- 5/31/2025
Brace yourself for comedic chaos as we dive into iconic moments where "SNL" cast members and hosts went hilariously off-script! From unexpected fourth wall breaks and wardrobe malfunctions to unintended profanities and hysterical character breakings, we’re highlighting unforgettable sketches transformed by spontaneous genius. Whether it’s Pete Davidson's laughter, Will Ferrell's antics, or the chaos of Debbie Downer, these unscripted gems are comedic gold. What's your favorite improvised moment?
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00:00You know, we all can't be brainy like Fern here.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at instances where SNL cast members or hosts
00:10took a sketch in unexpected and unscripted directions.
00:13I believe that the arc of the moral universe is wrong, but it bends towards justice.
00:22Hear, hear.
00:23Number 20. Pete Davidson's Lips
00:25Some SNL cast members can create a wide variety of personalities.
00:28Others specialize in just playing themselves.
00:31No, but I'm actually chocolate. I'm not black at all.
00:35Ridiculous. Another likely story.
00:39Look at those big, chocolatey lips behind them fangs.
00:42Even when Pete Davidson is dressed as a character like Count Chocula,
00:45he's still basically playing Pete Davidson.
00:48Dave Chappelle only emphasized this in an edgy sketch featuring Maya Rudolph as Aunt Jemima
00:52and Kenan Thompson as Uncle Ben.
00:54Chappelle is the Allstate guy,
00:56although he starts breaking before even delivering his first line.
00:59If we can't work, how come the Allstate guy gets to work?
01:10Now wait a cotton-picking minute, Uncle Ben.
01:13When a certain serial mascot shows up,
01:15Chappelle looks directly into the camera,
01:17telling America to look at Pete Davidson's lips.
01:20Not Count Chocula's lips, Pete Davidson's.
01:23The fourth wall break seemingly crept up on Davidson,
01:25who spits out his vampire fangs in laughter before shoving them back in.
01:29Seriously, America,
01:31Look at Pete Davidson's lips.
01:41Number 19. Scared Straight-Faced
01:43A highlight from the show's 50th anniversary special saw Eddie Murphy,
01:47Kenan Thompson, and Will Ferrell as a trio of inmates
01:50attempting to scare a group of delinquents straight.
01:52Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
01:55Everything okay in here, guys?
02:00Wow, no one else is wearing their spring uniform?
02:05Thompson begins to crack when Ferrell enters the mix.
02:08Although Murphy manages to remain composed for most of the sketch,
02:10things start to go off track after he breaks the fourth wall with an F-bomb.
02:14What's that, where's that, bro?
02:15You killed this, motherfucker.
02:17Not the lights went out, Georgia.
02:19While you could at least argue that this profanity keeps in character,
02:22Murphy and Thompson lose control when Ferrell stumbles over a line about Buddy the Elf.
02:26It goes to show that even with years of experience under one's belt,
02:30no SNL vet is immune to breaking.
02:33Hey, it's not like that's a crime.
02:34You're not gonna be named Elf.
02:37You're not gonna be an Elf named Buddy.
02:41You're not!
02:42Number 18. Norm MacDonald's Mustache Mistake
02:44One of the all-time greats, Norm MacDonald was undeniably dedicated to his craft.
02:49At the same time, MacDonald often looked like he just didn't give a crap.
02:53Every day I would go home and dream that he would ask me to marry him.
02:58But he never did.
03:00Nowhere was this more evident than in a 1998 sketch when Sarah Michelle Gellar hosted.
03:05Revolving around a show aimed at teenage girls,
03:08MacDonald appears as an old man who directed Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
03:11Although MacDonald was in his late 30s,
03:14he created an elderly illusion with white hair, thick glasses, and a mustache, which falls off.
03:20This is not a real mustache.
03:28You thought it was...
03:30Rather than ignore this hiccup,
03:32MacDonald calls attention to the cheap prop,
03:34saying that he bought the mustache off the street.
03:36Good thing the sketch required his co-stars to giggle.
03:40Otherwise, their laughter would have stood out like, well, a fake mustache.
