Will Between Two Ferns Ever Return?

Zach Galifianakis sits with Rich and fields the question people keep asking him: when is Between Two Ferns coming back?

He can't remember the last time he shot one. It's been a few years. Rich makes the case that the world needs it back, but Galifianakis isn't sure the tone works right now. 'We're kind of living in meaner times,' he says. Then he reconsiders, maybe that's the reason to do one.

Rich pivots to the blooper reels from his show, which he says he watches when he needs a laugh. Galifianakis explains why the bloopers matter to him. He never wanted to prank his guests. He wanted it to be a joint effort. The bloopers were the way to show the audience that the guests were in on it without breaking the bit in the episodes themselves.

The Brad Pitt gum story is the hook. Rich asks if the spit take was scripted. Galifianakis confirms he asked Pitt to do it. Pitt said no problem. He thinks Pitt pulled the gum out of his own mouth and spit it back.

Guests never got questions in advance. The only exception was President Obama, because the White House shoot had limited time. Galifianakis says Obama, a Second City guy at heart, was a natural at the rhythm of the bit.

The Obama follow-up is where the clip lands. Galifianakis was at a construction site, surrounded by traffic cones, when his phone rang. It was Obama. They chatted. He hung up. Alone, with no one to share it with, he took a photo of the empty chair next to him as a memento of the call. He and Obama have become close friends since.

The rest of the conversation detours through presidential trivia. Galifianakis reveals he stumped Obama with a question about Gerald Ford's vice president, Nelson Rockefeller. He mentions he's being added to the Obama presidential library, along with a placement in what he calls the Spiro Agnew library, which he can't locate geographically.

The through-line: Galifianakis wants the Between Two Ferns energy to stay honest, which means real reactions and no pranks. Whether he brings it back is still open.