Ryan Gosling hosted his fourth episode of Saturday Night Live on March 7. Ryan is infamous for breaking character during just about every sketch he’s in, but he’s so endearing that you can’t help but laugh along with him, even if the sketch isn’t funny. When he hosted in 2024, he made Heidi Gardner break during the Beavis and Butt-Head sketch that he did with Mikey Day. It went viral and resulted in them reprising their roles at The Fall Guy premiere. During Ryan’s most recent appearance, the sketch that went viral involved Ryan playing a high school teacher with cast member Ashley Padilla as the principal. They catch kids passing notes in class and read them outloud. The notes had been changed since Ryan and Ashley rehearsed them. Needless to say, hilarity ensued as they both ended up breaking character by laughing.
Kevin Nealon was on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995. He was the Weekend Update anchor from 1991 to 1994. Since leaving, he was in Happy Gilmore and Weeds and has also done a lot of stand-up comedy. After watching Ryan on SNL, he had something to say about new era SNL castmates breaking character. *Spoiler* He doesn’t like it.
One “Saturday Night Live” alum isn’t laughing about stars who break character during sketches.
Comedian Kevin Nealon, who was a cast member on “SNL” from 1986 to 1995 and anchored “Weekend Update,” took to X to weigh in on the show recently seeming to lean into encouraging cast members to laugh and break character.
“I never broke character on ‘SNL,'” he said. “I knew how much time the writers put into those scripts. You don’t want to be the one who throws it off.”
He continued, “[Creator] Lorne [Michaels] doesn’t like when the cast breaks. Even if the audience laughs, it doesn’t work for the sketch.”
Nealon didn’t name any names or say what inspired his post, but it came after a giggly “SNL” episode hosted by Ryan Gosling on March 7. The “Project Hail Mary” actor is known for having difficulty staying in character on “SNL,” and one sketch on his latest episode seemed to embrace that and even encourage laughter.
I get where Kevin is coming from. He’s of the SNL generation where Lorne was super strict about breaking character and views it as unprofessional. Plus, the former cast member that was most famous for breaking is Jimmy Fallon. It was funny when he did it during the “Cowbell” sketch, but it really did get annoying at times.
That said, the Gosling/Padilla sketch genuinely seemed designed to make them laugh. New SNL writers are likely following entertainment news via social media. They know that Ryan is infamous for not being able to keep a straight face. Getting them to laugh at what the writers came up with was the whole point of them changing what the notes said. Instead of getting upset, they leaned in. The times have changed since Kevin was on SNL. I agree that sometimes, the cast breaking character can distract from a sketch, but overall, it also gets the audience to laugh along.
I never broke character on SNL. I knew how much time the writers put into those scripts. You don’t want to be the one who throws it off.
Lorne doesn’t like when the cast breaks. Even if the audience laughs, it doesn't work for the sketch.
If I could get through the…
— Kevin Nealon (@kevin_nealon) March 24, 2026
Photos credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix, Scott Yamano/Netflix
I can see an expectation that the main cast doesn’t break, or if they do it happens once or twice a season. Jimmy Fallon is an extreme because he broke in just about every sketch,like he had never done sketch comedy, just like Tracy Morgan never broke. I think it’s also a divide between the cast members themselves, because I know that Tracy and Tim Meadows found it super annoying and unprofessional, but others didn’t care.
I don’t expect the guest performers not to break though, they aren’t trained improv performers even if they are actors. Most of them aren’t trained Broadway professionals that are used to performing in front of a live audience, it’s a different dynamic. Plus times change.
Maybe back in the ’80s and ’90s the audience didn’t expect for the cast to laugh, even though they laughed a lot on The Carol Burnett show as there were several members on that show infamous for breaking character. Sounds like Kevin is just in the camp with Tracy and Tim.
