The John Mulaney and Phish moment we didn't know we needed in 2025

This should have been so easy. The premise was different and still strange enough, and after viewing it, I wondered what John Mulaney was thinking. However, as viewers of his Netflix show, Everybody's Live with John Mulaney, know, one should expect the weird.

The funny is hit and miss, but at least the comedian swings for the proverbial funny fences. He isn't seemingly afraid of what people will think of some of his bits on his show, but he knows he has the freedom to do nearly anything he wants. He picks his guests, even if some aren't A-listers, because he safely assumes that if you like him, you will probably like his guests, too.

But throughout the history of talk shows, especially the great ones, each host has their own shtick. How amazing was Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificent, for instance? We didn't only watch the bit because it was funny, but oftentimes strange, too.

John Mulaney asks Phish to join his talk show in the oddest way

Such is the case with Mulaney, and there is no better example of how weird the program can be than a recent one involving the band Phish.

Mulaney has been a big fan of the band for nearly thirty years. He could have asked the group to come on and jam. Instead, he had the members of Phish recreate Seinfeld. While the situation is unique, things start to go awry rather quickly.

In the sketch, guitarist Trey Anastasio portrayed Jerry, bassist Mike Gordon played George Costanza, keyboardist Page McConnell became Kramer, and drummer Jon Fishman played Elaine Benes. The scene begins with Mulaney looking into his staged telescope and running across the classic set of Jerry's apartment.

The sketch was not long, and the lines were not tricky, but about halfway through the scene, we see how many issues Phish had working their parts. Anastasio doesn't seem much like Jerry, but McConnell is trying to have a lot of fun with Kramer. (How could one not?)

One of the more telling indications that the sketch could have been better is that the part that got the most laughter was the Seinfeld logo being turned into one that reads Phish. None of the problems were the band's fault. They didn't have much to work with. "Credit history" is a dud idea.

Fans on social media had mixed reactions. On X/Twitter, one person wrote, "I can already hear Mike's bass solo in the theme song." Another added, "This is the crossover I never knew I needed… but absolutely do." But another user spoke for many when they said, "Who tha (expletive) is the guy playing Kramer?"

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