Mad Men - Q&A with Matthew Weiner

Alex Trebek
While he was still a poor, unemployed college grad, Weiner appeared on Jeopardy! and won. At episode's end, he had the following encounter with Trebek: "I went up to him and said, 'When I was in college, Jeopardy! was on at 3:30 in the afternoon and it was during this class called 'The Human Brain,' and I got a D in the class because I was always watching your show. Which is funny, because my dad's a neurologist …' And he looks at me and says, 'Most of our champions are excellent students.' It was hurtful! Alex basically said, 'You have bad grades. No Centrum Silver for you.'"

The Actor Who Kicked Him in the Butt
When Weiner was a writer on a network sitcom he refused to name (our guess: The Naked Truth) he had a dispute with one of the show's actors that ended in a bruised ass. Said Garlin: "I know you were kicked in the butt once. [Weiner] was writing on a show, and one of the actors — who's a writer now — got so mad at Matt that he went up and kicked him in the butt." "He wanted to have a fight with me," remembered Weiner. "He was much bigger. He said, 'You know how to fight?' And I said, 'I'm a comedy writer. Of course I don't know how to fight.' He had homicide in his eyes, so I took the high road and turned around to walk away. Then he kicked me in the leg …" Interjected Garlin: "I heard from Robby Benson that it was in the butt." "It left a mark," said Weiner. "I told on him."

Source: Full Q&A @ Grantland