What shows has Will Forte written? Comedian opens up about faking his own death at 14 to prank his mom

Will Forte, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, is set to appear in Tina Fey's upcoming project The Four Seasons, which premieres on Netflix on May 1. In addition to his comic timing on screen, Forte has contributed as a writer to many comedy series, including Action and The Army Show.

Will Forte recently appeared as a guest on Hot Ones. In the latest episode which aired on April 10, 2025, he spoke about a regrettable death prank he played on his mom when he was 14.

As per the show's format, the host Sean Evans asked Forte various questions while eating spicy wings. When he asked the guest about the best prank pulled on his parents, Forte initially showed reluctance by saying the prank was "awful." However, Sean motivated the comedian to open up.

Will Forte then narrated the whole incident of how he faked his death, thinking it was funny. He mentioned:

"I saw my mom driving in the neighborhood and I was like, 'Oh, this'll be funny.' I wrote on a piece of paper, I’m like, 'I'm so sorry, Mom.' And then left that at the front door and then laid down on her bathroom floor as if I was no longer alive."

However, on seeing her mom's reaction, he instantly realized that it was a big mistake. Forte further said:

"Hearing her scream, it was the worst! It was the worst thing. And I immediately popped up — 'Mom I’m kidding!"

Forte added that this teenage prank gave him a lifelong lesson about the boundaries of comedy. The actor shared:

"It did teach me, like, 'Oh, not everything is funny. There are things that hurt people,'" the comedian said. "And, you know, I certainly look back at my own work and there are regrets I have, but I don’t love comedy that hurts people or makes fun of people."

Additionally, he said that he has some regrets about his past work, but he doesn't like comedy that hurts others.

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A look at Will Forte's comedy writing

After pursuing his initial career in house broking, Will Forte landed a comedy career. He debuted comedy writing with The Jenny McCarthy Show (1997). However, Forte gained recognition for his work on Saturday Night Live. He played several characters and wrote the scripts for SNL from 2002 to 2010. Some other comedy shows written by him are:

• Late Show with David Letterman
• The Army Show
• Action
• 3rd Rock from the Sun
• That '70s Show
• The Last Man on Earth
• MacGruber

Forte started his career with writing and later transitioned into acting and producing. He bagged numerous nominations for The Last Man on Earth (2015-2018) at Primetime Emmy Awards, Critics' Choice Television Award, Satellite Award, and more.

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Will Forte is currently working on MacGruber 2 as a writer and will also play the lead role in it. It is a sequel to the 2021 series created by Forte and is inspired by the Saturday Night Live sketch.