The couple, who now live in New York, has two children: a daughter, 17, and a son, 13, whom Franken calls "good kids." They are his greatest accomplishment, he says.

Franken describes meeting his wife at a Simmons mixer as his favorite Harvard memory. "The others are memories that I can't tell you about," he jokes.

Franken has been at SNL for 23 years, with a few breaks in between to pursue outside endeavors.

In 1996, Franken wrote a political satire titled Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot. The book, in which Franken pokes fun at conservative politicians, sold more than a million copies.

Franken says he is not all about laughs, however.

Franken and Len Bass, the co-writer of Rainman, set out to write a comedy about co-dependency. What evolved was one of the more poignant films of the decade, the 1994 film When a Man Loves a Woman, which stars Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia, and focuses on a tale of alcoholism, family and the tragedy that results from their combination.

"It evolved into what it evolved into," Franken says. "Through the development, it got more and more tragic."

Franken's latest project is a new sitcom, "Lateline", which served as a mid-season replacement on NBC.

Preparing to attend his class's 25th reunion, Franken speaks fondly of his days at Harvard.

"I loved it here," Franken says. "I talk to a lot of my classmates all the time. They're friends for life."

While he's here, Franken says he will be searching the crowds for the 1973 editor of the Lampoon.

"I hope to see Jim Siegelman ['73], who blackballed me, shake his hand--and ask him if he's still writing obscure books on cults," Franken jokes.

Siegelman says it is "tempting to retaliate" but declined to comment on Franken's challenge.