Saturday Night Live turned in some comedy gold with a recent Beavis and Butt-Head sketch.
And the segment was so funny that the host and several cast members broke into laughter on live television.
The Beavis and Butt-Head sketch has gone viral, partially because of how good host Ryan Gosling was in the part. But the humor was also elevated by several cast members breaking character.
Sometimes, an SNL sketch can break down if the people in it can’t stick to their characters. But other times, having the host break character can add to viewer enjoyment.
Ryan Gosling is someone already known for breaking character on SNL. He has done it in the past, and it happened again several times during other sketches on the April 13 episode.
But one person kept it together during the Beavis and Butt-Head sketch – Saturday Night Live veteran Kenan Thompson.
How did Kenan Thompson keep it together during the Beavis and Butt-Head sketch?
Before we dive into what Kenan had to say about the infamous sketch, here it is for readers who haven’t seen it yet. It’s hard not to watch it more than once.
The premise was simple enough, with Kenan playing a professor on a news show to talk about Artificial Intelligence. As the anchor asks him questions (played by Heidi Gardner), the professor notices audience members who look exactly like the cartoon characters Beavis and Butt-Head.
So, how did Kenan Thompson stay in character for most of the sketch? It’s because he completely broke down during rehearsal.
“It’s hit or miss. Sometimes I can hold it, sometimes I can’t. I got lucky on Beavis and Butt-Head that I cracked so hard at dress rehearsal,” Kenan told Variety.
“I haven’t had a break like that in a while where I was in tears and I couldn’t talk. It was that funny to me and what I was about to say next was funny to me,” Kenan elaborated.
He had so much fun and laughed so hard during their practice run that he got most of it out of his system. That wasn’t the case for several other people in the scene who couldn’t keep from breaking character.
Kenan also complimented the sketch writer (Mikey Day) and host (Ryan Gosling) for how funny the SNL segment became.
“It’s the absolute best to find something so funny, written by someone you adore. I’ve known Mikey for almost 25 years, so you’re rooting for them,” Kenan added.
A big SNL episode with Dua Lipa coming
On May 4, Dua Lipa will serve as the host and musical guest. It’s another host with ties to the Barbie movie that Ryan Gosling co-starred in and Dua Lipa sang for. She also played a mermaid in the film.
SNL airs Saturday at 11:30/10:30c and also at 8:30p on NBC.