Please Don't Destroy

For the 2023 comedy film, seePlease Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.

Please Don't Destroy
Genres	Satire,surreal humour,off-color humor
Years active	2017–present
Members	Ben Marshall John Higgins Martin Herlihy
Website	pleasedontdestroy

Please Don't Destroyis an American comedy group inNew York Cityconsisting of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy, who began collaborating as students atNew York University.The group was founded in 2017 and based on an act titledPlease Don't Destroy My Farm.The troupe performed monthly comedy shows, appeared at theNew York Comedy Festivaland produced sketch videos posted toYouTube.During theCOVID-19 pandemic,they began creating shorter videos forTikTokandTwitter.

In 2021, the trio was hired as writers onSaturday Night Live(SNL) to produce prerecorded digital videos for the show's47th season.Please Don't Destroydebuted onSNLon October 9, 2021.They recorded the song "Three Sad Virgins" withPete DavidsonandTaylor Swift.In 2023, they wrote and starred inPlease Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain,a comedy movie that follows three friends as they struggle through early adulthood and search for treasure.

Members

Ben Marshall

Ben Marshall(born May 1, 1995) grew up inSavannah, Georgia,where he attended theSavannah Arts Academy.He graduated from theNYU Tisch School of Artsin 2017.At NYU, he was involved in the Hammerkatz sketch comedy and Astor Place Riots stand up comedy groups.Prior toSNL,he worked as an after-school counselor at the 14th Street Y while pursuing comedy.

John Higgins

John Higgins(born November 14, 1995) grew up inMontclair, New Jersey.Born into an entertainment family, he is one of four children ofSteve Higgins,a producer and writer forSNLmost widely known as the announcer ofThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.He is the nephew of actorDavid Anthony Higginsand comedy writerAlan J. Higgins.He attendedMontclair Kimberley Academy,and has citedSimon Richas a major influence during this time.Higgins attended New York University where he was part of the Hammerkatz sketch comedy troupe and graduated with an English degree from theNYU College of Arts & Sciencesin 2018.Outside of his work with Please Don't Destroy, he has appeared in the filmsA Man Called Otto(2022) and in the indie comedyThe Country Club(2023).He is married to comedian Emily Wilson.

Martin Herlihy

Martin Herlihy(born September 13, 1998) grew up inRidgefield, Connecticut,the son ofTim Herlihy,the longtime comedy partner ofAdam Sandlerand a writer/producer forSNLin the 1990s. Herlihy attendedRidgefield High Schooland graduated from NYU Tisch in 2019.At NYU, he was involved in Astor Place Riots stand up comedy.

List of prerecorded sketches

Season 47 (2021–22)

Title	Original airdate	Description
Hard Seltzer	October 9, 2021	ThreeSaturday Night Livewriters – Martin, Ben, and John – discover a variety of hard seltzers.
Rami Wants a Treat	October 16, 2021	HostRami Malekexplains why he deserves to be rewarded for being on his best behavior atSNL.Filmed for Malek's episode but cut for time.
Calling Angie	November 6, 2021	John tries to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend Angie (Sarah Sherman), but the call goes off the rails.
Three Sad Virgins	November 13, 2021	Pete Davidsoncreates a music video about three sad virgins (Martin, Ben, and John) and is joined by musical guestTaylor Swift.
Touch Up	November 20, 2021	Martin, Ben, and John discuss the work they've had done, including Ben's botox and John's longer fingers. Filmed for theSimu Liuepisode but cut for time.
Future Selves	December 11, 2021	Martin, Ben, and John are visited by their future selves who warn them of disasters, but they become distracted by how disappointing their future lives are. Features guest starsJames Ciccone,Tim Hayes, and George Aloi as the future selves. Filmed for theBillie Eilishepisode but cut for time.
New Personalities	January 22, 2022	The three writers try out some new personalities such as "Dude whose years of research got rocked" and "The Subway Guy." Filmed for theWill Forteepisode but cut for time.
Martin's Friend	January 29, 2022	Martin introduces John and Ben to his new friend Connor, who is 10 years old. John and Ben initially dislike Connor, but the four end up becoming friends. Connor wants to pitch jokes toColin JostforWeekend Update,and Jost appears telling Connor he loves them.
Good Variant	February 26, 2022	A celebration breaks out after news of a new COVID variant that is actually good. HostJohn Mulaneyplays a news anchor reporting on the new variant.Paul Ruddtests positive for the variant and passes it to Martin, Ben and John.Al RokerandSarah Shermanalso join the celebrations.
We Got Her a Cat	March 12, 2022	The three writers plan to surprise hostZoë Kravitzwith a cat, but it does not go as expected.Paul Danois found to be living in the writers' office as he is doing research for a movie about "three guys who suck."
Three Normal Goths	April 2, 2022	A group of goths with conventional tastes live completely normal lives. HostJerrod Carmichaelappears and is judged by the goths for his fashion choices. Filmed for Carmichael's episode but cut for time.
Lizzo Has Writer's Block	April 16, 2022	Host and musical guestLizzoneeds help writing two new songs for herSNLperformance.Andrew Dismukesappears as himself and threatens to kill Lizzo if her new songs are not good enough.

