If you’ve followed Jon Hamm since the Mad Men days, you already know this about him: the man is genuinely, disarmingly funny.
A recent interview with SFGate, published March 31, only confirms it — and delivers a childhood anecdote so perfectly of its era that anyone who grew up before the internet will feel it in their bones.
The Comic Book Incident Living Rent-Free in His Head
Hamm currently stars as Andrew “Coop” Cooper in the hit Apple TV series Your Friends & Neighbors, playing a financial titan who, after losing everything, resorts to burglarizing the homes of people in his social circle.
But when SFGate asked whether Hamm himself had any real-life experience with theft, the answer took a wonderfully personal turn.
“I have not stolen from a friend, but I had a comic book taken by a friend of mine when I was in fifth or sixth grade,” he told SFGate. “I was furious to the point where I made my dad call this guy’s dad and say, ‘Yo, give my kid his comic books back.’”
If you’re of a certain age, you know exactly how that phone call went — the awkward dad diplomacy, the muffled conversation in another room, the gravity of the situation that only a kid could fully appreciate.
Hamm remembered the comic in question was the S issue from his collection of The History of the Marvel Universe comics. Not the most valuable issue, he clarified, but that wasn’t the point.
“I was like, ‘This is not OK,’” he said. “There was no internet. I couldn’t just order up another one.”
For anyone who remembers the pre-digital scarcity of things you loved, the weight of a missing comic book from an incomplete set, the impossibility of replacing it without a lucky find at a flea market, Hamm’s frustration makes perfect sense.
The good news: he got the comic back. And as for the culprit? “Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you his name,” Hamm said. The comics, however, are still sitting in his closet to this day.
Would Jon Hamm Steal From His Friends?
The SFGate interview also surfaced Hamm’s playful take on awards — specifically, other people’s awards. Asked whether he’d steal from friends in real life, his answer was delightfully mischievous.
“I’ve got quite a few friends that have certain shaped awards that I would probably steal but not so I could have them,” he told the outlet. “Just so I could hide the awards from them and cause them anxiety. That would be more fun. Go steal somebody’s Academy Award.”
When pressed to name names, Hamm said he would “never” reveal the targets.
It’s worth noting that Hamm has never been nominated for an Oscar. But his awards résumé is quietly staggering: one Emmy, two Golden Globes and two SAG Awards.
That he can joke so freely about stealing someone else’s Academy Award speaks to a guy who doesn’t take the Hollywood scoreboard too seriously.
But as for a life of crime? Don’t hold your breath.
“I was raised Catholic and would have to confess immediately,” he concluded.
