Another Top 10 Breaking Character Moments on Saturday Night Live

In 2018, Bill Hader hosted “Saturday Night Live” for the second time since leaving the show five years earlier and he left everyone – including his co-stars – in stitches. In this sketch, Hader plays Horace, the elderly, wheelchair bound husband to “SNL” regular Cecily Strong, who’s attending a game night with her girlfriends. It’s revealed that Horace has just popped a Cialis, causing Strong to hop on his lap as the pill only lasts for a couple of minutes. Hader proceeds to use his vehicular prop to great comedic effect, ultimately causing everyone involved to break character. Hader later discussed the scene on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and once again struggled to contain his laughter.

A recurring sketch from the 80s era of “SNL” involved Billy Crystal parodying Argentinian actor Fernando Lamas in a sketch called “Fernando’s Hideaway.” Crystal would slap on a thick Spanish accent and interview celebrities, often getting their names and other tidbits of personal information wrong throughout the interview. One of the most famous sketches saw Crystal interviewing wrestlers/actors Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. Despite their attempts to keep a straight face, Hogan and Mr. T both break character near the end of the sketch, after Crystal ad-libs a line about exercise equipment. It would appear everyone is susceptible to breaking while in the presence of a gifted comedian like Billy Crystal.

Featuring “SNL” legends Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Kate McKinnon, Maya Rudolph, and Taran Killam, as well as Paul Rudd, this sketch is a blueprint for how to make A-list comedic talent break character. “The Kissing Family” is a recurring skit that involves an outsider being introduced to an overly affectionate family. In this instance the outsider is played by Killam, and he is justifiably shocked to learn that his boyfriend’s family kiss each other on the lips – among other things – without zero regard for anyone else feels. Armisen cracks first, followed by Hader, but there are fissures of laughter peppered throughout the entire skit. With this much talent in the room, it’s no wonder this sketch devolved into a full-on break-fest.

The late, great Phil Hartman was a fixture on “Saturday Night Live” between 1986 and 1994. In that time, he portrayed a slew of iconic characters, not least of which was his hilarious impression of Frankenstein’s Monster. In this sketch, Frankenstein’s Monster, Tarzan, and Tonto are being asked what they think about things such as fire and bread. This naturally leads to some hilarious responses from the three famously poor speakers. We actually have to applaud Hartman for staying in character as long as he did, however, even the best break eventually. For Hartman, that moment came when he was asked how he felt about a recent nuclear arms treaty. This stuff never gets old.

Adam Driver helped “SNL” kick off their 44th season with a handful of hilarious performances that all deserve their time in the spotlight. However, this list is about actors breaking character, so we’ll focus on just one: “Career Day.” In the sketch, Driver plays an elderly and ruthless oil baron who visits his son’s class for career day. Pete Davidson plays the son, and boy is he ever put through the wringer. Driver delivers a blistering performance, causing Davidson to break character on multiple occasions, including the first time he’s addressed. From there, it’s all downhill for the young actor, as Driver never once falters in his performance.

Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph took a forgettable game show sketch and elevated it to new heights with their hilarious fake European accents. The two “SNL” alumni play off each other beautifully; though that means as soon as one breaks character, the other isn’t far behind. Things start to spiral out of control when the two women rock up in a golf cart. While Wiig immediately catches a case of the giggles, Rudolph manages to stay in character a little longer. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Bill Hader, who has to hide behind his hands to contain his laughter. The whole thing culminates with a still laughing Wiig crashing through the set in a golf cart. Seriously, how do they come up with this stuff?

In this iconic sketch, “SNL” legend Gilda Radner and host Candice Bergen prove that breaking character is as easy as flubbing a single line of dialogue. The slip-up occurs when Bergen accidentally refers to Radner as “Fern,” which is actually the name of Bergen’s character. While Bergen attempts to rectify her mistake, Radner uses her trademark wit to destroy her – quipping, “We all can’t be brainy like Fern here.” At this point, all pretense of finishing the sketch as planned has gone out the window, as both women are dying of laughter. It’s moments like this that make “SNL” so much fun to watch!

In this hilarious sketch from 2004, host/musical guest Janet Jackson visits a winery and learns how to “soak corks” from a group of Italian wine makers. The scene is littered with double entendres meant to have viewers in stitches. However, as the writers probably assumed when they penned this side-splittingly funny sketch, it was the actors who were laughing harder than anyone! With giggles emanating from all corners of the set, Jackson can barely get her lines out. And honestly, we feel for her. However, the biggest surprise was that perpetual character-breaker Jimmy Fallon stayed composed throughout the entire sketch.

In this 2001 sketch, host Sean Hayes joined Jimmy Fallon and Will Ferrell in their “Jeffrey’s” sketch, which sees the three men playing retail workers at a high-end clothing store. The gag involves them being extremely rude and condescending to customers who they deem un-stylish. True to form, Fallon is laughing before the skit even begins! Hayes breaks shortly thereafter and for the rest of the sketch, the two men can barely contain their laughter for more than a few seconds. Once Will Ferrell appears on a motorized wheelchair, this sketch is over and done with. Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time a clothing-based sketch involving Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon devolved into one giant character break session. We give you: The Leather Man.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions:

Benihana: Adam Grossman Returns

The Sensitive Drill Sergeant

Pepper Boy

Black History Minute

Maine Justice

Fan favorite Stefon stopped by “Weekend Update” to advise partygoers on where to find some not-so-family-fun on Halloween. Xref Bill Hader breaks character numerous times, something he’d replicate in an Autumn-themed appearance a couple of years later. As one YouTube commenter points out, it makes you wonder whether Hader developed Stefon’s signature “hand over mouth” quirk as a way to hide his constant giggling. Throughout the clip, Hader finds himself unable to speak, overcome by laughter; and while Seth Meyers does his best to remain composed. He is far from invincible when it comes to keeping a straight face. You know you’ve come up with comedic gold when Hader is crying tears of laughter. Enjoy folks.