Jon Hamm ‘Stoked’ for Hasty Pudding Roast

When Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jon Hamm learned he would receive the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 2025 Man of the Year award, he was “stoked” — but this was not the first time Hamm was offered the award, he said in an interview Thursday.

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals first reached out “back in the Mad Men days,” but Hamm was “too busy working” to receive the honor, he said.

“I had to regretfully pass and I thought, ‘Oh no. They’ll never ask me again. I’m bummed,’” Hamm said. “Then it came around again.”

“It’s a tremendous honor, and I felt very happy to be considered,” he added.

The group announced on Jan. 15 that Hamm — known for his starring role in “Mad Men” — would be their 58th Man of the Year. A Hasty Pudding spokesperson did not immediately respond to a comment request Sunday regarding whether Hamm had been offered the award in the past.

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals will roast Hamm and present him with a ceremonial Pudding Pot on Jan. 31 at a sold-out preview of the group’s annual musical comedy, with ticket prices ranging from $150 to $250.

Hamm said he expects his Man of the Year ceremony to be a “whimsical, light-hearted event.”

“Especially given all of the things that seem to be happening that are bummers in the world, this is one thing that isn’t,” he said. “It’s nice to celebrate a little, to spark a little joy.”

When asked what he expects the Hasty Pudding performers to roast him about, Hamm said there is plenty of material to be found “if you dig around on the internet.”

“I have lived half a century or more on the planet, so you don’t get that kind of miles on your odometer without having plenty of embarrassing fodder for a roast,” he said.

Still, Hamm seemed unfazed by the prospect of the Theatricals’ scathing comments.

“It’s not my first rodeo,” he said. “I’m happy to take all the slings and arrows that come my way.”

Beyond Friday’s roast and receiving the Pudding Pot, Hamm said he is especially looking forward to the event because of his background as a former theater major and a high school theater teacher.

“Those are my people,” he said of undergraduate theater groups. “I’m happy to be around them for another weekend.”

After Hamm was announced as Man of the Year, Hasty Pudding alumni James M. W. “Jim” Downey ’74 — a former writer for Saturday Night Live — and Peter W. Schandorff ’68, Hamm’s eighth grade history teacher, both reached out to congratulate Hamm on his selection, Hamm said.

Hamm’s friendship with past members of the group also contributed to his excitement to receive the award, he added.

“I have a lot of friends in my world who are members of Hasty Pudding,” he said. “It felt nice to be asked to be in their world for just a little bit.”

Hamm said he hopes to fully immerse himself in his Man of the Year experience.

“I don’t participate in anything halfway,” he said. “I’m very much excited to lean in and jump in with both feet.”

—Staff writer Hiral M. Chavre can be reached at hiral.chavre@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @h_chavre.

—Staff writer Darcy G Lin can be reached at darcy.lin@thecrimson.com.