Top 20 Times SNL Hosts Broke Character
#20: Brittany Murphy “The Leather Man”
A sketch starring notorious breaker Jimmy Fallon and some ill-timed sound effects sounds like a recipe for chaos. And that’s exactly what a sketch from this episode gives. Murphy plays a customer interested in purchasing a pair of snakeskin pants. She really sinks her teeth into the comedy and leans into the ridiculousness of the scenario. And props to her; she lasts far longer than we could’ve— especially once Horatio Sanz enters the scene. However, she eventually can’t hold it back any longer. When she does break, though, she continues the scene so seamlessly that it almost looks like a character quirk rather than genuine laughter.
#19: Maya Rudolph “Super Showcase Spokesmodels”
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Given Rudolph’s experience as a former SNL cast member, you might assume she’d have keeping a straight face down to a fine art. And, sure, that might be the case— until she’s paired up with Kristen Wiig. When she returned as host and co-starred in this particularly memorable skit as a gameshow spokesmodel, the results were downright tumultuous and utterly hilarious. Their exaggerated accents and ridiculous prizes are enough to make anyone chuckle. Hader and Wiig are visibly struggling to keep their composure along with Rudolph. However, it's Wigg’s antics on the golf cart that properly set her off. Not only does Wigg break the set, but she breaks Rudolph too.
#18: Jonah Hill “Benihana”
Fewer things are funnier than a kid with an old soul; just ask Jonah Hill. He plays Adam Grossman, a six-year-old who seems possessed by, to quote, the actor, “a Catskills comedian.” In this segment of the recurring sketch, Adam goes to Benihana with his nanny, Lilly, played by Leslie Jones. Hill is absolutely hysterical as the over-confident, chatty child, so it’s hardly surprising that not only does he make Jones break repeatedly, but he can barely hold it together himself. He goes above and beyond to bring this colorful character to life. And he does such a stellar job that even he can’t help but laugh.
#17: Drew Barrymore “The Love-ahs with Barbara and Dave”
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Barrymore is practically an SNL Hall of Famer. She first hosted the show in 1982 when she was just 7 years old and joined the five-timers club in 2007. However, as this sketch proves, experience means nothing when something is just that darn funny. Let’s be honest: Will Ferrell entered this sketch determined to crack up his scene mates— and he succeeds. In fact, his and Rachel Dratch’s commitment to their characters makes it impossible to remain poker-faced. Just look at Barrymore’s expression! By the end of the sketch, she can no longer contain her laughter, and who can blame her?
#16: Christina Applegate “Matt Foley: Van Down by the River”
Take everything you know about motivational speakers and toss it out the window; you’ve got Matt Foley. With every clunky movement or emphatic cry of [1], Chris Farley knew how to make everyone cackle, and the cast was no exception. According to David Spade, Farley hid some of his character’s quirks, like readjusting his pants, until the live show with the likely intention of surprising and breaking his castmates. He succeeded. Spade and host Christina Applegate can barely hide their giggles. And, the more physical Farley gets, the more they struggle. We imagine Matt Foley could still hear their laughter down in his van by the river.
#15: Bill Hader “Girlfriends Game Night”
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When you think of “SNL” actors breaking character, we imagine this springs to mind. John Mulaney would famously add new jokes at the last minute to make Hader break as Stefon. In one particular occasion, he whispers in his ear, making him fall apart completely. However, arguably the highlight of Hader’s hosting stint was “Girlfriends Game Night,” where he plays Horace, the older husband to Cecily Strong’s Jeanie. Horace isn’t quite in control of his wheelchair, providing ample hilarity. As he tries to back up part of the set, Melissa Villaseñor moves with him. Naturally, this makes everyone crack up. Hader tries hiding his laughter behind Strong, but he isn’t fooling anyone.
#14: Margot Robbie “Actress Round Table”
Sometimes, a skit hits a little close to home. On Margot Robbie’s only time hosting the show so far, one of the skits she did was a spoof of an actress’ round table discussion, featuring Robbie doing a fairly good Keira Knightley impression. The other cast members are also playing younger, real actresses – all except for Kate McKinnon, who is playing a fake actress named Debette Goldry who is much older and worked during the Golden Age of Hollywood. The gag is that while all the younger actresses give standard, fairly boring answers, Debette tells totally wacky, often inappropriate stories from long ago in her career. Poor Robbie has a tremendously hard time not laughing at her, but hey – it’s hard not to laugh at Kate McKinnon.