03:44I bought it off a fellow in the street.
03:46He seemed like a nice enough fellow.
03:49Yeah!
03:49I asked him, will it fall off?
03:52He said, no!
03:53Number 17. Don Rickles Roasts the Cast
03:56The king of insult comedy only hosted SNL once in 1984.
04:01In typical Don Rickles fashion,
04:02he made a mockery of the show,
04:04throwing in more than a few ad-libs.
04:06Just a little too.
04:07Okay, that's what I'm gonna do.
04:08A little too.
04:09Then you'll be okay.
04:09Okay.
04:10You take care of yourself,
04:11and I'll be right back.
04:14In a couple of minutes.
04:17The most notable example is when Rickles plays a man
04:20entering the Witness relocation program.
04:22When his character is given a cowboy hat as a disguise,
04:25Rickles lets loose.
04:27Joe Piscopo tries to go along with it,
04:29although Rickles tells him to stick to the script
04:31while he injects the funny stuff.
04:32Don't tell me to relax!
04:34Look at how I look!
04:35I look like Gabby Hayes without a wagon!
04:37What are you, nuts?
04:39You look a little like Frank Fontaine, though.
04:41You really?
04:42I'll do the funny stuff.
04:43You just do the regular lines.
04:45Rickles and Piscopo proceed to playfully slap one another
04:47as they continually chuckle between their lines,
04:50some of which are clearly spontaneous.
04:52All the while,
04:53Jim Belushi does his best not to join in the slap-happy madness.
04:57I'm willing to move!
04:58I swear to God,
04:59I'm willing to move!
04:59Where?
05:00Where are you going?
05:00Wait a minute.
05:01I know you.
05:02No, I'll tell you this.
05:04Where am I going to go?
05:05I'm going to get an apartment in New York.
05:07That's what I'm going to do.
05:08Get a nice apartment!
05:09No, no, no.
05:09Number 16.
05:10John Belushi slashes Buck Henry.
05:12Buck Henry would host SNL 10 times,
05:15becoming the first to enter the Five Timers Club.
05:18As impressive as that milestone is,
05:20Henry's name on SNL is largely defined by a 1976 sketch with John Belushi.
05:24You realize that one year ago,
05:26I was on top of the world?
05:28I was supporting my wife and my three children.
05:30I also had that apartment in town with a little friend of mine.
05:33You know what I am?
05:35As his samurai character,
05:37Belushi was his usual live wire self.
05:39Although the sketch reached another level of chaos
05:41when he accidentally whacked his sword into Henry's forehead.
05:44You said that this stuff would split three for one.
05:48It's a little one.
05:48I can't, I can't!
05:50Well, I suppose that's a little bit better,
05:54but that's not exactly what I'm talking about.
05:56Although Henry exited the scene before it became apparent to the audience,
05:59the sword left a cut.
06:01Ironically, a doctor was already there for Belushi,
06:04but it was Henry who needed medical attention.
06:06Henry went through the rest of the episode with a bandage on his head.
06:09The cast members got in on the joke,
06:11also wearing bandages.
06:12Thank you, everybody.
06:13Thank you, band.
06:14Thank you, folks.
06:16You think this was done on purpose?
06:17And thank you, Garrett, wherever you are.
06:20Number 15.
06:21Jitters at Jeffries.
06:22Jimmy Fallon and host Sean Hayes play a couple of snarky clothing clerks
06:26who pride themselves on being superior to their customers.
06:29Okay, I have Moroccan dental floss that's more expensive than your entire wardrobe.
06:34What?
06:35This is a genuine Looney Tunes jacket.
06:44Wow, I didn't know Joey Bettafuco had a garage sale.
06:47Conversing with Horatio Sanz,
06:48Fallon and Hayes lose their cool before Will Ferrell even shows up.
06:52That said,
06:53when Ferrell arrives on a scooter with a bowl cut and sunglasses,
06:56Fallon and Hayes are beyond staying in character.
06:59Okay, you guys.
07:05Hold on.
07:08Fallon, we expect to break at some point in every sketch.
