but he knew Lisa Kudrow from The Groundlings theater so Lisa told Conan to say hi to me. They wrote sketches for me, but I was never in the writers' room. I wrote a Master Thespian sketch with Robert Smigel and he had an idea of having the Thespian be the Santa Claus at Macy's.

RageagainsttheSons32 karma

Thanks for doing this IAmA! It's nice of you to be doing this :) My question is how was it to work with a young Tom Hanks in Big?

IamJonLovitz73 karma

Well by the time they shot Big we had become very good friends. I thought he was great in the movie, at the time he was a year older than me so I didn't think of him as "the young Tom Hanks" I just thought of him as Tom. He was fun and a great actor.

jxj2428 karma

You're so much taller in real life. It's quite shocking, really.

I really, really miss News Radio. I felt that your character had just hit its stride, and was meshing well with the other cast, and that the writers had finally figured you out. Then -- BOOM!

How was your experience on the show?

IamJonLovitz132 karma

Thank you! I think a lot of people think I'm 5' 6" and they are surprised when they meet me to find out that I'm 6' 10".

huffdoggie27 karma

Hey JLO! You have a very distinct voice. Whenever I hear you in a cartoon I can immediately say, "Oh! That's Jon Lovitz!" I was wondering if this is because you have a particular inflection or character type that you work towards when doing voices. Also, being that your voice is so distinct, how do you typically get voiceover gigs? Do you audition when you see a part that looks right or do people usually come to you knowing that YOU are what they are looking for?

IamJonLovitz69 karma

I get offered voiceover parts. The funny thing is, I never thought my voice was anything distinctive and when I was in college I asked a professor of mine if he thought I could be a professional actor. And he said I had everything going for me except my voice. I tease him about it today. I didn't think my voice had anything distinctive about it at all. So it surprised me when people said it did.

mitchmanfitz726 karma

How much fun was it making Benchwarmers!?

IamJonLovitz51 karma

I had a blast doing that movie. The guys were all funny and great. I thought the script was very funny and I knew David Spade and Rob Snyder and Jon Heder was great to work with, and I got to meet Reggie Jackson and that was a real thrill.

Ag3nTTeresa21 karma

Greetings Jon! Big fan of The Critic. You even say that I...Lovitz. <_<

After doing The Critic, do you look at similar shows today and think they try too hard or do you enjoy them? What would Jay Sherman rate most of these shows?

IamJonLovitz49 karma

I think a lot of these shows are hilarious. One of my favorites is Family Guy, I think it's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. Sherman would rate it… it smells delicious.

JenLikesCats20 karma

What are your favorite books?

IamJonLovitz46 karma

I don't read a lot of books, but 2 of my favorites were The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas and the Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer.

emjaybe20 karma

Grew up watching you on SNL. Who was your favourite host to work with on SNL?

IamJonLovitz36 karma

I don't have just one, but I liked working with Robert Mitchum and William Shatner and Charlton Heston and my first show was with Madonna, that was fun. I liked Danny DeVito, he was a lot of fun, and Kevin Kline and Tom Hanks and Terri Garr hosted and I ended up becoming good friends with them.

Irnbruguy19 karma

Who are your favourite British comedians?

IamJonLovitz46 karma

Peter Sellers, Monty Python, Richard Griffiths.

OdedSharon19 karma

Hi , I'm Oded from Israel . Big fan, for like forever (Newsradio, actually) Have you been to Israel? Are you planning to be here in the near future? Would you do a Q&A with fans here?

IamJonLovitz44 karma

I was in Israel in 1978 when I was 20 years old and I visited my cousins there that I had never met and I had an amazing time. But I don't really plan to go back right now.

logicatch18 karma

I'm a fellow UCI Anteater...what were some of your favorite memories from your time at Irvine?

IamJonLovitz26 karma

The drama department, there were only 90 people in it. I did 21 plays while I was there. I had great teachers and great friends. We all hung out together and partied together and did plays together and it was a very special time in my life. The last 2 years I was a block and a half from the beach and it was just terrific.

UFNC17 karma

Some of the cutaway bits Family Guy does are similar to the Critic, except not as zany. Do you think the people behind that show were inspired by your show?

Ex:

"Come on my bloody amigos! We're taking Havana!"

IamJonLovitz32 karma

Well according to Al Jean who created The Critic, Family Guy lifts whole scenes from The Critic but I think that Seth MacFarlane probably grew up watching the Simpsons and the Critic and were probably influenced by it but Family Guy is a very original show and one of the funniest I've ever seen. Everyone is influenced by somebody, including myself.

Cosmictronic17 karma

Thanks for doing this AMA Mr Lovitz. My question is how was your experience working for SNL? You were one of my favorites, alongside Dana Carvey. Did you love it?

IamJonLovitz33 karma

It was very hard work but it was a lot of fun. And I love writing and performing my own material and I got to do that on the show, and that's why I love doing standup now, because I get to write and perform my own material again. I feel very lucky to have been on the show, I never thought I'd be on it in a million years. I had to audition and got picked and was very lucky.

FLGulf15 karma

Who is your favorite non comedy actor?

IamJonLovitz24 karma

I have more than 1. John Barrymore, Basil Rathbone, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole.

excalif2 karma

DUDE I just saw watched you in a City Slickers marathon I had with my buddies a few nights back. I loved the movie and there's something nostalgic about them that you just don't see anymore in comedy-movies these days.

What do you think could be missing? And if you could pitch ONE movie idea to bring back your old comedy styles, what kind of movie would it be, and who would it star?

IamJonLovitz7 karma

The style of the movie always starts with the writers, so the only way to bring that back would be to have Billy Crystal and Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz to write a sequel. Because they wrote it, you know. Comedies today I think are very funny but everything starts with the writers and that's why they styles change. I don't know how you could during it back.