Amy Poehler shocked ex-husband Will Arnett when she appeared as a guest on his podcast, prompting a surprise reunion.
As fans of “Smartless” know, Arnett and cohosts Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes take turns picking their guests and leave the other two in the dark with their selection. For the Monday, April 21, episode, Hayes introduced Poehler by listing her credentials — which still came as a surprise to Arnett.
“No way!” Arnett said when Poehler was revealed as the guest. Poehler quipped, “Not a glimpse of recognition on Will’s face when [Sean] said all of those things.”
While Arnett wasn’t aware of Poehler’s appearance, the Parks and Recreation alum revealed that their youngest son had an idea. (Arnett and Poehler welcomed sons Archie and Abel in 2008 and 2010, respectively.)
“Our youngest saw my schedule on the kitchen table and said, ‘You’re doing ‘Smartless?’ Does Dad know?’ And I said, ‘No, don’t say anything,’” Poehler said, to which Arnett replied, “And also, Amy and I were texting last night about something else. Zero [clue].”
Arnett and Poehler split in 2012 after nine years of marriage. Arnett filed for divorce two years later, which was finalized in 2016. (Arnett has since welcomed son Alexander with girlfriend Alessandra Brawn in 2020.)
Scroll down to see a recap of Poehler’s appearance on Arnett’s “Smartless”:
Poehler Jokes Cohosts Are Talking About How ‘Weird’ It Is She’s on Arnett’s Podcast
Arnett claimed that he had asked Poehler to be on “Smartless” in the past, including for their tour — which she declined.
“Well, I wanted to wait until you had done 250 episodes to see if this thing was real,” Poehler quipped. “I usually give something five years until I try it.”
The discourse surrounding Poehler’s appearance prompted Bateman to ask Hayes whether he had tried to “float” the idea of having her on the podcast by Arnett.
“What are you guys talking about? Why do you have to float anything past anybody? Guys, nice, by the way, great welcome. Nice to see you all,” Poehler quipped. “I mean Jesus, you’re all talking about how weird it is that I’m here. Hi, I’m your guest. Nice to see you. Happy to be here.”
Before getting into the interview, Hayes briefed the audience — and his sister, Tracey — on Arnett and Poehler’s relationship.
“You guys were married and now you’re not and it’s been years and years and everything is going swimmingly,” Hayes explained, earning laughs from the group.
Bateman, for his part, jokingly asked Arnett and Poehler how they first met before quipping, “We’re going to get into it. When did it first start to fracture?”
Arnett Recalls Poehler’s Dad Name-Dropping Her to Strangers
While recalling a trip to visit Poehler’s Massachusetts hometown, Arnett noted that her dad would proudly tell strangers about the Saturday Night Live alum’s career.
“There’s this girl and she’s like, I don’t know, 17 working [at an ice cream store] as her afternoon, weekend job scooping ice cream. This is when Amy was first on SNL, you know, 25 years ago. He goes to the girl who’s kind of silent, ‘You like your job?’ She’s scooping ice cream and she’s like, ‘Yeah I guess so.’ He goes, ‘You know who really likes her job? My daughter,’” Arnett said. “It was so good. But he’s so proud.”
Poehler noted that her dad’s enthusiasm about her career hasn’t changed through the years.
“He will get on elevators with people and say, ‘Do you like TV and movies?’ That’s his question. Like, does anyone say no?” Poehler said, to which Arnett added, “We played golf with these guys years ago, Bill and I were playing with some random dudes. He gets back in the car and looks at me and goes, ‘Well, I told them.’”
Arnett Gushes Over Poehler’s Parenting Skills
Arnett had high praise for Poehler’s parenting skills, explaining he tries to emulate her strategy when it comes to raising their two sons.
“I have to try really hard — Amy you’re really good at this and you help me do this in concert with you — to remember to listen to what they’re saying and to not try to impose what I think, ‘You need this, you need that,” Arnett said. “To actually sit and listen to what your kid is trying to say. Encourage them to, as much as they can, to speak. I don’t come by it naturally because that’s not how I was raised.”
Arnett Recalls Seeing Poehler for 1st Time in 1996
While Arnett and Poehler began dating in 2000, the exes first crossed paths four years earlier when she was performing with an improv comedy group. As she recapped her past with the Upright Citizens Brigade, Poehler explained that she traveled to New York City with the group.
“Will, I don’t want this to be uncomfortable for you, but I was dating Matt Besser at the time,” Poehler said, to which Arnett quipped, “I knew it!”
Arnett explained that he went to see the group in the Big Apple at the encouragement of his agent — who was also Poehler’s first agent.
“Amy, I was dating Missy [Yager] at the time, I don’t know if I told you that,” Arnett quipped, as Poehler confirmed that she knew. “We watch the show. We’re blown away, we go for a drink after, we’re talking about it. We talk about it for a few days because nobody was doing what they were doing. And we were like, ‘God, that was so funny and it was so inventive and it was so cool.’ So that is January 1996.”
Arnett Asks Poehler Whether She’s Ever Listened to ‘Smartless’
As the interview came to a close, Arnett asked Poehler to answer his question with honesty.
“This is a tough one. This is hard-hitting, alright? And I know you’re very serious for a comedian. Her mom used to say that to her when they’d get into arguments,” Arnett said, prompting Poehler to laugh and add, “When we’d get into fights she’d say, ‘You’re so serious for a comedian.’”
Arnett proceeded to inquire whether Poehler had ever listened to the “Smartless” podcast, which she claimed she had. “That’s a little high,” Bateman joked of Poehler’s high-pitched response.
Arnett Gushes He’s ‘Very Proud’ of Coparenting Dynamic With Poehler
While recapping Poehler’s appearance with Bateman and Hayes, Arnett reflected on his coparenting relationship with his ex-wife.
“I am really proud of it. Of course, things take a minute because everybody is sort of adjusting to what it is. I’m also very proud of, certainly as parents, what we’ve been able to do. That has been really important to both of us. I’m really, really lucky to have her as a partner in this way,” Arnett gushed. “There aren’t many people I speak to more than I speak to her, which is weird, you know what I mean. But it’s great. I feel really lucky.”
He continued, “She is somebody that I still run a lot of stuff by. … She’s the person that I go like, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about doing this.’ Whether it’s life or work and I really seek her counsel because it’s important to me because I trust her. She’s awesome.”
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