I suppose fear is like a drug. A little bit isn't that bad, but you can get addicted to the consumption and distribution of it.

I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible — I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical.

Writing and producing the show is an intellectual process. Performing the show is far more athletic and intuitive, because you don't get to do it twice. It helps if you've done whatever the old saw is, 10,000 hours of it. Because I've done 10,000 hours of comedy, I have this database in my mind of what works and what doesn't work.

It's a game. That's why we call it 'the news.' It's just a game.

I've been accused of being unambitious, but what I do takes up every minute. I'm executive producer, I'm a writer and the host.

If I thought I knew what was going to happen, it wouldn't be worth doing. The challenge is how joyfully, with what sense of fun and adventure and playfulness, we will greet it. We don't have to look for what the next thing will be. If experience is any judge, it'll come flowing toward us like a river.

So if animals aren't our friends, then what are they? The answer can be summed up between two buns.