07:11Ferrell can't keep a straight face, though.
07:13You know the sketch has gone to pieces.
07:14The ridiculously tiny cell phone is the kicker that gets Ferrell to crack a grin
07:19before fully giving in to the giggles.
07:21By the end, everyone seems content with just laughing to the finish line.
07:25We're going to the Dolce & Gabbana show.
07:27How fast can you have your bags packed for Mirage?
07:32Well, I've got my Jack Speed bag packed already.
07:38My Paul Smith does.
07:42My Paul, my Paul Smith does say au revoir.
07:45It's hard to think of a character who broke more frequently
07:51than Weekend Update City correspondent Stefan,
07:53who Bill Hader created with John Mulaney.
07:56Stefan's constant breaking was by design.
07:58Mulaney essentially trolled Hader,
08:00writing new jokes before going live.
08:02Who wears tinted aviator glasses,
08:05and he spins records with his little ravioli hands.
08:12Stefan.
08:13Stefan.
08:14Even during rehearsals,
08:15Hader had to summon all of his willpower
08:17not to crack up while playing Stefan.
08:19So, whenever Mulaney threw him a curveball,
08:22Hader was pretty much helpless.
08:24And this place has everything.
08:25Kiwis, spud webs.
08:32Just as the audience never knew what Stefan would say next,
08:35Hader couldn't always predict what would be on his cue cards.
08:38Throughout his SNL tenure,
08:39Hader was meticulous when it came to learning his lines.
08:42Yet, his most famous character is one he could never fully prepare for.
08:46This place has everything.
08:49Asbestos, lupus,
08:52the magazines at Supercuts,
08:54Dan Cortez.
08:58Number 13.
08:59Adam Driver crushes Bird.
09:01We're just gonna say it.
09:02Adam Driver's most transformative performance was on SNL,
09:06playing oil baron Abraham H. Parnassus.
09:08Now, what does an oil baron do?
09:11The answer?
09:12Crush your enemies!
09:15Grind their bones into dirt!
09:18Make them regret they were ever born!
09:20We're not kidding when we say that Driver brings the same intense gravitas
09:24as Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood.
09:26This only makes the Career Day sketch more hilarious.
09:29Pete Davidson isn't the only one who can't look Driver in the eyes with a straight face
09:33as he delivers deranged rantings about crushing his enemies.
09:36Until I was ripe enough to walk!
09:40My bones never hardened, but my spirit did.
09:44Be strong and crush your enemies!
09:47Nobody takes a harder beating than a bird.
09:50Granted, the bird is already dead,
09:52but it still looks painful as Parnassus slams the feathered friend onto the floor.
09:56When Parnassus starts stabbing the bird with his cane,
09:59the classroom isn't sure whether to laugh or gasp in horror.
10:02I have lifted you into chickens!
10:06I crushed you into the ground!
10:09And now your bones touch oil beneath my living feet!
10:13Number 12.
10:14Matt Foley, Table Smasher.
10:15Rehearsals allow cast members to get all of their giggles out before going live.
10:20Of course, when acting opposite a comedic force like Chris Farley,
10:23there was almost always some leftover laughter that made it to air.
10:26You're gonna be doing a lot of doobie rolling
10:28when you're living in a van down by the river!
10:34The most prominent case was the debut of Farley's most quotable character, Matt Foley.
10:39David Spade and host Christina Applegate can only do so much to conceal their smiles
10:43as Farley throws himself into the sketch.
10:45We mean that literally, as Farley comes crashing into the coffee table.
10:49Oh, Matt's gonna be your shadow!
10:52Here's you, here's Matt!
10:53There's you, there's...
10:55Although Farley had planned this fall,
10:58his co-stars were not informed ahead.
11:01Farley may pick himself up quickly,
11:02but you can sense everyone else is wondering if this was an accident
11:06or part of Farley's genius.
11:08Either way, they were not ready.
11:10Matt, uh, thanks for all you've done!
11:12I don't give a rat's behind cause I'm moving in.
11:15I'm sick and tired of living in a van down by the river!
