Day Eating With Seth Meyers: The ‘Late Night’ Host Counts Down His Top 10 Pizza List

If you haven’t noticed, we’re in the middle of a media apocalypse. Newspapers are dying, websites that filled that void with top-notch journalism have gone away and the outlets that are left still struggle to attract audiences and make a difference as social media and bad-faith cable networks pollute the public discourse.

Thank goodness for the late-night talk shows, many of which are giving us some of the best news analysis and criticism out there — better than any of the hopelessly misguided news outlets that are still trying to report on politics like things are normal. Once a former president incites an insurrection, refuses to accept an election result and then becomes a 34-time convicted felon, well, nothing’s normal.

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At least series like “The Daily Show,” “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers” are telling it like it is. (And quite honestly, so are Stephen Colbert and the Jimmys — both Kimmel and Fallon.) In the case of Meyers, if he wants to blow off a little steam by day drinking with celebrities, I say, let him.

And yes, as Meyers must constantly remind reporters and viewers, he really is boozing it up in his now infamous “Day Drinking With Seth” segments. “This is a shameful thing that I probably shouldn’t admit, but more often than not, we have to edit out the number of shots I do,” Meyers tells me. “Because we can feel the moment where the audience starts to worry about my well-being.”

For a recent episode of Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast, I initially thought it would be fun to re-create “Day Drinking” in our studios. But then I realized that might be an HR problem. So, instead, inspired by our bond as mutual Northwestern University alums, I thought I’d grab some Chicago deep dish pizza and create a “Day Eating With Seth” segment. (Listen below, or scroll to the bottom to watch a video of our dining experience!)

The fine folks at the Los Angeles outpost of Chicago pizza eatery Gino’s East (co-owners Dan Michaels and Tod Himmel) decided to do us one better: They showed up with Chicago hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, as well as several deep dish pizzas and even some thin crust Chicago tavern-style pizzas. It was a Windy City feast, and you can hear us debating the pros and cons of Chicago eats on Variety’s Awards Circuit. Dan (a fellow NU alum who later became a radio DJ and exec) and Tod (a TV writer whose credits include “Everybody Loves Raymond”) joined us on the mics to discuss all things pizza and Chicago eats.

(I just noticed something else I have in common with my fellow Wildcat: Looks like we’re both lefties!) Meanwhile, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” I asked the host to come up with his top 10 (hey, top 10 lists — also a “Late Night” tradition!) pizza moments. And Meyers obliged, in a very unique way. [Editor’s note: This episode was recorded in April, before news that Meyers had renewed his contract through 2028, and that the 8G Band will no longer be a part of the show as a cost-cutting move.]

10. A large container of red chili flakes

“I like that it’s gratis. Like I’m pulling one over on the pizza place every time the chili flakes gets set down. You suckers have no idea.”

9. Marblehead House of Pizza (Marblehead, Mass.)

“Every time my mom would visit our grandmother, she’d drive back with a large hamburger Marblehead House pizza. We were excited for her to visit our grandmother, not because we thought our grandmother deserved to see her daughter. We were just happy pizza was going to come back.”

8. Seth’s son Axel’s crusts

“He’ll leave an eighth of each pizza slice, like he leaves one last sort of tranche of pizza.”

7. Sausage with fennel seed

“It makes me feel a little bit fancier.”

6. The job of pizza delivery

“Best job I ever had, until ‘SNL.’ But it is wildly divergent from any ideas pornography might have given you.”

5.  Frozen deep dish pizza after you’ve had a baby

“My bassist in the 8G band, Syd Butler, sent us a bunch of deep dish Chicago pizzas that we have in our freezer. He’s like, ‘if you’re up in the middle of the night and you’re starving, you just throw this thing in the oven, and you’ll be very happy.’”

4. The SNL Totino’s pizza rolls sketch with Vanessa Bayer and Kristen Stewart

“My favorite pizza comedy in the last 10 years.”

3. Tombstone pizza in college

“If you’re a little bit stoned, that’s perfect.”

2. The small pepperonis that curl up

“I love a cup and crisp.”

1. Joe’s on Carmine (New York)

“My favorite pizza place. My kids love it when we go to Joe’s. One day they’re gonna grow up and be like, ‘we lived a block and a half from one of America’s greatest pizza places.’”

And in these dark times, it’s at least good to know that we still have pizza — and Seth Meyers — to count on.

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