Editing Matt Foley (section)

== History ==
The character was conceived by [[Bob Odenkirk]].<ref>{{cite news | last=Borrelli | first= Christopher | date=2015-01-30 | title=Underrated for years, Bob Odenkirk gets the call for 'Saul' | newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] | quote=But even an "SNL" character like Matt Foley, which you wrote decades ago for Chris Farley, seems to come not from ridicule but a sincere sympathy with kind of hapless people like Foley. | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-bob-odenkirk-better-call-saul-20150129-column.html | access-date=2020-10-10}}</ref> Farley debuted the character during his tenure in [[The Second City]] comedy troupe prior to his joining the cast of ''Saturday Night Live''.<ref>{{cite web| last=Fox| first=Jesse David| date=February 18, 2014 | title=Watch an Early, Live Version of Chris Farley's 'Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker' Sketch | publisher=Vulture | url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/02/see-an-early-version-of-snls-matt-foley-sketch.html | access-date=June 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFVsRmgB-5M|title=Chris Farley at The Second City: The Original Motivational Speaker|date=February 17, 2014|access-date=June 1, 2021|via=YouTube|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218014617/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFVsRmgB-5M|archive-date=February 18, 2014}}</ref> Farley named the character after one of his [[Marquette University]] [[rugby union]] teammates, an Army chaplain who became a [[Roman Catholic priest]] in the [[Chicago]] suburb of [[Arlington Heights, Illinois|Arlington Heights]].<ref>{{cite news | last=Silverberg | first=Melissa | date=August 2, 2015 | title=The real Matt Foley remembers his friend Chris Farley | newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]] | url=http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150801/news/150809920/ | access-date=August 1, 2015}}</ref> Reviewing the stage version of the sketch in 1990, the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' wrote:

<blockquote>...even if he is imitating the loudmouth imbecile [[Sam Kinison]] to the decibel, Chris Farley is a stitch in "Motivation." He plays a scuzzy drug abuser hired by parents to scare their kids straight, a case of negative psychology taken over a cliff.<ref>{{cite news | last=Bommer| first=Lawrence| date=August 2, 1990 | title=Flag Smoking Permitted in Lobby Only, or Censorama  | newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]] | url=https://chicagoreader.com/arts-culture/flag-smoking-permitted-in-lobby-only-or-censorama/ | access-date=March 16, 2025| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201025513/https://chicagoreader.com/arts-culture/flag-smoking-permitted-in-lobby-only-or-censorama/ | archive-date=December 1, 2021}}</ref></blockquote>

Matt Foley appeared in eight ''Saturday Night Live'' sketches. Each sketch typically started with Foley brought into a situation by someone to speak to a group. The sketches usually feature Farley's [[physical comedy]], such as the over-caffeinated Foley gesticulating wildly and leaping around, often breaking furniture. At the end of each sketch, he is usually rushed out of his speaking location, where the people left behind huddle together and comment on him, usually bemused and frightened. Though his intended message is always ruined by his bizarre presentation, his results are usually successful as his audience changes their behavior so as to avoid further association with him.

The character's debut was so popular that Farley turned it into one of his best-known routines and one which he would repeat many times, both as Foley and as other characters on ''SNL'' and in film during the remainder of his life and career, sometimes injuring himself in the process.

Being a [[Wisconsin]] native, Farley was asked to portray the character at the 1994 [[Rose Bowl Game|Rose Bowl]] banquet.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CsRShiRg_rgC&q=Always+a+Badger%3A+The+Pat+Richter+Story&pg=PA153|title=Always a Badger: The Pat Richter Story|last=Sweeney|first=Vince|date=2005|publisher=Big Earth Publishing|isbn=9781931599627|page=153|language=en}}</ref> He delivered a comedic "motivational speech" to the [[Wisconsin Badgers football]] team, who were to face the [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA Bruins]] that year and won [[1994 Rose Bowl|the game]], 21–16.

Plans for a film version with [[David Spade]] in a supporting role were shelved after Farley's death in 1997.<ref>{{cite news | last=Borrelli | first= Christopher | date=January 30, 2015 | title=Underrated for years, Bob Odenkirk gets the call for 'Saul' | newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] | quote=Foley, I always thought there was a movie in that character. ... That would have been a great little movie. But only with Farley. | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-bob-odenkirk-better-call-saul-20150129-column.html | access-date=August 1, 2016}}</ref>