#13: Justin Timberlake “The Barry Gibb Talk Show: Bee Gees Singers”
If anyone has proven themselves to be an “SNL” all-star, it’s Justin Timberlake – to join the five-timers club, you can’t be a slouch in the comedian department. But even five timers fall sometimes. In one of Timberlake’s earlier performances on the show, he did a skit with Jimmy Fallon titled “The Barry Gibb Talk Show.” In the skit, Fallon plays the titular Gibb, taking on the singer’s signature falsetto and speaking voice. As Barry’s brother Robin, Timberlake is hilarious, but sometimes has a hard time – understandably – keeping a straight face at Fallon’s antics. The face he makes to try and keep himself from laughing is one for the books.
#12: Candice Bergen “Extremely Stupid”
Flubbing your lines in a sketch featuring a PSA-like message from the “Right to Extreme Stupidity League” might seem like bad timing, but it’s incredibly funny. Cast member Gilda Radner plays Fern, or is it Lisa? Whatever her name is, she’s a few cards short of a full deck. Her friend, played by the host, tries to point this out, only to mess up the line. Bergen can barely keep it together after that. But when Radner seemingly ad-libs a couple of references to the gaffe, she loses her cool entirely. And it takes some time until she’s able to regain her composure. We can’t think of a more perfectly timed flub!
#11: Pedro Pascal “Lisa from Temecula”
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Ego Nwodim gave the most as Lisa from Temecula in this season 48 sketch. Her all-in commitment as the bold, no-nonsense, yet blissfully oblivious Lisa is next level. But when she starts sawing away at her “extra extra well-done” steak, host Pedro Pascal can’t even hide his laughter, chortling away as openly as if he was sitting in the audience. Pascal later revealed that he was set off by scene mate Bowen Yang who, apparently, rarely breaks. This sketch was so ridiculously over the top and outrageously hilarious that even the most poker-faced person would feel compelled to at least crack a smile. Poor Pedro, he never even stood a chance.
#10: Janet Jackson “Corksoakers”
To Janet’s credit, it’s pretty hard to watch this sketch and not crack a smile. Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz, and other members of the “SNL” cast play a group of Italian winemakers who are teaching a group of tourists about their craft. Through the sketch, they all take turns saying the words “cork soaker” multiple times in very thick Italian accents … we’ll give you a few moments to figure out what that sounds like. Janet plays one of the tourists, and breaks character as she’s asking the winemakers how they learned to soak corks. She flubs a bit, starts to giggle, and things just devolve from there.
#9: Emily Blunt “Escorts”
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You’d think a star like Emily Blunt would have hosted “Saturday Night Live” multiple times, so you might be surprised to learn the actress only has one hosting gig under her belt so far. She did a wonderful job by our standards, but there was one skit where she sort of lost her cool. In a skit called “Escorts,” Blunt and cast member Leslie Jones play two escorts who get very specific about what they will and will not do. Blunt mostly keeps it together through the first part of the sketch, but there’s a moment towards the end where she has to fake a fall. She pops her head over the couch to say her line – but just can’t stop a giggle fit from taking over.
#8: Larry David “New Wife”
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Veteran comedians are known for their ability to keep character no matter how funny the situation – so it’s a wonderful, but rare treat when someone like Larry David can’t help but laugh at a sketch. David was a writer for “SNL” during its 10th season, and came back years later to play Bernie Sanders during Season 41. But it was during one of his hosting stints that he caught a case of the giggles. In a skit called “New Wife,” David introduces his friends to his very young new wife, played by Cecily Strong. The skit plays on someone as old as Larry David having to say ridiculous, hip lingo – and he seems just as tickled by it as the rest of us.
#7: Jamie Foxx “Maine Justice”
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“Saturday Night Live” has had some pretty strange running skits over the years, but one of the oddest has got to be “Maine Justice.” “SNL” veteran Justin Timberlake once starred in this sketch, but today we want to honor Jamie Foxx’s turn. The sketch itself is absolutely ridiculous – the people in a courtroom in Maine act like they’re from the Louisiana bayou, confusing a character who’s from out of town. If we’re being honest, Jason Sudeikis’ accent alone would have probably made us laugh way earlier in the sketch, so kudos to Foxx for holding on as long as he did. But there’s one particular quote at the end that involves the words “swamp” and “butt,” and Foxx just can’t keep it in.