Season 48 (2022–23)

Title	Original airdate	Description
Tommy	October 8, 2022	Martin, Ben, and John play high school versions of themselves who find out that their best friend Tommy (played by hostBrendan Gleeson) is a 67-year-old Irish man. This is the first PDD sketch to take place completely outside of their office.
Wellness	October 15, 2022	The boys talk about things that they do to stay healthy.
Election Night	November 12, 2022	New cast memberMolly Kearneysuddenly wins the election for Attorney General of Ohio thanks to a drunken Tweet, and the boys must mold them into a proper, TV-ready politician in time for their victory speech.Steve Kornackicameos as himself, giving the election results.Also features Sarah Sherman andSteve Higgins.
Chelsea	December 10, 2022	Martin and Ben find themselves in a bad situation when John reunites with his ex-girlfriend (Sarah Sherman). Also featuresChloe Fineman,Michael Che,and hostsSteve MartinandMartin Short.Sherman's father, Andrew Sherman, cameos in this film.
Plirts	December 17, 2022	The boys create a shirt made of plastic, pitching the idea to hostAustin Butler.New cast membersDevon WalkerandMarcello Hernandezjoin in on the fun, as does musical guestLizzo.
The Stakeout	February 25, 2023	Ben holds a stakeout with hostWoody Harrelsonto find out what Martin and John are hiding from him. It turns out they have a secret family and are holding auditions to replace Ben. Also featuresKenan Thompson.
Self-Defense	March 4, 2023	After being insulted by the interns, the boys go to a self-defense class led by Kirk Lightning (played by hostTravis Kelce).
Road Trip	March 11, 2023	The boys and hostJenna Ortegasing about going on a cross country road trip.
Street Eats	April 1, 2023	Three guys film a show calledStreet Eatswhere they go around New York to try exotic foods and interact with people of different races. Also features hostQuinta Brunsonand Marcello Hernandez.
Molly Shannon2k23	April 8, 2023	The boys show hostMolly Shannona video game where they simulate her life. Eventually, she gets into the game as well.
Hangxiety	April 15, 2023	The boys and hostAna de Armastalk about having a hangover after the show's afterparty. Also featuresMichael Longfellow,Ego Nwodim,Heidi Gardner,Bowen Yang,and Chloe Fineman.

Season 49 (2023–24)

Title	Original airdate	Description
The Original Princes of Comedy	October 14, 2023	The guys reflect on their early comedy careers with host Pete Davidson.
Bad Bunny isShrek	October 21, 2023	Bad Bunny(the host and musical guest for this episode) writes his own version ofShrek,with each of the boys playing their own character (Ben as Puss in Boots, Martin as Donkey, and John as Michael Jackson).
Dawg Food	October 28, 2023	Martin and John eat "Dawg" Food, while Ben is clearly disgusted.
Jumper	November 11, 2023	Martin, Ben, and John find a guy (played by hostTimothée Chalamet) about to jump off a building, and they try to talk him out of it.
Ramen Order	November 18, 2023	The boys attempt to order ramen as John finds out his girlfriend is breaking up with him.
AI	December 2, 2023	Martin tries to confess his love for hostEmma Stone,but due to a hard drive malfunction, the producers use AI technology in some shots to replace her with stunt double and cast memberPunkie Johnson,with Ben and John also being replaced by AI. Also features Marcello Hernandez.
Pimp My Ride	January 20, 2024	The boys attempt to fix a janitor's (played by hostJacob Elordi) car. Filmed for Elordi's episode but cut for time. Also featuresMikey DayandXzibit.
Roast	January 27, 2024	The boys and hostDakota Johnsontrade insults towards each other.
Gone Too Soon	March 2, 2024	The boys tell hostSydney Sweeneyabout a friend of theirs who just died. Features Steve Higgins, and James Ciccone asChef Boyardee.
We Got Too High	March 30, 2024	Whilst at a club with hostRamy Youssefand musical guestTravis Scott,the boys sing a song about getting too high on weed.
Explore Page	May 11, 2024	The boys try to hide theirInstagramexplore pages from their girlfriends (played bySarah Sherman,Ego Nwodim,andChloe Fineman). It's revealed that their pages are full of videos from Uneesa Confidence (played by hostMaya Rudolph).

Filmography

Please Don't Destroy film work

Title	Release	Description
The Treasure of Foggy Mountain	November 17, 2023	Three childhood friends who live and work together do not like where their lives are headed, and set off to find gold treasure rumored to be buried on a nearby mountain. Exclusive toPeacock.