Mikey Day Has Mastered the Art of Spotting Fake Cakes — But Wait Until You Hear What His SNL Co-Star Did to His Office
When Heidi Gardner decided to leave Saturday Night Live, she made sure to leave behind something memorable — though it wasn't exactly a heartfelt tribute. Her target? Mikey Day's painfully bare office at 30 Rock.
Day is currently navigating his tenth season as an SNL performer (he actually joined the writing team three years before that) while simultaneously juggling his hosting duties for Netflix's "Is It Cake?" — now in its fourth or fifth season, depending on how you're counting. With such a packed schedule, interior decorating his workspace simply isn't a priority. Maybe he genuinely doesn't care about aesthetics. Either way, Gardner, who worked alongside him for eight seasons, took matters into her own hands.
But here's where it gets controversial... Gardner wasn't trying to help Day create a sophisticated, professional environment. Her mission was pure embarrassment. She strung up Christmas lights, plastered the walls with random '90s teen heartthrob posters straight out of Tiger Beat magazine, and strategically positioned a well-worn Kansas City Chiefs hat in a prominent spot.
"Every single time my door was open and someone passed by in the hallway, I found myself having to explain, 'This is all ironic! I promise, this is all ironic!'" Day shared in his conversation with The Hollywood Reporter. "This became especially awkward last season because we had an endless parade of A-list celebrities visiting for the 50th anniversary celebration. Picture this: Tom Hanks strolls past my office, and I'm frantically trying to justify why there's a Tori Spelling poster on my wall..."
SNL's 51st season kicked off this past weekend with Bad Bunny taking the hosting reins. Just four days after that premiere, Netflix dropped all four episodes of the "Is It Cake?" Halloween special, featuring an impressive lineup of guest judges including Kevin Nealon, Pete Holmes, Ron Funches, and Whitney Cummings, among several others. While the show's concept might sound absurdly simple — contestants attempt to determine whether various objects are actually elaborate cakes — its popularity is absolutely legitimate. Every single one of the show's three official seasons has secured a spot on Netflix's Top 10 list for multiple weeks.
Interestingly, David S. Pumpkins — that bizarre Halloween character that Day co-created with Bobby Moynihan and SNL writer Streeter Seidell, famously brought to life by Tom Hanks — doesn't make a cameo in the Halloween-themed baking competition. If he had appeared, Pumpkins undoubtedly would have exited with his signature line, "Any questions?" That's perfectly fine, because I had plenty of my own questions for Day.
While actively developing sketch concepts for this weekend's host, SNL alumna Amy Poehler, Day carved out time from his demanding schedule to discuss both of his current gigs with THR — and to reflect on that memorable Emmys cold open that became the evening's standout moment. Here's our complete conversation.
"Is It Cake?" works brilliantly as family entertainment. Was finding a project with that kind of broad appeal something you actively pursued, or did this opportunity simply present itself?
Honestly, it was the latter scenario. I recognized the premise had comedic potential, but I had absolutely zero idea just how powerfully kids would connect with it. I anticipated there would be an enjoyable family dynamic built into the show's structure, particularly because of the guessing element at the end — that's just inherently entertaining. Even if you have zero interest in baking or desserts, when you're presented with six objects and told, "One of these is constructed entirely from cake," I believe your primitive brain instinctively thinks, "Well, let me attempt to identify the imposter."
What genuinely surprised and delighted me was discovering — after that inaugural season launched and kids responded so enthusiastically — that families were actually throwing "Is It Cake?"-themed birthday parties. I hadn't fully considered how much fun children would have playing the guessing game themselves. I also completely underestimated how captivated they'd become by the actual construction process, watching the bakers build these elaborate cakes. It's almost like witnessing a magic trick unfold — they're observing these artists construct an illusion in real-time. The experience has been incredibly rewarding. I can't count how many people have approached me saying, "Hey, I recognize you from SNL. You're decent, but my kids are going to absolutely lose their minds when I tell them I met you."
It probably helps that kids lack the sophisticated palate to realize how unappetizing fondant actually tastes. What they don't fully grasp about these cakes is how unpleasant that outer layer can be.
Fondant is extremely sweet, but it's like an overwhelming, almost cloying sweetness. Plus, many of these cakes have multiple layers of modeling chocolate coating the exterior.
