Complex sentence: Guests included Rachel Maddow (Abby Elliott), Roland S. Martin (Thompson), and Benjamin Bernanke (Armisen), but the Gibbs spent little time conversing with them except for Bernanke, who occasionally interrupted (drinking water, cell phone ringing).
Split into simpler sentences: Guests included Rachel Maddow (Abby Elliott), Roland S. Martin (Thompson), and Benjamin Bernanke (Armisen). However, the Gibbs spent little time conversing with the guests except for Bernanke, who occasionally interrupted (drinking water, cell phone ringing).