The Secret Service Really Investigated John Mulaney After His SNL Monologue

Hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live is an accomplishment that many actors look forward to ticking off their list, and John Mulaney is among the elite group of comedians whose SNL resume includes writer-turned-host. One of those hosting opportunities was particularly eventful, landing him a spot on another exclusive club: people who have been investigated by the United States Secret Service.

Since leaving SNL as a writer in 2012, Mulaney has hosted the popular sketch comedy show four different times. In recent conversation with Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the comedian shared that his hosting gig earlier this February raised a red flag for the Secret Service because of a joke in his monologue that may have hinted at some kind of danger for President Donald Trump.

Mulaney's monologue included a brief history lesson about the origins of Leap Year under the rule of Julius Caesar, but things got dicey when he brought up the violent way that the Roman statesman was murdered.

"Another thing that happened under Julius Caesar was he was such a powerful maniac that all the senators grabbed knives, and they stabbed him to death," mused Mulaney on the pre-COVID SNL stage. "That'd be an interesting thing if we brought that back now."

Well, it wasn't long before the actor was contacted by the Secret Service and brought in for questioning.

"I guess they opened a file on me because of the joke," Mulaney told Kimmel during his virtual appearance on the late night host's show. "I have to say, am I stoked there’s a file open on me? Absolutely. Did I enjoy it in the moment? Not so much."

The investigation was pretty low-stress, Mulaney recalled. The people involved knew that the joke wasn't a physical threat against the president — "It was an elliptical reference to him. I didn't say anything about him." — and let him go without any serious consequences. Mulaney is off the hook now...at least he thinks so.