An episode of Between Two Ferns amassed 30 million views thanks to Hillary Clinton. Last week, Funny or Die shared a brand new episode of Between Two Ferns, which was of course hosted by the one and only Zach Galifianakis.
The installment was funny and very awkward like always. It began with Galifianakis wearing a scary mask and trying to scare Clinton, who was sitting and waiting to be interviewed. Poor Galifianakis, he was tackled by the secret service agents, who body-slammed him to the ground, and he destroyed few potted plants.
The pair sat down, and an incorrect spelling of Hillary Clinton appeared on the screen with the word pneumonia. Clinton told Galifianakis, he should not have messed around with the secret service. The interview was very bizarre.
Galifianakis wanted to know if Tim Kaine would replace Clinton if she got pregnant. He asked her if she was excited to be the first “girl president.” Galifianakis also wanted to know what kind of coffee President Barack Obama liked seeing that she worked as his secretary. He also asked Clinton to rap.
Things went from strange to bizarre when the interview was interrupted with an amusing ad for Clinton’s opponent, Donald Trump. Moreover, he concluded the exchange by asking Clinton if he could reach her via email.
The Between Two Ferns episode went viral and broke records for Funny Or Die. The video was viewed more than 30 million times in 24 hours. The Clinton episode of Between Two Ferns also obtained the highest first-day viewership in Funny or Die history.
Funny or Die CEO Mike Farah had the following to say about the great accomplishment. Farah said:
“There are a million different things that are in your face all the time. Without fail, every time that Ferns comes out, it becomes the thing that everyone is talking about. That’s very rare, so when it happens, it should be celebrated.”
Farah also shared more details on how the episode came about. Clinton is the one, who requested the silly interview with Galifianakis. The former Secretary of State saw the crazy interview Galifianakis did with Obama in 2014 and asked her staff to call the bearded comedian.
President Obama’s episode has over 17.9 million views on YouTube. Farah said:
“She had seen the one we did with President Obama and thought it was really funny and effective. She told her staff about it and they got in touch with me.”
It was also revealed that the interview was taped at the New York Historical Society on September 9, the same day that Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia.
However, Farah said Clinton was a good sport, improvised most of her answers, and had a great time filming the interview. Farah applauded Clinton for taking part in something so absurd. He said:
“I would say about 90 percent of it was improv. Everyone felt she was very cool, very comfortable. We were all surprised when it came out a few days later that she had pneumonia. It makes her willingness to be game for something as absurd as Between Two Ferns that much more impressive.”
Farah said the world is captivated by the 2016 presidential election, which is why the clip is already at 30 million views. He shared:
“What’s amazing is that this many episodes in that people find them still so, so funny,” says Farah. “I had lots of people email me or put on Facebook that this was one of their favorite, if not their favorite, episode ever. It’s really a credit to Zach and Scott that there’s so many great jokes.”
Farah went on to reveal that while the show is very popular, he doubts that Trump will ever appear because he does not have the attitude to take the abuse and wild insults that the host might toss at him. Farah is not sure that Between Two Ferns‘ creators Galifianakis and Scott Aukerman will want him on the show. Farah said:
“That’s Zach and Scott’s call. I don’t know if Trump has the temperament to take that abuse. But if he reached out, I guess there would be a potential conversation. It really does come down to Zach and Scott and if they feel like they can make it funny.”
Since it launched in 2008, Between Two Ferns has hosted many political figures and actors like Steve Carell, Michael Cera, Charlize Theron, and Brad Pitt.