Ohmygod, the sketch where Tim Conway got everyone falling over laughing still makes me laugh from the Carol Burnette show. Carol just gave up and fell over laughing… and now I can’t remember the sketch! But Tim improvised something (darn it, I want to remember!) and everyone gave up keeping a straight face…
@Indica (my favourite strain btw) I think the episode you’re talking about had Dick Van Dyke as a guest. It was a Mama’s Family sketch that had Tim talking about elephants who were joined at the trunk. All they could say was “snorkie”.
Then Vickie Lawrence said, “I thought that asshole would never shut up.” That’s when Dick and Carol fell over.
Ooh, was it the elephant with the congested trunk? So when it tried to trumpet through the trunk, the noise was blocked? I think that’s the one you’re referring to, and YES, it’s still the best. Carol Burnett losing her mind was the best ever in that skit. But anytime Conway could make Harvey Korman break was gold.
That’s it! The elephant sketch! SOOOOOO Funny!
And I think Lorne wanted SNL to be the anti-carol Burnett show, in part because of the frequent breaking of Korman, Burnett & Conway.
It was cited as the reason why Carol has never been on SNL.
In the 80s, Chris Farley made everyone break – and in those Gap Girl sketches with Chris, Adam Sandler and David Spade were constantly breaking up. I think it’s just different styles – you’re right about Tracy Morgan and it’s hilarious how he can be so straight-faced through anything. There’s room for everything…except for Jimmy Fallon, who definitely is annoying (still love the Boston Teens sketches though)
Farley was on SNL 1990-95.
@myself: true, I was off by a year :-). But their time did overlap with Kevin Nealon’s so I’ll blame my incorrect years on that.
I can see both points of view and I also find it endearing when someone like Ryan breaks. Also Bill Hader as Stefon would constantly break and it just made the sketch even funnier to me. F Jimmy Fallon though. Upwardly failing idiot.
I saw Kevin Nealon do standup last year. He was great – very dry humor. He was also my first Weekend Update anchor once I was old enough to stay up late enough to watch SNL. And yeah the only cast member who was annoying about breaking character was Jimmy Fallon and that’s only because he broke in every single sketch. If it happens once, like when Rachel Dratch broke during Debbie Downer, it’s funny.
I remember Pedro Pascal saying about the Lisa from Temecula sketch is that he saw Bowen breaking, which was very rare, which set him off again.
Looking at that sketch again they nearly all broke. Plus its a reminder just how white the current cast is.
Hopefully they don’t put Keenan in dresses again. As the only black woman SNL had for season 51 was supposed to be Ego Nwodim. But she decided to not return a few weeks before Season 51 started.
When something is truly funny and you truly cant help it then thats fine. Some of them seem to want to find a reason to break which IS annoying. And Ryan why keep inviting him back if he always breaks.
The only person I forgive is Bill Hader for his Stefan sketches. He gave an interview and explained it. Bill was doing those cold and had no idea what would be on the cue cards. John Mulaney was the writer for those sketches. He would just make it more and more bizarre.
Bill was so scared of getting in trouble with Lorne he went to him about it. And Lorne gave him grace for it. Told him not to worry, it fit with the character.
The worst to me was Horatio Sanz he couldn’t control himself. So much so, I think I read it was part of the reason Lorne fired him.
Worst host was Milton Berle in 1979. He did not understand the concept of the show. And was acting like it was vaudeville. Lorne hated it so much he kept it from reruns for years. It’s back now and it’s a trainwreck.
Jimmy was annoying because it seemed insincere and like he was trying to pull focus. He almost ruined the cowbell sketch. Rumor has it that Keenan told him to never do that in one of his sketches and he didn’t.
Afterwards the best breaks are the ones that are absolutely authentic by cast members who never break. Bowen in Lisa from Temecula when Ego says “why because we black?”, Ego breaking during Miss Eggy when the audience says “shit” or Heidi who lost it for a full minute in Beavis and Butthead. It was the first and only time she broke and who can blame her.
Both Ryan and Pedro famously break but they’re not main cast members and are so adorable when they do