This past Sunday, prior to my interview with Up With Chris Hayes host Chris Hayes, I got to observe the last hour-and-a-half of MSNBC’s new, rapidly rising weekend political roundtable. In the last installment of Inside Up With Chris Hayes, we take you behind the scenes and show you what happens during the show’s much-talked-about, but never seen, commercial breaks with Hayes and panelists Reihan Salam, Rebecca Traister, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, and Elise Jordan.

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One key to the early success of MSNBC’s weekend political breakfast show Up With Chris Hayes is the show’s loyal Twitter following, which has made #Uppers (the program’s Twitter hashtag) a top trending topic Saturday and Sunday mornings. In the last part of our interview, host Chris Hayes (who is constantly checking the Twitter feed during the show) answered questions from those Twitter #Uppers, revealing where the show’s name came from, his connection to Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, and more.

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On Sunday, I caught up with Up With Chris Hayes‘ Chris Hayes to quiz him on the success of his new show, his take on the media, and other topics. In the second part of our exclusive interview, Hayes assessed some current political topics, including President Obama‘s recent tough-talking reply to a question about conservative accusations of an “appeasement” strategy in foreign policy. Somewhat surprisingly, Hayes was not happy with the President’s “Ask Osama bin Laden” response to that question.

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It’s fast becoming the worst-kept secret in cable news that Chris Hayes is ruining people’s weekends. The editor-at-large of The Nation, former Rachel Maddow fill-in, and (for the past few weeks) proud papa of daughter Ryan hosts a political roundtable which, true to its title, forces a growing number of people to get Up With Chris Hayes. The show combines the fun, accessibility, and sleep-interrupting qualities of a Saturday morning cartoon with the smarts and savvy of a crackling wonk dinner party. To atone for waking us up every weekend, Chris Hayes agreed to give us a look inside Up.