Jordan Peele started envisioning himself as a mega-producer when MADtv wouldn't let him audition for SNL

The Hollywood Reporter

It was around the time that then-Senator Barack Obama was "becoming a thing," but MADtv refused to let him out of his contract for a Saturday Night Live audition. So Peele says he locked himself in a room, started smoking a lot of weed and plotted his revenge "like a comic book supervillain." That's when it occurred to him: "I wanted to be a producer," he said he realized. "These producers are making these decisions about art and comedy and they don't know anything about art and comedy. I want to be a producer and bring my artistry and they'll all be sorry." Peele decided he needed "seven to eight" years to "be great." So he started developing multiple projects, including Get Out.