Jason Bateman Praises Sean Hayes at SmartLess Live Event
jason bateman used a live SmartLess taping at Avalon Hollywood on Saturday to call Sean Hayes “the most genuine, warmest, sincere, attentive friend I’ve ever had.” He also said Will Arnett makes him laugh more than anybody he has ever met in his entire life.
The appearance gave the three hosts a rare public pass at praise. SmartLess launched in July 2020, and the show later moved into a multi-year SiriusXM deal in January 2024, so the live event sat inside a growing audio franchise rather than a one-off reunion.
Avalon Hollywood on Saturday
Bateman’s line about Hayes was the sharpest note in the room, because it came from a trio known for ribbing one another on the podcast. At Avalon Hollywood, that dynamic shifted into open appreciation, with Bateman adding that Arnett has all of that and makes him laugh more than anybody he has ever met in his entire life.
Arnett did not leave the exchange hanging for long. Asked what he loved about Bateman, he said, “You are, you’re so Jason, you know?” and followed with, “Which I f–king love about you … Jason is such a sweet boy. You’re a beautiful person.”
Hayes turns the praise back
Hayes matched the tone with his own direct assessment of Bateman. He said, “Yes, I love you because you also are a genuinely kind person,” adding, “And you really think of other people.” Hayes also called Bateman “one of the smartest people I’ve ever known in my entire life.”
He then aimed the same kind of language at Arnett, saying, “This fella is also super squishy.” Hayes capped the live exchange by describing Bateman and Arnett as “the funniest person on the face of the planet, both of them are.”
SmartLess after SiriusXM
The timing matters because the event sat inside a larger business track for SmartLess. The podcast began in July 2020, Amazon acquired it a year later, and January 2024 brought a multi-year SiriusXM deal that put the live taping under the same corporate roof as the platform presenting it on Saturday.
For listeners, the shift was less about format and more about access: a show built on sparring between Bateman, Hayes and Arnett briefly traded in sincerity in public, and that kind of live moment gives the brand a cleaner onstage identity than the jokes alone would suggest.
