Chris "Wally" Feresten[1][2] (born 1965 or 1966)[1] is an American cue card handler and supervisor known for his work on Saturday Night Live. He also does cue cards for Late Night with Seth Meyers and his private business, Cue Cards by Wally.
Wally Feresten | |
|---|---|
 Feresten in 2011 | |
| Born | Chris Feresten 1965 or 1966 (age 58–59) |
| Occupation | Cue card supervisor |
| Years active | 1990-present |
| Known for | Saturday Night Live |
| Relatives | Spike Feresten (brother) |
Early life and education
editFeresten was born in Fall River, Massachusetts to parents Mary Jo and Michael Feresten. His brother is television writer Spike Feresten. Feresten attended West Bridgewater High School and, later, Syracuse University.[3] In 1987, he moved to Los Angeles. Three years later, he moved to New York City.[4]
Career
editFeresten began working at Saturday Night Live after his brother, who worked at SNL as a receptionist at the time, informed him there was a vacancy in the cue card department. Feresten's first cue card handling job was in 1990 during a "Sprockets" sketch featuring host Kyle MacLachlan.[3] His first appearance on camera was in 1991 during a monologue featuring Steve Martin. Feresten had his first spoken lines on the show in 1993 during an Alec Baldwin monologue.[4] Feresten became the cue card handler for Last Call with Carson Daly when the show moved to New York.[5]
Since 2014, Feresten has also been a cue card handler for Late Night with Seth Meyers. He has appeared on camera on the show several times including once as an interview guest when Action Bronson did not appear.[6] His increasing frequency of spoken lines and his popularity with the audience has caused guest John Oliver to joke that Feresten is staging "a slow-motion coup".[7][8]
In 2020, Feresten began Cue Cards by Wally, a private business wherein he creates personalized cue cards, mostly for SNL fans. He started the business while SNL was doing remote-recorded episodes and, thus, his cue cards were not needed.[4]
Personal life
editFeresten lives in Livingston, New Jersey.[9]
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Work |
|---|---|
| 1990–present | Saturday Night Live |
| 2014–present | Late Night with Seth Meyers |
| 2021 | The Amber Ruffin Show |
References
edit- ^ a b Blake, Meredith (June 29, 2015). "'SNL' Still Takes Cues from Wally". The Los Angeles Times. p. A16.
An unassuming, 49-year-old father of two with short white hair and glasses, he has played a vital but largely unsung role in one of the most enduring institutions in American pop culture.
- ^ "The SNL Cue Cards Guy". July 17, 2012.
- ^ a b Schmidt, Stephen (May 24, 2018). "Live, from New York, it's Cue Card Wally". The World from PRX. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Devitt, Phil (August 12, 2021). "What Seth Meyers says about Fall River's Wally Feresten, 'SNL,' 'Late Night' cue card guy". The Herald News. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ Riccardo, Nick (June 3, 2024). "In Late Night, Wally Feresten Holds All the Cards". LateNighter. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Squires, Bethy (May 21, 2021). "Obama's UFO Talk Won Late Night This Week". Vulture. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ "John Oliver Thinks Cue Card Wally Is Plotting a Late Night Coup" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Seth Meyers Finally Got the Top Late-Night Emmy Nomination—Only After Breaking All the Rules of the Format". Vanity Fair. August 15, 2022.
- ^ Rosman, Katherine (October 20, 2012). "Live, From New York...It's All Eyes On the Cue-Card Guy". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 19, 2021.