ARIANNA GRIFFITHS, Special to The Denisonian—

Live from Granville, it’s Thursday night! Denison was thrilled to welcome back Saturday Night Live actor, Alex Moffat ‘04, back to the hill to share his insights during a REMIX event for entrepreneurship in the arts. His former roommate, Nic Covey ‘04, conducted Thursday night’s interview while sitting beside him, a symbolic representation of his place alongside Moffat throughout his journey. Our very own Slayter Auditorium became the legendary stage of Studio 8H as Moffat took audience members on a nostalgic and inspiring ride while revisiting his journey from Denison, to SNL, and beyond. 

Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Moffat only had one item taped to his bedroom wall: a Denison admissions postcard. Upon arriving on campus for his first visit to his top school, Moffat stayed overnight with a member of the Hilltoppers, one of Denison’s acappella organizations. Moffat reflected on his fond memories from that night which included a friendly serenade with ten other Hilltoppers in Shorney Hall that Moffat described as “a scene from a college movie.” 

During his time at Denison, Moffat met his biggest supporters and began to seek out the opportunity to share his love for comedy on a higher level. After graduating from Denison in 2004 as a communications major, Moffat took initiative to follow his dream of being a cast member on the revered late-night sketch comedy show we all know of… Saturday Night Live, with his former roommates being his biggest support system, backing him up all the way. When Moffat first moved back to Chicago after graduation, Covey shared his apartment with him and attended his open mic nights and stand-up performances. Kat Amiet ‘23 stated she was “torn up in the front row sitting next to my best friend, watching two best friends talk about their support for each other.”

Moffat scored a Second City late night show titled, “El Show with Alex Moffat,” while also  performing in other various improv shows to hone his characters for his eventual SNL screen test. He remarked about an early character he named “Max Brenner” who solely shouted in German at an unsuspecting crowd. Moffat spent years climbing his way up the comedy ranks to eventually be invited to have drinks with Lorne Michaels, the creator and executive producer of SNL, which would ultimately earn him a place in the cast for six seasons. 

When asked what  SNL meant to him, Moffat stated, “It’s the dream I always had.” He told audience members that when pursuing a faraway dream, you have to, “keep your head down and do it. Find community too; it doesn’t have to be a solo pursuit.” In other words, you have to really dive deep into what you want to do as a career. With the support of his Denison friendships, Moffat has moved far past his “Max Brenner” character, and is now known for his outstanding impressions of well known figures such as Mark Zuckerberg, Hugh Grant, Joe Biden, Prince William, Eric Trump, and Anderson Cooper, along with many of his own original “Weekend Update” characters. 

Despite being a high-profile celebrity who performed on the late-night sketch comedy show for six years, Moffat is an incredibly down-to-earth individual. He balances being both a multi-talented comedian with a witty sense of humor and a warm Midwestern heart who looks fondly upon his days on the Hill as a former Denisonian. After his time onstage Thursday night, he graciously talked to individual audience members, answered their questions, and even snapped a few selfies. Moffat even paid tribute to the Burpee’s Seedy Theatrical Company, Denison’s student improv group, by wearing their traditional blue bowling shirt during his appearance. Moffat is a class act who represents Denison’s values of being poised and respectful… assuming he’s not on “Weekend Update” giving his latest innuendo-riddled dating tips as the “Guy Who Just Bought A Boat,” of course. 

Even comedic legends like Alex Moffat were once young college kids with big hopes and dreams too. Moffat told the audience that, “[he] did have this crazy big childhood dream that, by some miracle, [he] got to achieve,” and went on to wish he could “tell [his] Denison self, ‘Hey, you really did something!’” In the same rhyming style of our favorite Wayfarer-wearing boat owner: when it comes to Moffat, you just can’t top it.