Please Don't Destroy's John Higgins on What It Was Really Like Working Alongside Dad Steve Higgins at “SNL” (Exclusive)
- - Please Don't Destroy's John Higgins on What It Was Really Like Working Alongside Dad Steve Higgins at “SNL” (Exclusive)
Stacy LambeJanuary 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM
0
NBC/Noam Galai/Getty;ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty
From Left: John Higgins in February 2025; and Steve Higgins in April 2019 -
John Higgins opens up to PEOPLE about his time on Saturday Night Live
His father, Steve Higgins, first joined SNL in 1995
Steve is also the announcer of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
For the Higgins, working at Saturday Night Live runs in the family.
John Higgins, who is a member of the comedy group, Please Don't Destroy, worked at the show from seasons 47 to 50, producing and starring in digital shorts alongside comedians Ben Marshall and Martin Herlihy.
John follows in his father Steve Higgins' footsteps, who has been a a writer and producer for SNL since 1995. (Steve's brother-in-law Chris Elliott and niece Abby Elliott have also spent time on the long-running sketch comedy series.)
Over the course of John's run on SNL, which ended last year, he made several iconic videos, including "Bad Bunny Is Shrek," "Hard Seltzer," "Roast" and "Touch Up," which are among the trio's favorites.
Holland Rainwater/NBC
John Higgins on 'Saturday Night Live' on May 17, 2025
While talking about the comedy troupe's holiday roast campaign with White Claw, John also reflected on what it was like working alongside his father during that time and reveals the advice his dad passed down.
"It was just really fun," John says of his and Steve's time spent writing alongside each other. "It was the best, you know?" And considering that he comes from "a very jokey family," there were moments he says that "it was like, 'This is really f------ cool.' "
Of course, there were some bizarre times — especially when seniority got involved. "In moments where he would become my boss, that was always interesting," he says, explaining that "if we disagreed on something, it wasn't like father-son, it was more like boss-employee."
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Despite any disagreements that may have occurred, "I think my dad is so proud of everything we did," John says, revealing that "in my house, we definitely make fun of each other all the time. So it's kind of fun when there is an earnest moment of being very proud."
Going off of that, Steve, who is the announcer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, also helped set the bar for success. "My dad once told me, he was like, 'It's really easy for your dream to be like this is the best video ever. But you slowly learn your goal is not to be ashamed,' " John recalls.
The comedian adds, "And I feel pretty good there's not many videos that we made that I'm ashamed of, which is kind of a higher bar than I would have thought."
Kait Dugan/NBC
From Left: Ben Marshall, Martin Herlihy, and John Higgins on 'Saturday Night Live' on Dec. 7, 2024
While it was announced that John left SNL after season 50 wrapped, the remaining members of Please Don't Destroy have stayed on the show. Marshall transitioned into a featured player and Herlihy became a full-time writer. (John, meanwhile, has also contributed to "Weekend Update" segments for two episodes during season 51.)
So, as the current season continues to unfold, John says, "It's been amazing watching both of them. It's very fun and exciting. It's like a new chapter in a very fun way."
"It's cool, like, looking at the announcements and being excited, like a fan of the show," he continues, referring to host and musical guest announcements. It's like, 'That's gonna be amazing.' "
Saturday Night Live returns on Jan. 17 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC with Finn Wolfhard as host and A$AP Rocky as musical guest.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
