Stephen Meek

Additional information
Home state: Texas

LDS mission: South Korea

Interview with
When Stephen saw his first Divine Comedy show, he thought, “Someday I am going to do something similar. It was a weird zen moment with the universe — which is a lot like an experience Amy Poehler describes in her book.”

A couple years later, he landed a spot in the BYU group but still felt like “How did this happen to me?” Even now, as he sits in the writer’s room with the Studio C team, he thinks to himself, “These people are on TV! They are famous!”

Stephen’s taste for comedy was shaped by his older brother’s love for Monty Python. He’s also influenced by his wife, Whitney. The two often get the parts where there’s a kissing scene “because it’s just less awkward for everybody,” Stephen says.

“We both wake up excited and feel very blessed that this is our life right now,” Stephen says. But that doesn’t mean fame has its downsides.

“Last night, Whit and I went to a family friend’s house for dinner,” Stephen says. “They wanted to call a neighbor who had a son who loves the show. We don’t always want to think about the popularity of the show, but we met the kid and he was so excited. It was such a small thing, really. Fame is bizarre, and we are adjusting. Our public life has been significantly altered.”

Role on the team: I’m the sweeper (laughing). In the past two seasons, I have found my niche and contributed more. I’m not the strongest script writer, but I do well at editing. If I didn’t get on camera again, I wouldn’t be too upset if I was focusing on producing and directing.”

Pre-game ritual: “Even the number of times we’ve done it notwithstanding, I’m still like, ‘Oh man, this is really happening.’ I’m usually in a corner drinking water in the dark studio while I run over everything in my mind — including which lines need the most energy. I have physical anxiety, but as soon as I say my first line it all disappears.”

Competitive streak: “When I see the other crazy things that have gone viral, I get competitive thinking our stuff is just as good and should get more views. But you can’t predict what is going to get people excited. We want to do comedy that is worth making and not just pander.”

Favorite sketch: “Death Bed Repentance.” “When I first heard the script that Matt wrote, I thought it was the most genius idea we’d ever done. It is the epitome of what a sketch should be.”