Leprechauned Will Ferrell says Bill O’Reilly was ‘sourpuss’ at ‘SNL40’

Tales of NBC’s instantly legendary “SNL40” special that was broadcast in February will continue to reverberate through the culture for years. And on Tuesday night, it was Will Ferrell’s turn to share a bit of behind-the-scenes scuttlebutt with David Letterman.

Ferrell, whose film “Get Hard” opens in late March, made a St. Patrick’s Day appearance on the “Late Show” dressed as a leprechaun. But Letterman was most interested in the “SNL40” special, which he praised.

Ferrell was featured in the special playing Alex Trebek in a new edition of “Celebrity Jeopardy.” That’s the same sketch that Norm MacDonald said Eddie Murphy was originally supposed to appear on. Since Ferrell had to run backstage to get into hair and makeup, he didn’t get a chance to sit in the audience. But he did sneak out to watch Steve Martin do the monologue near the top of the show.

And who should Ferrell see sitting in the audience, not clapping, laughing or even smiling? Bill O’Reilly.

Hand on his chin, grim expression on his face, O’Reilly did not appear to be having a good time.

“I don’t know if he got a wrong seating assignment or something,” Ferrell wondered. “Just a real sourpuss.”

“He seems nothing if not happy-go-lucky,” Letterman deadpanned.

“Just a real charmer,” Ferrell countered. “I don’t know what he was doing there if he wasn’t a fan of ‘Saturday Night Live.’... Maybe he’s a real student of comedy.”

“That’s right, he was studying,” Letterman scoffed.

Perhaps O’Reilly can address his thoughts on “SNL40” and share his own behind-the-scenes tale?

Meanwhile, MacDonald will be a guest on Letterman on Wednesday night, so there could be more tidbits to share.

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