Jason Segel Honored As Man of the Year

When actor, writer, and comedian Jason Segel was honored as the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ Man of the Year on Friday night, he quickly learned that the Pudding Pot comes at a price.

Segel, who currently stars in the CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother,” said that he did not watch footage of previous Hasty Pudding Theatricals roasts in advance since he did not want to know what to expect at his own roast.

Jyotika Banga ’13 and Mary Jane Sakellariadis ’13 began the evening by asking Segel, who wore a blue velvet tuxedo, to “slay” three Hasty Pudding Theatricals members dressed as vampire sisters by telling three vampire jokes.

“This is my worst fucking nightmare,” Segel said with a laugh.

Throughout the roast, as cast members in drag continued to challenge Segel—calling on him to drink a bowl of barbecue sauce and dressing him in a Miss Piggy wig and a sparkling pink bra decorated with characters from the 2011 Muppets movie which he wrote—Segel did not hesitate to talk back.

When cast members asked Segel to sing a modified version of the Muppet’s famed “The Rainbow Connection,” Segel skimmed the new lyrics and said, “These are crazy words, you assholes,” giving cast members the middle finger.

Though many of the evening’s jokes played off of Segel’s involvement in the latest Muppets movie, Segel is also known for his comedic roles in “Knocked Up,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “I Love You, Man,” and the cult-classic television series “Freaks and Geeks.”

When Segel, who said that he had spent the previous three evenings at Tommy Doyle’s pub in Harvard Square, earned his Pudding Pot at last, he said that he wanted to use it for a practical purpose.

He might not fill it with pudding, but “you could drink out of it,” he said.

Segel said he was grateful that his family members, who live in Massachusetts, were able to join him in Cambridge to celebrate his recognition.

In his final remarks, he promoted his family’s business, Mr. Sid, a men’s clothing store located in Newton, Mass.

The Man of the Year celebration preceded the opening performance of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ annual show, which runs through March.

—Staff writer Eliza M.. Ngyuen can be reached at enguyen@college.harvard.edu.