‘Mad Men’ star Jon Hamm honored as Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Man of the Year

Actor Jon Hamm, who rose to fame as ad executive Don Draper on the AMC series “Mad Men” and more recently appeared in “Fargo” and “Landman,” was honored Friday night as the 2025 Man of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

The theater group, which dates to 1844 and claims to be the world’s third-oldest still operating, said Hamm will receive his Pudding Pot award at a celebratory roast. Afterward, he will attend a performance of Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 176th production, “101 Damnations.”

“I can’t believe there are so many people here,” Hamm said after accepting his Pudding Pot award. “Did you all seriously think I was dead? This is such a wonderful honor.”

Before accepting the Pudding Pot, Hamm endured a roasting at the hands of two members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. They mocked his height, poked fun at the fact he had not won an Academy Award and suggested many previous winners were better looking.

To make their point, they even had him take part in a contest with someone wearing a Paul Rudd mask, the 2018 winner of the award. Hamm also participated in a trivia contest with an piece of deli meat on a table — who the presenters suggested had won an Academy Award for production design.

The best bit, though, was making Hamm channel his “Mad Men” character, Don Draper, and pitch several items. Among them was selling car insurance to a baby driver and a pen to a woman who had just landed her dream job and was promptly fired. Then, there was selling a lifetime voucher for bath time with Harry Potter.

“Hi, do you love Daniel Radcliffe? How about Harry Potter?” Draper asked an excited woman on stage. “I would say let’s sit in a tub together but that sounds like, A, terrifying, and B, marginally illegal.”

Afterwards at a press conference, Hamm credited Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels with bringing out his funny side and said Don Draper was the most challenging and fun character that he has ever played. He also cast doubt on the prospect of his character Monty Mille on “Landman” being resurrected.

“Usually when you’re surrounded by your loved ones on a hospital bed and they’re crying and the machine has a flat line on it, it’s not great,” he joked.

Hasty Pudding Theatricals gives the awards to people who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.

Hamm is best known for starring in “Mad Men,” but he has had a storied acting career. Among his achievements, he received Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for his portrayal of Sheriff Roy Tillman in the FX series “Fargo,” he has starred in several movies, including “Bad Times at the El Royale,” and he has hosted “Saturday Night Live” three times.

Other recent Man of the Year winners have included Barry Keoghan last year, Bob Odenkirk in 2023 and Jason Bateman in 2022.

“Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo has been named Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ Woman of the Year Award. She will receive her award Feb. 6.