JAKE FOGELNEST

Earlier this year, Mike DiCenzo a writer from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon retweeted the Twitter account @MattAlbie60. Seconds after seeing the retweet, I naturally went and created an account for @DannyTripp60. These of course are the two lead characters from the television show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip which was cancelled several years ago, after one season.

People started to follow the accounts. The man behind @MattAlbie60 and I started DMing. Then we decided to meet in real life. It turned out we had a lot of mutual friends. It was a really silly bit.   

Today, the man behind @MattAlbie60 has come forward in a terrific New York Times article. 

@MattAlbie60 is Seth Reiss, head writer for The Onion. I am @DannyTripp60. We are Studio 60.

So Mr. Reiss dived in, breathing life back into characters and their fictional problems from a series that was been scrapped four years ago. His first tweet was setup: “Live from Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, it’s Friday night in Hollywood.” The next thousand were punch lines.

Along the way other users with character names popped up, wanting to play, most prominently one tied to Danny Tripp, Matt Albie’s partner on the show. (Mr. Reiss later met Jake Fogelnest, the writer behind the Tripp account, at a restaurant, after they live-tweeted their first fake show.) “It turned into this improv, because everybody was taking my lead, saying yes to everything,” he said, referring to the improv technique in which an actor never says ‘no’ to another colleague’s lead.

Seth is a great guy and insanely funny. I’m very happy he decided to come forward, though it was fun seeing the Twitter accounts written up in Vulture and The A.V. Club while keeping our identities sort-of a secret.

There were also a lot of people who created accounts for the other characters on the show. The guy behind @CalShanley60 — genius.

Dumbest bit ever? Yes. An homage to the most important television show about the most important sketch comedy show on television? Yes. Why? 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Really happy Mike DiCenzo bugged Seth to get on Twitter. Even happier Seth decided to sign up as Matt Albie.

Hello, Mr. Sorkin. As you mentioned to Jenni and Lena recently, we’re the two guys that watched the show. It’s nice to meet you.