Justin Timberlake says racy 'SNL' song with Andy Samberg almost didn't happen

Justin Timberlake spilled the tea about how his hit collaboration with The Lonely Island, “D*** in a Box” — “D in a B” as he likes to call it — came to be, and why it likely wouldn’t have happened if the higher-ups at Saturday Night Live had anything to do with it.

“I fully believe that that idea would not have been seen all the way through if the big wigs would’ve known what we were doing,” Timberlake said during an appearance on Hot Wings, after being asked about the concept for the hilarious skit.

The singer-songwriter and actor explained that the collaboration between himself and Andy Samberg was a result of Lorne Michael’s suggestion for them to get together for a musical skit prior to Timberlake’s 2006 SNL appearance. “We hit it off immediately,” Timberlake said of his relationship with Samberg. However, the idea for a skit didn’t come together as quickly.

Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake's hit song "D*** in a Box" nearly didn't air on television.(Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage)
Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake's hit song "D*** in a Box" nearly didn't air on television.(Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage)

“Wednesday comes around and we come up with nothing,” Timberlake explained before they finally landed on creating a duo of guys stuck in a different time. “The silk suits and the herringbone chains and well and meticulously sculpted facial hair.”

Another writer then referenced a lewd movie theatre prank that Timberlake quickly shut down as “creepy.” Ultimately, the inappropriate nature of the idea seemed most appropriate for the scenario.

Samberg and Timberlake then shot the video on Friday, not finishing until 3:00 a.m. on Saturday. “And then, the FCC shows up,” Timberlake explained. “They’re like, ‘You can’t say d*** on the air.’ And we’re like, ‘Oh, right.’” They came to an agreement with the FCC that the song could be aired with the word bleeped out.

“I think the irony of that is I think the funnier version is the bleeped-out version,” Timberlake said.

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