#6: Sean Hayes “Jeffrey’s”
Not many actors are as well known for a singular character as Sean Hayes is, but Jack from “Will & Grace” is one of the most indelible sitcom characters of all time. So, it makes sense that Hayes would be given a character semi-similar to Jack on his “Saturday Night Live” stint in 2001 – think Jack, but a little more hipster. In this skit, Hayes and Jimmy Fallon play a couple of sales clerks at a store called Jeffrey’s who mock and belittle every customer who comes in. Hayes mostly keeps it together during the skit, but when Will Ferrell rolls in on a motorized scooter? Well, that’s the end of Hayes’ straight face.
#5: Kevin Hart “Barnes and Noble Firing”
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And once again, we get a veteran comedian who can’t quite keep it together – but to Kevin Hart’s credit, this Barnes and Noble sketch is one of the funniest the show has produced in its later years. Hart plays a manager at a Barnes and Noble store who has to fire one of his employees. Thinking they’re on the chopping block, Cecily Strong and Bobby Moynihan begin insulting their coworkers within an inch of their lives. These two are hilarious, but Tim Robinson is who finally gets Hart to crack. During one of Hart’s lines, Robinson pops up behind him without warning, causing him to break character and let out a quick laugh.
#4: Billie Eilish “Hotel Ad”
When a host doesn’t have a lot of comedy chops under their belt, it’s easy to see why some of the skits that “Saturday Night Live” writers come up with might throw them off their game. So is the case for Billie Eilish, who hosted the show in 2021 – and did surprisingly well for a first-time host, especially one so young! One of her best skits was “Hotel Ad,” in which Eilish lent her impeccable monotone voice to a very strange and off-putting commercial for a hotel. But unfortunately – or fortunately, depending on how you look at it – Eilish couldn’t hold that deadpan tone for long – especially not next to the very hilarious Kate McKinnon.
#3: Lindsay Lohan “Debbie Downer: Disney World”
This sketch is anything but a downer. Indeed, taking Rachel Dratch’s iconic recurring character to the Happiest Place on Earth was a stroke of genius - although, even Pluto walks away from her with his tail between his legs. Nevertheless, as they say, misery loves company, and Debbie’s misery is such a crowd-pleaser that she soon breaks everyone. Credit to Lohan though, who holds out longer than most of her scene mates. However, eventually, even she gets caught up in the hilarity and loses it. The actress later told Vogue that she quickly left the set as she was worried she’d get in trouble for laughing.
#2: Adele “Africa Tourism”
While the subject matter is somewhat sketchy, this skit is primarily remembered for Adele’s infectious laughter. She plays a divorcée discovering the continent of Africa alongside cast members Kate McKinnon and Heidi Gardner. As any “SNL” fan knows, keeping a straight face while sharing the screen with McKinnon is very hard. And for sure, the comedian comes close to breaking the singer numerous times. It starts with a sly smile and a slight chuckle here and there. But it’s Gardner who delivers the double-entendre that leaves Adele doubled over and laughing out loud. It was the breakout sketch of the night. Now that’s some powerful laughter. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Scarlett Johansson, “Hollywood Dish with Scarlett Johansson” Bill Hader & Kristen Wiig Dished Up More than ScarJo Could Take Chris Pine, “Star Trek Lost Episode” What’s That They Say? Live, Laugh & Prosper? Dana Carvey, “George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush Go Hunting” He Was Gunning to Make It Through This Sketch Without Laughing
#1: Ryan Gosling “Close Encounter”
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When you make Ryan Gosling break character this badly, the only choice is to do it again! And that’s exactly what “Saturday Night Live” did. When Ryan Gosling first appeared in the “Close Encounter” sketch, there was no way we could have known just how iconic this appearance would come to be. The sketch portrays three people who are abducted by aliens and are asked to tell the government about their experience, and marks another instance of Kate McKinnon making people absolutely lose it. As soon as she gets going, Gosling is absolutely down for the count – he tries to hide behind his hand, but nothing can hide that smile. Gosling later reprised the sketch, but nothing is as good as the original.
