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Andy Samberg on his 'SNL' run, having 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' renewed and more

In an interview with Sunday TODAY's Willie Geist, Andy Samberg talks "SNL" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."
Mike Smith / TODAY
/ Source: TODAY

Andy Samberg is having a moment ... to put it mildly. He's just come off of successfully hosting the Golden Globe Awards with Sandra Oh and his show "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" was just picked up for a sixth season by NBC after being canceled by Fox.

The comedian sat down with Sunday TODAY's Willie Geist and talked about his career, including the moment he landed his gig on "Saturday Night Live" where he began as a featured player in the fall of 2005.

After he and his fellow "The Lonely Island" comedy group wrote jokes for Jimmy Fallon for the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, Fallon recommended Samberg to "SNL" creator Loren Michaels. Samberg, now 40, got a meeting but said he didn't know what to expect.

After talking with Michaels, he was left unsure of what Michaels thought of him.

"He said, 'So you think you can do this?' and I said 'I would try my hardest.'"

When he left the room, staff members told a confused Samberg he was in. He could hardly believe it. Still, there was one condition.

Saturday Night Live
Nicolas Cage, Andy Samberg, Seth Meyers on "SNL."Dana Edelson / NBC

"My hair was insane," Samberg said. When his future boss asked him if he'd be willing to cut it Samberg immediately agreed. "I'll shave my head, I'll do whatever you want," he told Geist, remembering the fateful meeting.

Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero as detectives Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."
Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero as detectives Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."Eddy Chen / Fox

It's a good thing he did, otherwise the world would have never known such hits as "Lazy Sunday," "I'm on a Boat," and the infamous, off-colored song he performed on the show with Justin Timberlake.

Samberg helped to usher in a new era of "SNL" through these digital shorts and others that quickly went viral on YouTube.

Samberg went on to star as Jake Peralta in the cult hit sitcom, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" about a fictional New York City police precinct. When the show was canceled last spring, celebrities including Mark Hamill, Sean Astin and Lin-Manuel Miranda took to Twitter in support of the comedy. Within 36 hours, the show had found a new home at NBC.

Samberg says that his celebrity friends who helped save the show have an "open invite" to appear as guest stars on the show anytime they are available.

We would love to see any of those very special episodes and can't wait to see what Samberg has up his sleeve next!