‘Lorne Told Us To Write A Ladies Man, And I Was Against It.’ The One Time Tim Meadows Was Mad About Having To Do An SNL Sketch

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Saturday Night Live is known for tackling sensitive and often controversial subjects, particularly in the realm of politics. When the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal became public in 1998, SNL quickly began featuring Molly Shannon as Monica Lewinsky in several sketches. Interestingly, Monica Lewinsky herself actually made a cameo appearance in a couple of those sketches, including one with Tim Meadows called “The Ladies Man.” Meadows reportedly didn’t want to film that particular sketch, but he ultimately agreed to do it for a specific reason.

Immediately following Monica Lewinsky’s interview with Barbara Walters on 20/20, where she shared her account of the events, she began accepting offers to appear in the media. This included a brief appearance on Saturday Night Live in the fall of 1999. Kenan Thompson, who was the longest-serving cast member at the time, recently told Matt Wilstein on The Last Laugh podcast that he initially opposed Lewinsky’s guest spot on the show.

During a writers’ meeting, we learned she could do a few sketches that week. Lorne suggested we write a ‘Ladies Man’ character, but I disagreed – and she knew that. I’d met her and discussed it. My concern was that I don’t like it when performers play characters that are essentially making fun of themselves on the show.

Let’s be real, Saturday Night Live wasn’t always gentle. They definitely went after Monica Lewinsky with some pretty harsh jokes back in the day, painting her as naive. But it’s worth remembering they didn’t stop there. The writers made Linda Tripp, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and even Barbara Walters targets of their sketches – everyone got a turn in the hot seat, it seemed. They really spread the satire around.

Often, how celebrities handle public scandals depends on their ability to laugh them off and accept the jokes that inevitably follow. In a 1999 interview with Barbara Walters on 20/20, Monica Lewinsky was asked about the jokes made about her on Saturday Night Live and late-night talk shows. She responded that she believed she had a strong sense of humor.

Tim Meadows mentioned he decided to appear in “The Ladies Man” sketch with Monica Lewinsky because he was impressed by her personality and how she handled the situation she was in.

Initially, I thought it was strange to have her on the show. But after I met her, my opinion completely changed. Harper and Dennis had written the sketch, and I told them I was happy to do whatever they wanted. Meeting her in person revealed how kind and resilient she was, especially considering everything she’d been through – she was even an intern at the time. That meeting really shifted my perspective.

Leon Phelps, known as “The Ladies Man,” is one of the most memorable characters from Saturday Night Live, though the sketch likely wouldn’t be considered appropriate by today’s standards. The premise involved Leon hosting a radio call-in show where he offered awful dating advice, famously saying “Ooooh, it’s a lady” whenever a woman called in. Though originally intended as a one-time sketch, the character had been dispensing bad advice for a couple of years by the time Monica Lewinsky appeared alongside him.

Considering the controversy surrounding Bill Clinton, it’s understandable that the writers of Saturday Night Live came up with a sketch featuring the Ladies Man character and a Clinton-inspired figure giving advice on workplace affairs and phone conversations about intimacy. However, it was a sensitive topic, and Mark Meadows was right to want to discuss the sketch with Monica Lewinsky beforehand. I imagine refusing to do the sketch would have meant getting fired – or worse.

Re-watching this sketch now, decades later, I can’t help but cringe at some of the lines given to the Lewinsky character. Thankfully, Meadow’s portrayal of Phelps is equally blunt and, honestly, even more self-deprecating about his own misbehavior. And, visually, it’s clear that David Spade was a really solid, supportive scene partner for his guest during the whole thing.

Monica Lewinsky is now sharing her side of the story through her podcast, Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky, and I’m really interested in hearing what she thinks about this Saturday Night Live appearance after all these years. If you’re interested in watching older episodes of SNL, you can stream them with a subscription to Peacock.

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2025-12-07 02:38