Does modeling chocolate offer a better flavor profile?
It's essentially very sweet chocolate. In terms of its sculpting properties, it behaves like clay, but it's made from chocolate. So you need to work through those outer layers of fondant and modeling chocolate, and then the actual cake inside is consistently delicious. A small amount is perfectly fine, but consuming large quantities becomes excessive.
How much cake do you actually consume during filming?
I'll eat some on-camera for the show and such. But because it's constantly available, I don't eat much of it. People always ask, "Are you just eating cake all day long?" and I'm like, "Not really." I always encourage the judges to take portions home with them. There's such an enormous amount — some of these creations are massive. They're constructing things like gym bags out of cake. The sheer volume of cake they're producing is staggering.
What's the most impressive cake imposter you've witnessed?
There have been so, so many remarkable ones. I remember in season one, Andrew created a suitcase that was pretty incredible — complete with fake clothing items inside. It was mind-blowing, because you start wondering — how do you replicate clothes? What materials do they use? I'm still learning constantly. I still know virtually nothing about this art form, but it's fascinating to gradually learn all the techniques they employ and all the specialized vocabulary. Every season I discover something new.
It sounds like baking isn't your personal hobby.
I have never been a baker myself, but I have endless admiration for the art form. These artists aren't just making delicious cakes — sometimes the deciding factor for who wins comes down to how good the cake tastes, right? But they're also functioning as sculptors and artists, creating these objects, and the painting work is sometimes incredibly intricate and detailed. They're also like illusionists in a sense, duplicating reality with remarkable precision. It's such a fun, lighthearted show, but it genuinely makes you contemplate an object's existence in space and what defines it — the edges, the surface texture, the dimensions — when they're attempting to replicate it using cake. It actually gets pretty cerebral at times.
Let's discuss the Halloween special specifically.
Halloween works perfectly because you get to incorporate all the thematic elements. It's a holiday that naturally lends itself to this show's format, because you can create things like guts and hearts and other body parts. I know many bakers make body parts and organs. When talking to professional bakers, they'll say things like, "Oh yeah, I made an open human heart." There are certain rites of passage in the baking world — everyone makes a heart at some point, everyone makes a brain.
For people who aren't bakers themselves, what do you see as the primary appeal of this show?
There's this strange, satisfying feeling when you guess correctly. You experience this moment of, "I'm intelligent. I understand how our world works."
Especially when you guess correctly early in the reveal.
Oh, absolutely. From the very beginning you're confidently declaring, "It's number one. Just look at it. Look at that corner." Sometimes it's genuinely difficult, though. There are certain times when I'll be standing directly next to the cake — they've already told me which one it is — and then I'm positioned next to it, ready to cut, and I'm thinking, "Wait, remind me which one is the cake again?"
I sometimes worry that you might accidentally cut into a prop made of some kind of plastic that's cut-able but definitely not cake.
Exactly! And then I injure myself in the process. Before we present each cake to the judges, the baker walks me through the optimal cutting technique. Like, "There's a substantial amount of modeling chocolate in this section, so you want to approach it from this angle." I mean, I'm still not particularly skilled at cutting cakes, which is also fantastic considering I'm hosting a cake show. But usually if I'm about to cut into something especially complex, I'll double-check. And also, if I'm about to make a mistake, approximately 50 people from behind the cameras will start screaming warnings. There was one instance where I almost cut into a cake prematurely.
And you only get one opportunity for that first cut.
Precisely. It sounded like there was an actual fire in terms of the chaos and panic: "No, no, no, no, no, no! Stop!"
It's a serious production operation.
I know! There are multiple moments where I'm cutting into something like a typewriter or similar object, thinking, "What is happening? How is this an actual job?"
On most competitive baking shows, the bakers typically get around two hours for their creations...
(Laughs) Yeah, on our show it's, "You have eight hours!"
What do you do during that entire time? What do the bakers who aren't actively baking do?
They'll just observe and hang out and provide commentary. I'll hang around for a significant portion of it, giving them time updates. I do get a substantial break. Sometimes they'll break for the day and then resume baking the following day, giving me some time off. But for much of the process I'm present on set. They edit in footage of me just messing around with the bakers who aren't currently competing. So we'll do some comedic bits together. I always feel somewhat bad for the bakers who aren't baking, because frequently the producers give me some ridiculous prop — like a megaphone — and I'm this idiot screaming while the competing bakers are doing extremely precise, detailed painting work. But everyone's always been a good sport about it.
