Will Ferrell: I Wouldn't Do The Janet Reno 'SNL' Bit 'Now'

This is a bad sign for the 'Comedy IS BACK!' crowd. 

In an interview promoting their upcoming Netflix documentary "Will & Harper," which debuts September 27, Will Ferrell and his best friend, Harper Steele, a former comedy writer at Saturday Night Live who came out as trans to Ferrell two years ago, spoke on the current state of comedy with the New York Times through a 2024 lens. 

Ferrell and Steele were asked if there was "anything that you wrote or were in that makes you think, I wouldn't have handled that subject like that today." 

Here we go with revisionist history, a popular topic for the wokes who want to let the world know they've evolved, and they would NEVER do a cross-dressing skit these days. 

"Is there anything that you wrote or were in that makes you think, I wouldn’t have handled that subject like that today?" the two were asked by the NYT. 

Ferrell, who was never canceled for playing the role of Janet Reno or a pigtailed ‘Stacy’ in a ‘Tonight Show’ bit with Jimmy Fallon, seems to have regrets over playing the Reno character. 

"I’d have to go back and review shows, but I’m sure there’d be a fair amount where you’d lament the choice. I mean, in a way, the cast — you’re kind of given this assignment. So I’m going to blame the writers," Ferrell said of the past roles that now cause him to cringe. 

Reno was one of those roles. 

"That’s something I wouldn’t choose to do now," Ferrell admitted. 

There was a time in 1997 when Will Ferrell could dress up as Janet Reno on Saturday Night Live & Rudy Giuliani could appear as a guest and the world didn't burn to the ground

In a bit from Will's cross-dressing comedy days, he put on boxing gloves to fight Giuliani in a basement during an episode of "Janet Reno's Dance Party." 

"You box dirty," Giuliani tells the attorney general. 

"Then hows come my conscience is so clean," Janet says as Rudy holds onto his balls. 

America laughed. The trans community didn't protest in the streets and life went pretty well for the comedian and writer Harper Steele. 

It's 2024 and Will Ferrell must say the right things or he'll pay the price in Hollywood 

"I am purple-haired woke, but I wonder if sometimes we take away the joy of playing when we take away some of the range that performers, especially comedy performers, can do," Steele told the NYT. 

What's that? Comedy is ruined when people get way too damn serious? You don't say. Perhaps Steele could tell that to Ferrell before the COMEDIAN tells us he regrets "Blades of Glory" – a very underrated sports comedy – because it made fun of gay skaters gaying up figure skating.