In the book "Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live" Dick Ebersol recounts that near the end of dress rehearsal, John Madden took him aside and told Ebersol that he was unhappy with how the show was going and that he would finish dress rehearsal, but then go home. Ebersol says he almost had a heart attack at that moment, and then Madden put on a big grin and told him he was kidding around.