10 ‘SNL’ Sketches That Caused the Cast to Break Character
It’s common for “Saturday Night Live” to leave its audience in laughter, but it’s just as typical for the show’s own cast members to join in the fun.
The iconic comedy show, now celebrating its 50th season, frequently showcases unforgettable sketches that make performers break character and laugh, which inevitably sends the live audience and viewers at home into fits of giggles. These moments undoubtedly create buzz and conversations — once everyone stops chuckling, that is.
Here’s a countdown of some of the most unforgettable sketches where performers couldn’t hold it together.
‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ — Season 49 (2024)
A serious town hall discussion hosted by NewsNation about the threats of AI takes an unexpected turn when a man (guest host Ryan Gosling) resembling Beavis from MTV’s “Beavis and Butt-Head” appears in the audience. When he’s replaced by another guest who resembles Butt-Head (Mikey Day), town hall host Heidi Gardner asks him to move, but not before she laughs and momentarily turns from the camera to regain composure.
Her laughter continues for several seconds, prompting screams of delight from the audience. When the faux Butt-Head engages her in conversation and feigns ignorance, she bursts into laughter again. Even after he walks off, Gardner struggles to maintain her composure while trying to continue the sketch, which ended up going viral.
A moment later, we spot Beavis and Butt-Head together, with Gosling cracking up laughing, and Day also fighting to keep a straight face. Even Chloe Fineman, who appears briefly at the end, has to exert considerable effort to complete her lines, while the extras in the scene manage to remain completely serious.
‘Lisa from Temecula’ — Season 48 (2023)
Ego Nwodim delivers a hilarious performance as the hostile titular character in this outrageous sketch, provoking host Pedro Pascal to laugh as she aggressively cuts her steak ordered “extra, extra well done.” Punkie Johnson struggles to suppress her laughter, while Bowen Yang completely loses it when Nwodim provocatively asks if people are complaining because “we Black.”
After a dismal dress rehearsal, Pascal said the sketch was nearly cut from the show.
“We pleaded, ‘Oh no. Please don’t cut it,’” he shared on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” “When you really shake things up, and you give her a steak she can hardly saw through — which ended up in her lap — it started happening naturally. We felt the shift immediately. And we just fell apart.”
‘Matt Foley: Van Down By the River’ — Season 18 (1993)
What more can be said about this legendary sketch? Chris Farley plays the outrageous motivational speaker Matt Foley, who, as he likes to remind, “lives in a van down by the river.” He attempts to connect with teenagers David Spade and host Christina Applegate.
What ensues is one of the most beloved sketches in the show’s history, with Farley’s outrageous antics sending Spade and Applegate into fits of laughter as they desperately try to hold it together. The two are clearly trying not to break character. Extra kudos go to Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks, who portray the teens’ parents and manage to maintain their composure throughout.
‘Stefon’s Halloween Tips’ — Season 38 (2012)
Bill Hader’s Stefan is a fan-favorite “SNL” character known for frequently breaking character, often seen covering his mouth to stifle laughter and hide his grin. As a correspondent on “Weekend Update,” the quirky Stefan’s segments often fell apart, such as during this Halloween tips segment, where he completely loses it while trying to give advice for Halloween tourists in New York City.
At one point, he buries his head in his hands with laughter, losing control.
Hader often found himself laughing while portraying Stefon for good reason. He co-created the character with John Mulaney, who would secretly modify the lines before each performance without Hader’s knowledge.
“He’ll spring lines on me without notice, or only tell me as I walk out. Anything to catch me off guard,” Hader told Howard Stern back in 2013.
‘Jeffrey’s’ — Season 26 (2001)
Jimmy Fallon has made a name for himself as one of the most notorious cast members when it comes to breaking character, often doing so during the iconic “More Cowbell” sketch.
In this sketch, he teams with host Sean Hayes as condescending store clerks who take pleasure in mocking their customers.
Fallon has to turn away from the camera while he and Hayes, who also starts cracking up, banter with a customer played by Horatio Sanz. But when Will Ferrell rolls into the store on a motorized scooter with a tiny cell phone, all bets are off: Fallon and Hayes are left in uncontrollable laughter.
‘The Love-ahs’ — Season 27 (2007)
Fallon returns to break character in this sketch, where he plays a single man in a hotel hot tub who encounters a bizarre couple (Rachel Dratch and Will Ferrell) who are far too candid about their sex life.
Initially calm, Fallon starts to crack up when host Drew Barrymore shares a speech about her ex. Barrymore also begins to giggle, while Dratch completely loses her cool when she shares a plate of food with Ferrell. Soon, Ferrell joins Dratch in uncontrollable laughter, bubbling over more than the hot tub itself, as even Barrymore struggles to maintain her composure.
‘Debbie Downer: Disney World’ — Season 29 (2004)
A family trip to Disney World takes a downturn when Dratch kills the excitement with her downbeat commentary. Fallon and Dratch can’t hold back their laughter, while Amy Poehler focuses on a plate of food to regain her composure. The scene becomes even more chaotic when Sanz and host Lindsay Lohan join in the fun.
“By the way, it’s official: I can’t have children,” Dratch declares at one point, prompting Fallon to bury his face in his hands.
Lohan also struggles to complete her line when she tells Dratch, who laughs throughout, to stop being such a, well, Debbie Downer.
‘Extremely Stupid’ (1976)
Let’s take it back to the classics with this Season 2 sketch featuring a message from the Right to Extreme Stupidity League. Bergen can’t help but laugh when she points out Gilda Radner’s character Fern is a bit slow after she pours milk into her purse. Radner quickly duplicates her action, causing Bergen to burst into laughter. When Radner turns to speak to the camera, Bergen is already doubled over with laughter. It’s a fun, lighthearted moment from two comedy legends.
‘The Californians: Stuart Has Cancer’ — Season 37 (2012)
Hader is visibly amused from the start in this soap opera parody, where he, Kristen Wiig, and Fred Armisen exaggerate California accents and get overly detailed about their routes. Armisen giggles right away, further triggering Hader. Wiig soon joins in on the fun while giving directions to Armisen after host Josh Brolin, playing a doctor, reveals the unfortunate news that he has cancer.
‘Super Showcase Spokesmodels’ — Season 37 (2012)
Maya Rudolph and Wiig play game show supermodels with thick accents who struggle to maintain their composure while explaining to losing contestant Vanessa Bayer what she didn’t win. Wiig particularly loses her cool while promoting frozen chicken. Things spiral further out of control when she begins driving around in a golf cart, hilariously crashing through a sign to exit the sketch.
