Even though Chris Farley passed away almost 30 years ago, his impact is still felt by many successful comedians and actors.
Farley, who was best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Livein the 1990s, suddenly passed away on Dec. 18, 1997, from an accidental drug overdose when he was just 33 years old. He was a member of Second City, an improv comedy troupe based in Chicago, from 1986 to 1990, before joining the cast of SNL.
Steve Carell, who was a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote his upcoming show Rooster on Wednesday night, started his interview talking about his experiences in Second City and his experience working as Farley’s understudy in the early 1990s.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Steve Carell during Monday’s May 13, 2024 show.Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images
(Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
Stephen Colbert revealed that when he was starting out at Second City, he served as Carell’s understudy. Both Colbert and Carell were members of the improv troupe at the same time as Farley. During the conversation, Colbert asked Carell who he had understudied during his time there, and Carell shared that it was Farley.
An understudy is a performer who learns another actor’s role so they can step in if the original performer is unable to appear. Often, understudies are already part of the cast, playing smaller roles or performing in another troupe within the theater.
When Carell revealed who he understudied for, the audience applauded and Colbert exclaimed that he “must’ve been really hard.” Throughout his career, Farley was best known for his over-the-top energy and physical comedy bits.
“He was impossible to understudy,” Carell revealed. He then talked about a popular sketch from Saturday Night Live called “Matt Foley: Van Down By The River,” which was actually started at Second City. Farley’s character in the sketch, named Matt Folley, was a motivational speaker who “lived in a van down by the river.” The bit was very popular, and many people would attend Second City shows to specifically watch that scene. Though the cast had performed it multiple times at one point, they would constantly be breaking because of Farley’s performance.
“It was so hard because he was a force of nature,” Carell said. When he would perform Farley’s bits as an understudy, he would get “crickets” and “absolutely nothing” from the audience. “But that just shows what an incredible performer he was.”
Recognized as “America’s Funniest Man”, Carell started his career at The Second City in the early 1990s. Afterward, he became a cast member on The Dana Carvey Show in 1996, then served as a correspondent for The Daily Show from 1999 to 2005. He then started playing Michael Scott in The Office from 2005 to 2012, which became a success after its first two seasons and led the actor to earn six consecutive nominations for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
During the 2010s, the 63-year-old actor has been branching out of sitcoms and comedy, and taking more dramatic roles in movies such as The Big Short, Beautiful Boy and Battle of the Sexes. More recently, Carell has started his return to television, starring in many shows like The Morning Show, Netflix’s Space Force and The Patient. He also reprised his role as Gru in the Despicable Me and Minions franchises and appeared in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City in 2023.
Meanwhile, Farley gained his success at Second City and Saturday Night Live in the 1990s before starring in a string of comedy films such as Airheads, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja and Almost Heroes. He was influenced by original SNL cast member John Belushi, who was also known for his physical performances in comedy, which Farley used to great effect throughout his career. Unfortunately, he struggled with obesity, alcoholism and substance abuse, before overdosing in his apartment in Chicago.
Chris Farley as Tom Arnold, Victoria Jackson as Roseanne during the ‘Weekend Update’ skit on October 20, 1990.Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank
(Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank)
The Late Show with Steven Colbert airs Monday through Thursday on CBS at 11:35 pm ET. Episodes can be watched on demand on Paramount+. Meanwhile, Carell’s newest show, Rooster, premieres on HBO Max this Sunday.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.