It is amusing going, "Are you ready? You have 12 hours!" I didn't realize just how long the actual baking of the cake's interior takes. And the larger the cake, the longer the baking time. It seems like an abundance of time, but usually the bakers will explain, "For a cake of this size and complexity, this would normally take at least three days" or "two full days." So they're genuinely working under intense time pressure, whereas from my perspective, I'm thinking, "Oh, you have half a day."
Is there much crossover between your two jobs? Do you find yourself constantly pitching cake-related sketches at SNL?
You know what? Not particularly. By the time I'm back at SNL, the cake content is out of my system. Occasionally someone will write an "Is It Cake?" joke into a monologue or something similar, and it's appeared in a couple of promotional spots. But I definitely feel like that territory is adequately covered.
The Emmys cold open, which was a variation of the "Washington's Dream" SNL sketches, was arguably the best part of the entire awards show. Was that written by you and Streeter Seidell again?
Yes, and we also had Mike DiCenzo, who's a writer at SNL and helped us on the second George Washington sketch. We recruited him to assist us.
That was tremendously fun. Nate Bargatze was like, "I want to do a Washington-style sketch at the Emmys." We were brainstorming a setup that would provide that same gravitas. The Washington sketch works because what he's discussing is so absurd and trivial. He's talking to the soldier while they're literally fighting for their nation's freedom. So we thought, "OK, maybe we frame it around the invention of television." We were pleased with the result. It was a lot of fun, but it was also overwhelming because you could potentially reference anything from television's entire history, which is vast. You start discussing topics, and then you're wondering, "Well, wait, should we address reality TV?" There are so many different elements you could potentially include. So we just tried to keep it entertaining. I'm just grateful we managed to get a solid dig in at the History Channel: "There is no history on the History Channel, just as there is no learning on The Learning Channel."
That's an excellent joke.
There was an entire sequence. We also at one point included: "There is no music on Music Television?"
"For a period of time, and then suddenly none whatsoever." Lines like that.
But it's gratifying to hear that you enjoyed it because it was fun to create. It was interesting performing a sketch in that particular environment. In terms of the cue cards and the camera setup, it felt familiar. But then you look out and there's a stage and this enormous theater space. We had a great time.
SNL experienced significant cast turnover this summer, solidifying your position as one of the show's veteran performers. Does that status come with a certain level of responsibility for you? Are you mentoring the new cast members?
It is genuinely wild to think of myself as a veteran on this show — it still doesn't fully compute in my mind. Like, how am I fortunate enough to not only be here, but to have been here for such an extended period? I definitely will talk to the new cast members whenever — sometimes they'll ask questions and I'll offer information, usually things that I wish someone had told me when I was starting out. I also kind of — I'll approach them and enthusiastically say, "It's your first goodnights!" I'll emphasize the fun and special nature of these moments. It truly is special. And so much of it is surreal. I distinctly remember my first episode as a cast member — Margot Robbie was hosting — it's very, very vivid in my mind. You know those memories that are just exceptionally clear? So I just try to do anything to make the experience fun for them, and it's great. It's always enjoyable.
There's substantial change this year, but the first week always feels like the first week of school. There are new students, there are new classes. Things look different. People's offices get rearranged, you know? So it's like I'm in a new class. But then, you know, week two, week three, it starts to feel like, "OK, we're back. This is familiar." It's remarkable how quickly the show bonds you with the new cast members. I had never met any of our new cast members before. And then, you know, a week later and you start to feel like, "Oh, I have some new brothers and sisters now."
Sleep deprivation will create those bonds.
Yeah, it's crazy. It's like you're all embarking on a tour of duty together. "Alright, suit up, we're going in!"
And this is the part most people miss... Do you think hosting a lighthearted cake show actually makes Day a better sketch performer, or does the tonal whiplash between the two gigs create challenges most performers wouldn't handle well? Should more SNL cast members pursue wildly different side projects, or does it risk diluting their comedic identity? Share your thoughts below — do you agree that Day has found the perfect balance, or is he spreading himself too thin?
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