11:20Number 11.
11:21Damon Wayans Gets Himself Fired
11:22Usually, when SNL goes off script,
11:25it's an innocent mistake that can't be helped.
11:27This was not the case when Damon Wayans decided
11:30that he'd had enough of the sketch series.
11:31I don't think you'd get the message, Carrasco.
11:34We got you cold.
11:35Yes, we've got the whole transaction on videotape.
11:38We've got three people that saw you kill that undercover cop.
11:41If Lorne Michaels wasn't going to showcase his talents,
11:44Wayans figured he'd steal the spotlight himself.
11:46During a sketch where he played a cop,
11:48Wayans gave the character a gay twist at the last minute.
11:51So, instead of focusing on John Lovitz's Mr. Monopoly,
11:54Wayans' questionable acting choice became the talking point.
11:57Get out of jail free!
12:01You! You're that guy from the game, Mr. Monopoly!
12:05In the flesh!
12:06This was an act of self-sabotage.
12:09Wayans knew such a stunt was grounds for termination.
12:12Michaels gave him exactly what he wanted,
12:14although he'd still welcome Wayans back to the show.
12:17SNL certainly wasn't the end of Wayans' career either.
12:19If the Parker brothers could see you now, they puke.
12:22Why you ain't in jail, Mr.
12:24Oh, that's right, you're Mr. Monopoly.
12:26Number 10.
12:27Debbie Downer and Company break character.
12:29One of the most legendary sketches in the show's history
12:32involves Rachel Dratch's pessimistic character, Debbie Downer.
12:35Ever since they found mad cow disease in the U.S.,
12:38I'm not taking any chances.
12:41It can live in your body for years before it ravages your brain.
12:45Dratch had everyone in stitches,
12:50including herself during the debut of the character.
12:53Her first appearance came on May 1st, 2004,
12:56and it involved Debbie and her family at Disney World.
12:59The sketch is famous because everyone loses their composure
13:02and tries their absolute darndest to contain their laughter.
13:05It does not work, not even a little bit.
13:08Speaking of...
13:09Speaking of...
13:10Various parts of this bit were reportedly not fully planned by the cast,
13:17including the famous trombone sound.
13:20It seemingly catches everyone off guard,
13:22most noticeably Jimmy Fallon,
13:24who is clearly and hilariously bewildered by it.
13:27I can't have children!
13:33Number 9.
13:34Space.
13:34The Infinite Frontier Gone Haywire.
13:37In this classic sketch, Will Ferrell plays Harry Carey,
13:40a real sports broadcaster who commentated on baseball for over 50 years.
13:45Hi, everybody! Harry Carey here!
13:48And welcome to Space, The Infinite Frontier!
13:51We've got a great show lined up for you!
13:54Only this time, he isn't talking about baseball, but space.
13:57His guest is astrophysicist Kent Waller, played by Jeff Goldblum.
14:02Legend has it that Ferrell ad-libbed some of his lines,
14:04resulting in Goldblum nearly breaking character.
14:08Heck, I'm curious like a cat!
14:10I have a couple of friends that call me Whiskers!
14:15Because you're curious like a cat?
14:17Yes!
14:17The latter star is visibly confused at times,
14:21looking off-screen, glancing at the cue cards,
14:23and trying to suppress both his puzzled expressions and his laughter.
14:27At one point, he can only raise his hands and say this.
14:31I'm confused.
14:32It's a simple question, Doctor.
14:34Would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs?
14:37That's okay. It makes for great comedy.
14:40Number 8. Supermodel Giggles
14:42Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph make for a fantastic comedy duo,
14:46and their chemistry is on full display throughout this bit.
14:49Rhonda, do you think the answer is beef?
14:51I think it could be beef.
14:53All right.
14:55Shana, what do you think?
14:56I'm not sure that it's beef, Carl.
14:58But beef sounds right.
14:59Definitely beef.
15:02Called Super Showcase Spokesmodels,
15:04it's basically a parody of The Price is Right,
15:06and it's reliance on modeling prizes with attractive women.
