( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪

♪ >> HELLO, HELLO.

OKAY, SO MERYL GETS TO ZOOM IN FROM CONNECTICUT.

>> James: YEAH.

AND I'M HERE RISKING LIFE AND LIMB TO BE HERE IN PERSON.

>> James: WELL, WE HAD A CHOICE.

>> YES.

>> James: SHE SAID SHE COULD BE HERE.

>> OH, OKAY.

>> James: BUT WE WERE ONLY ALLOWED ONE GUEST.

SO WE SAID WE'LL PUT STREEP ON ZOOM BECAUSE --

>> CAN'T RISK HER.

>> James: WELL NOT ONLY THAT, WE WANT YOU IN THE FLESH.

STREEP, YOU KNOW -- >> WELL, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

>> James: BUT WE NEED YOU HERE IN THE FLESH BECAUSE IT'S

IMPORTANT TO SAY -- >> YES.

>> James: -- YOU COME ON THE SHOW, YOU ARE A SENSATIONAL

GUEST ON SHOWS, BRILLIANT WRITER, ACTOR, PERFORMER, BUT

TONIGHT YOU ARE HERE AS A SINGER.

>> I KNOW.

>> James: YOU ARE PERFORMING A SONG.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING?

ARE YOU NERVOUS?

>> I'M EXTREMELY NERVOUS.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME I'M AN OFFICIAL MUSICAL GUEST.

I ALSO LIKE BEING FUNNY.

THEN BILLY ON THE STREET HAPPENED, AND ONE THING LED TO

ANOTHER AND NOW I'M A GAY SETH MCFARLAND TRYING TO SING.

BUT IT IS MY FIRST -- AND HE'S A GREAT SINGER.

>> James: ABSOLUTELY.

AND I THINK I'M AN OKAY SINGER AND THIS IS THE FIRST

TIME FOR ME TO TO IT ON TV SO THANK YOU.

>> James: WE ARE THRILLED.

EARLIER TONIGHT, YOU HOSTED A VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER FOR THE TWO

DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES IN GEORGIA BUT I DO THINK IT PALES

IN COMPARISON WITH YOUR MOST RECENT TELEVISION SPECIAL WHERE

YOU'RE PLAYING AN ELF IN MARIAH CAREY'S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ON

APPLELE.

WHICH I AM OBSESSED WITH.

HOW DID YOU BECOME PART OF THIS SHOW?

>> WELL, THEY SAW ALL THE POLITICAL WORK I WAS DOING AND

THEY SAID HOW CAN WE STOP THAT PHONY HOLLYWOOD LIBERAL?

SO LET'S STUFF HIM IN AN ELF COSTUME AND TAKE HIM OFF

INSTAGRAM POSTING ABOUT POLITICS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

NO, IT'S MARIAH'S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL.

WHAT MORE CAN YOU WANT?

I'VE REACHED PEAK GAY, PEAK CHRISTMAS, PEAK ALL OF IT, BUT

IT WAS SUCH A BLAST, ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR, WHEN THINGS HAVE BEEN

SO TBRIM TO GET TO BE IN THIS FANTASY, MARIAH WINTER

WONDERLAND, JAY HUDD, SNOOP AND MISTY.

>> James: WHEN SNOOP ARRIVES IS MY FAVORITE MOMENT BUZZ SNOOP

LOOKS SO HIGH AND HE'S HAVING -- THERE'S A SHOT AND IT CUTS TO

HIM AND HE'S DRESSED AS SANTA CLAUS GOING LIKE THIS AND

HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S HAVING A BLAST.

WAS IT FUN IN THE MIDST OF COVID?

>> IT WAS ALL VERY COVID-COMPLIANT SO THERE WAS

THAT.

SO IT'S NOT A TYPICAL SITUATION, BUT EVEN IN THE MIDST OF THAT,

THE MOST FUN I'VE HAD ALL YEAR, GRANTED A LOW BAR, BUT --

( LAUGHTER ) -- NO, IT REALLY WAS PURE MARIAH

CHRISTMAS JOY EVERY SECOND.

SNOOP WAS DANCING ABOVE ME.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'M -- YOU CAN SEE ME BUT I'M UNDERNEATH SNOOP

AND GERMANE AND THEY -- ALL I'M THINKING IS I'M A 42-YEAR-OLD

MAN DRESSED AS AN ELF, MARIAH IS OVER THERE, THERE ARE 40 DANCERS

ALSO DRESSED AS ELVES CARRYING CHRISTMAS BOXES.

SNOOP AND GERMANE ARE DANCING ABOVE ME.

I'M, LIKE, THIS IS THE MOST SURREAL, WONDERFUL MOMENT I'VE

HAD IN A LONG TIME.

SNOOP IS GENUINELY ONE TO HAVE THE FUNNIEST PEOPLE THAT EXISTS.

>> James: IT'S SO SENSATIONAL.

I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED THE 40s BECAUSE I'M ALSO 42, AND I DO

WONDER WHAT THE TIME IS, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW I SAY I'M 42, YOU SAY

I'M 42, I THINK IN ABOUT FOUR YEARS' TIME WE'RE BOTH GOING TO

BE SAYING, WELL, I'M A MAN IN MY 40s.

( LAUGHTER ) AND WHEN WE'RE 48, WELL, I'M IN

MY 40s, ANDETH LET THEM GUESS.

>> MARIAH DOESN'T CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS.

SHE HAS AN ANNIVERSARY.

SHE DOESN'T USE THE WORD "BIRTHDAY."

MAYBE WE'LL START DOING THAT.

>> James: THAT'S WHAT PRINCE USED TO D.

>> AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.

( LAUGHTER ) >> James: I CANNOT TELL YOU

HOW GLORIOUS YOU ARE AS AN ELF.

SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU IN PERSON.