Will Ferrell Explains Viral Beer-Drinking, Cig-Smoking Buddy The Elf

Buddy the Elf has seen better days.

After going viral for reincarnating the title character from 2003’s Elf — as a beer-drinking and cigarette-smoking brooder, no less — Will Ferrell explained the thought and preparation process behind the stunt.

“Buddy the Elf got laid off, I think, from the North Pole,” the multi-hyphenate joked to Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce on a recent episode of their New Heights podcast.

The moment took place at a Dec. 29 hockey game between the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, after a week of prep — simply for the vibes. Commentators joked that Ferrell’s demeanor and commitment to the bit made it unclear if he was actually enjoying the match-up or not. Meanwhile, those on social media had jokes aplenty, with film references deeming this version of Buddy the Elf a “South Pole elf” and saying he had finally been sacked for not meeting his gift-making quota.

“He’s having a pull from his beer, smoking a cig,” the comic explained. “That was just … I get these weird ideas every now and then. I told my wife — ’cause we’re season ticket holders for the L.A. Kings, we have seats right on the glass, which are amazing — I said, ‘Gosh, over the break, it would be funny if I just got a Buddy the Elf costume and didn’t shave for like a week, and I’m just sitting there with a candy cigarette, and I’m just gonna sit there for a period and see how people react.’ And that was it.”

The Will & Harper star and producer said he was taken by surprise at the reaction, which he described as “insane.”

“[People were] like, what is he doing? Is he promoting something? But occasionally I just like to do weird things like that just to stir it up,” he said.

Late last year, the writer-actor reflected on Elf‘s legacy as a Christmas classic: “It continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and it continues to kind of entrench itself as kind of a holiday classic for people. I’m so lucky to have a movie like that in my catalog,” he said.

A rewatch staple during the holiday season, the Jon Favreau-directed comedy follows Buddy the Elf as he journeys to New York City in search of his biological father (played by the late James Caan) after finally being let in on the not-so-secret truth that he’s the sole human at Santa’s elf-powered workshop in the North Pole. The lighthearted and ever-quotable film also stars Zooey Deschanel as Elf’s love interest, along with Ed Asner, Mary Steenburgen and Bob Newhart, featuring a cameo by Favreau.