15:09Wiig and Rudolph are barely holding it together,
15:12and their case of the giggles eventually infects Bill Hader,
15:15and us watching as well.
15:16Isn't us matching golf clubs?
15:18By golf club guys.
15:20Oh!
15:20But the unscripted moments keep coming,
15:26as Wiig drives the golf cart.
15:29First, she nearly tramples Rudolph while backing up.
15:32She then plows the cart through the backdrop,
15:34prompting Rudolph to laugh and Hader to exclaim,
15:37That wasn't supposed to happen.
15:39Maybe not, but the sketch is even better because of it.
15:42Number 7.
15:43Adrian Brody introduces Sean Paul
15:46A few celebrities have been banned from Saturday Night Live.
15:49Oscar winner Adrian Brody is rumored to be one of them.
15:52I'm so excited to be here tonight.
15:54You know?
15:54Yeah.
15:55You're hot!
15:56Ah, you're hot!
15:57While hosting the show on May 10th, 2003,
16:00Brody was required to introduce artist Sean Paul,
16:03who is Jamaican.
16:04To do so,
16:05he started talking with a stereotypical accent
16:08while donning fake dreadlocks.
16:09This offensive bit is thought to have been improvised,
16:12and it reportedly irritated many,
16:15including SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels.
16:18Brody once said he knows nothing about a so-called ban,
16:21but as of September 2022,
16:24he hasn't made another appearance on the show.
16:26I want to thank my mom and my dad.
16:30I want to thank the whole crew and the cast.
16:32Everybody's been really wonderful.
16:34Number 6.
16:35The smelly basket of meat.
16:36They say that the show must go on.
16:39Yes, even if you are suddenly presented
16:40with a surprisingly stinky basket of meat.
16:43Ooh!
16:45Yum!
16:45I'm getting hungry!
16:48Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon star as Wylene and Venetta,
16:51the owners of Smokery Farms.
16:53They present a giant basket of assorted raw meat,
16:56and things immediately go off the rails.
16:59The stench is clearly overwhelming for the performers,
17:02and they do everything they can
17:04to prevent themselves from gagging.
17:06McKinnon simply laughs,
17:07while Bryant makes disgusted noises
17:10and seemingly riffs about the scent.
17:11Oh, yum!
17:14Yum!
17:14Yum!
17:16They remain in character throughout,
17:18but it's pretty evident that they want nothing more
17:21than to drop that basket and run.
17:23That thing smells so bad.
17:25Number 5.
17:26Name confusion.
17:27There's breaking character,
17:29and then there's what happened between
17:30Candace Bergen and Gilda Radner.
17:31In this sketch, Bergen plays Fern,
17:34but on one occasion,
17:35she accidentally calls her co-star
17:37by her own character's name.
17:39You're not too bright, are you, Fern?
17:41I mean...
17:42Whatever your name was.
17:45This is extra amusing,
17:47as she's actually scolding Radner's persona
17:49for being ditzy.
17:51Rather than just going with it,
17:52Bergen winds up collapsing into a fit of laughter.
17:55As for Radner,
17:56she flawlessly addresses the camera
17:58and the irony of the whole situation.
18:00You know, we all can't be brainy like Fern here.
18:05The late star certainly knew how to capture a moment
18:08and spin it into comedy gold.
18:10That's why I want to talk to you tonight
18:12on behalf of a God-given American right.
18:16The right to extreme stupidity.
18:19Number 4.
18:20Charles Rockett's cursing.
18:22A few F-bombs have been dropped on SNL
18:24throughout the years,
18:25including one by Kristen Stewart.
18:27Okay, so we've got a great show,
18:28and I totally care that I'm here
18:30because it's the coolest f-bombs ever.
18:32Oh!
18:34But none has been as bad or as legendary
18:37as the one that came out of the late
18:38Charles Rockett's mouth.
18:40The comedian was starring in sketches
18:41that spoofed the who-shot-JR phenomenon
18:43of the TV series Dallas,
18:45with his character taking the place of JR.
18:48As the episode nears its end,
18:49he expresses his desire to get to the bottom of things
18:52in a rather explicit manner.
