After Midnight isn’t even a year old yet, but the Taylor Tomlinson-hosted game show has already featured plenty of iconic panelists. From drag queens to SNL alums to mini cast reunions for shows like This Is Us and All That, there’s been no shortage of contenders for “the greatest panel of all time.”
Still, there’s one panel that fans of the CBS show really want to see: a Muppet one. Earlier this week, a Redditor posted a fan-cast panel featuring Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Sam the Eagle, along with a second lineup consisting of Fozzie Bear, Rowlf, and Gonzo.
Although the post was labeled as a meme, it still got some fans’ hopes up at first glance. “I just got so excited and then heartbroken,” one user wrote. The confusion is understandable, given that Muppet discourse—yes, it’s a real thing—has been in the news lately ahead of Saturday Night’s theatrical release (plus,Tuesday was Jim Henson’s birthday).
Jokes and online feuds aside, lots of fans apparently liked the idea of After Midnight doing a Muppet panel for real. “Holy sh*t, I want this so badly,” another Redditor chimed in, while others hoped that the post would get back to Tomlinson and her team for consideration.
However, even if After Midnight does decide to call up The Muppets, it won’t be the first game show to include them as panelists. The show’s predecessor, @midnight with Chris Hardwick—which followed a similar format and aired on Comedy Central from 2013 to 2017—actually featured a Muppet panel almost a decade ago.
On February 22, 2015, comedian and No, You Shut Up! host Paul F. Tompkins (who happened to guest on After Midnight this week) appeared on @midnight. He was joined by No, You Shut Up! puppets Star Schlessinger, who Hardwick described as “an overly opinionated, very conservative red squirrel,” and Hot Dog, “an easily excitable, social media-obsessed actor, model, and hot dog.”
No, You Shut Up! aired on Fusion from 2013 to 2016. Created by former The Daily Show head writer and executive producer David Javerbaum, the comedic news talk show followed Tompkins and a rotating panel of puppets as they debated various issues. It was produced by the Jim Henson Company under its “Henson Alternative” banner for works with mature themes—in other words, humor that’s more in the vein of Henson’s early Muppet projects (see: The Land of Gorch segments in Season 1 of SNL).
The group’s @midnight stint included memorable moments like Tompkins and Star getting into a physical spat over a debate about ketchup, and the audience successfully begging Hardwick to let Hot Dog stay for the final round despite being eliminated. The panelists also played a speed game called “Puppet Government,” where they had to come up with examples of “puppet legislation” (Tompkins responded with, “Moment life begins determined to be when the eyes are glued on.”) In the end, Hot Dog was crowned the winner.
One could argue that Hot Dog and Star don’t technically “count” as Muppets since they’re considered Henson Alternative characters. However, the No, You Shut Up! episode wouldn’t be the last time a Muppet guested on @midnight.
On May 24, 2016, Fozzie Bear appeared as a panelist alongside author/humorist John Hodgman and actress Kristen Schaal. During the episode, Hardwick mulled over ABC’s then-recent cancellation of The Muppets and called on the contestants to pitch more Muppet projects.
Fozzie suggested an Animal House remake with Animal and a Miss Piggy horror flick called Silence of the Hams; Schaal came up with Gonzo Girl; and Hodgman pitched an HBO comedy aptly titled Meep.
Despite being up against tough competition, Fozzie ultimately came out on top and took home the trophy that night. Once again, @midnight showed the world that anyone, even a puppet, could win the internet if they just tried their very best.
While it remains to be seen whether any one of The Muppets will ever appear on After Midnight, the puppet ensemble already has a rich late-night legacy. In addition to their SNL roots, they’ve chatted on air with everyone from Conan O’Brien to Jon Stewart to Seth Meyers to Stephen Colbert. Jimmy Fallon is especially fond of The Muppets—the whole gang even guested on his final episode of Late Night.
But if Tomlinson is game to continue tradition and invite a Muppet on… perhaps Fozzie is down for a rematch?
