If you grew up watching late-night TV in the late nineties, you remember the music. That brassy, over-the-top superhero theme kicks in, and suddenly two guys in skin-tight spandex are flying across the screen in a car that... well, let’s be honest, it looked like a giant phallus. Gary and Ace. The Saturday Night Live Ambiguously Gay Duo. It was ridiculous. It was uncomfortable for some. It was hilarious for others. But looking back at it now, through the lens of 2026, it’s a fascinating time capsule of how comedy used to handle "the line" and how it toyed with the very concept of the "closet."
Robert Smigel created it. He’s the genius behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, so you know the vibe is going to be biting. Before it ever hit NBC, it actually lived on the short-lived Dana Carvey Show on ABC. When that show went belly up, Smigel brought his animated "TV Funhouse" segments over to SNL. It wasn't just a random cartoon. It featured the voices of Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert. Yeah. Before they were titans of the industry, they were voicing two superheroes who were seemingly more interested in their "friendship" than catching the bad guys.
The Joke That Everyone Got (But No One Acknowledged)
The humor didn't come from them being gay. That’s the nuance people miss. The joke was that everyone around them—the villains like Bighead and Dr. Giro, the citizens, the other heroes—was absolutely obsessed with their sexuality while Gary and Ace remained "oblivious." Or were they? They’d perform these bizarrely suggestive gymnastics or hold poses just a little too long. It was a commentary on the "Burt and Ernie" trope, or the way fans used to speculate about Batman and Robin.
Actually, Smigel has talked about this in interviews. He wasn't trying to mock gay people. He was mocking the obsession of the "straight" world with outing people. The villains were the ones constantly distracted. They’d stop their evil plans just to whisper, "Are they... you know?" It flipped the script. Instead of the heroes being the butt of the joke, the "homophobic" gaze of the villains was the target.
Comedy is tricky. Especially 1996 comedy. Some argue the Saturday Night Live Ambiguously Gay Duo relied too heavily on visual gags that leaned into stereotypes. Others argue it was a subversive masterpiece that pointed out how terrified society was of male intimacy. It’s a bit of both. You’ve got Carell’s high-pitched, earnest delivery as Gary and Colbert’s stoic, heroic tone as Ace. They played it straight. Literally. That’s why it worked. If they had played it "camp," the joke would have died in three minutes.
Behind the Animation: Carell and Colbert Before the Fame
Imagine being in the room when this was pitched.
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J.J. Sedelmaier’s animation studio handled the visuals, giving it that grainy, limited-animation look of 1960s cartoons like Super Friends. It looked cheap on purpose. It looked safe. That visual safety made the suggestive content feel even more jarring.
- The first episode aired September 28, 1996.
- It ran for 12 segments over the years.
- The final "live-action" version featured Jon Hamm and Jimmy Fallon.
Think about that live-action cast for a second. In 2011, SNL decided to bring the characters to life for a finale. Jon Hamm as Ace? Perfect. Jimmy Fallon as Gary? It was a fever dream. Even Ed Helms showed up. It showed that the industry—and the actors who grew up on the sketch—viewed it as a rite of passage.
Why It Wouldn't Be Made Today (And Why That Matters)
The world has changed. Obviously.
If you pitched the Saturday Night Live Ambiguously Gay Duo in a writers' room today, it would probably get killed. Not because people are "too sensitive," but because the "ambiguity" doesn't exist in the same way. We live in an era of "shipping" and explicit representation. The joke relied on a world where being "out" was a scandal. Today, a superhero being gay is just... a plot point in a Marvel movie. Sorta.
But back then? It was a lightning rod. It pushed buttons.
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There’s a specific kind of nostalgia for this era of SNL. It was the era of the "TV Funhouse," where animation allowed the show to be more biting and surreal than a live sketch could ever be. You couldn't build a set as weird as the villains' lair. You couldn't ask actors to hold those positions for five minutes without someone breaking character. Animation was the loophole.
The Cultural Footprint of Gary and Ace
People still quote the theme song. "What is the engine of the world? Is it love? No! It's friendship!"
It’s easy to dismiss it as "low-brow" humor. And yeah, a lot of it was. But there’s a layer of social commentary about the 90s obsession with "don't ask, don't tell." The Duo lived in a world where they could be as flamboyant as they wanted as long as they never actually said the words. That was the American reality for a lot of people in 1996.
Smigel’s writing always had this edge. He wasn't just looking for a laugh; he was looking to make the audience feel a little bit like the villains—guilty for staring. If you found it funny because you thought "haha, they look gay," the sketch was arguably making fun of you for being so preoccupied with it.
Key Takeaways for Pop Culture Nerds
- Watch the Voice Work: Go back and listen to Carell and Colbert. You can hear the beginnings of their legendary comedic timing. Colbert’s "hero voice" is a precursor to his Colbert Report persona—the confident man who has no idea what’s actually happening.
- Study the Satire: Look at the villains. Their dialogue is almost entirely focused on the Duo's relationship. It’s a perfect parody of tabloid culture.
- The Live Action Shift: The 2011 live-action sketch is a masterclass in how to retire a character. It acknowledged the absurdity of the premise while giving fans a "prestige" version of the heroes.
If you want to understand the history of adult animation, you have to look at these segments. They paved the way for things like Archer or The Venture Bros. It’s that mix of retro aesthetics and modern, slightly uncomfortable adult themes.
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How to Revisit the Series
Honestly? Just go watch the original "TV Funhouse" clips. They’re short. They’re punchy. They don't overstay their welcome. You'll see things you definitely missed as a kid. The background details in the fortress of Dr. Giro are filled with visual puns that most people didn't catch on a 19-inch CRT television.
To really appreciate the Saturday Night Live Ambiguously Gay Duo, you have to look at the "The Dana Carvey Show" roots first. It provides the context of the "anything goes" experimental energy that Smigel was breathing at the time. Then, watch the SNL transition. You’ll see the animation get slightly cleaner, the jokes get a bit more refined, and the cultural impact explode.
Don't just look for the obvious gags. Pay attention to the way the characters interact with the "League of Over-Righteousness." It’s a fascinating look at how 90s media viewed masculinity. Ace and Gary were "too masculine" in a way that looped back around to being perceived as feminine by the people around them. It’s a weird paradox. And it’s why we’re still talking about it thirty years later.
Practical Steps for Content Collectors:
- Check the SNL Vault: Most of these are remastered on the official SNL YouTube channel or Peacock.
- Listen to Podcasts: Robert Smigel has done several deep-dive interviews (check out Strike Force Five or Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend) where he breaks down the legal hurdles of moving the cartoon from ABC to NBC.
- Look for the Toys: Believe it or not, there were action figures. They are collectors' items now. Finding a mint-condition Gary and Ace set is like finding a piece of comedic archaeology.
The Duo remains a polarizing, hilarious, and deeply strange part of television history. It wasn't just a sketch; it was a vibe. It was the sound of the 90s trying to figure out what was okay to talk about, wrapped in a bright blue spandex package.