18:54Charlie, how are you feeling after you've been shot?
18:56Oh, man, it's the first time I've ever been shot in my life.
18:59I'd like to know who s*** did it.
19:01The live curse obviously wasn't in the script,
19:05as it broke some serious broadcasting regulations.
19:08Rockett was later fired from the show
19:10for a variety of reasons,
19:11this potentially being one of them.
19:14Number 3.
19:15The wardrobe department cameo.
19:17Aidy Bryant makes another appearance on this list,
19:19only this time the humor does not come from her.
19:22Well, it kind of does.
19:24I mean, this isn't his first offense, okay?
19:27She's starring in a bit called Inside the Beltway,
19:30which parodies political pundits and talk shows.
19:33During the segment,
19:34a wardrobe person named Audrey
19:35waltzes on stage and starts grabbing at her arm.
19:38It feels like a real turning point
19:40in the trunk candidacy.
19:42Uh-huh.
19:42No.
19:43Bryant is quick to smile and wave her off,
19:46and she disappears with a giggle.
19:48It almost works within the context of the sketch,
19:50but this was a genuine mistake made by the dresser.
19:53She came on a tad too early,
19:56and suffice it to say,
19:57the flub caused everyone,
19:59especially Bryant,
20:00to lose it.
20:01Wow, Mr. Maddox,
20:03I'll admit that you were onto something back then.
20:06Number 2.
20:07Close Encounter with Laughter.
20:09Ryan Gosling often tackles roles
20:11that allow him to flex some dramatic acting muscles,
20:14so we don't see him let loose as often as we'd like,
20:17but he certainly has a funny bone.
20:18That being touched my head,
20:20and I felt every emotion in its purest form.
20:23It was amazing, and I cried, sir.
20:25While hosting,
20:26Gosling appeared in an alien-themed sketch
20:28called Close Encounter with Kate McKinnon,
20:31Cecily Strong,
20:32Aidy Bryant,
20:32and Bobby Moynihan.
20:34McKinnon makes him break,
20:35and the rest of the segment descends into total chaos.
20:38Did y'all get the knocker stuff?
20:40Uh, no.
20:41No knocker stuff.
20:42I'm sorry.
20:43Strong quickly improvises
20:44to explain away Gosling's reaction,
20:46somehow making the whole thing even better.
20:49I was carried down gently.
20:54He's crying.
20:55Bryant and Moynihan
20:56don't exactly keep it together either.
20:58McKinnon, meanwhile,
20:59rightfully seems pretty proud
21:01of what she's accomplished.
21:02Hey, there is a reason
21:04this became one of her most beloved characters.
21:06Tell me about God.
21:07What's God's deal?
21:08Before we continue,
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21:25Number 1.
21:25Bill Hader destroys the set.
21:28Sometimes,
21:29accidents result in unintentional comedy gold.
21:32That's what happened
21:33in this hysterical sketch
21:34called Girlfriend's Game Night.
21:36Cecily Strong's character
21:37brings her elderly partner Horace
21:39to, you guessed it,
21:40Game Night.
21:41He's played by Bill Hader
21:42in a bald cap
21:43and has a motorized wheelchair.
21:45It's this wheelchair
21:46that will later prove
21:48the source of all the hilarity.
21:50While backing up,
21:51Hader inadvertently runs
21:52into Melissa Villasenor
21:53and pushes her chair
21:55into the nearby table.
22:07Both actors have to hide
22:08their laughing faces
22:09from the camera
22:10and Hader can't even get through
22:11his next line
22:12without cracking up.
22:13The chair-pushing mistake
22:22was all him
22:23and it served as
22:24a gut-busting ending
22:26to an already funny bit.
22:28Can you think of any
22:29other SNL sketches
22:30that went off script?
22:31Let us know in the comments.
22:31I was born seven months too early.
22:34Incubation technology
22:36was still in its infancy
22:37so they placed me
22:39in a cast-iron pot.
22:40We'll see you next time.
22:43We'll see you next time.
22:44Bye.
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