Ryan Gosling joins the pantheon of great moments in Saturday Night Live laughing breaks

How great is Kate McKinnon?

So great that on last weekend’s Saturday Night Live, McKinnon not only held her own but also continued delivering knock-out line after line as everyone around her broke into giggle fits or full-on laughs during a live sketch. “Close Encounter” found McKinnon, Cecily Strong and host Ryan Gosling playing the first three Americans verified as alien abductees by the NSA. Quickly, though, Aidy Bryant’s NSA agent laughed at something. Perhaps it was at Gosling, who couldn’t contain himself. And once the laughter started and the hands went over the faces to cover it, the laughter was contagious. Except for McKinnon, who, playing the one abductee who topped them all with her outrageous yet seemingly normal testimony.

“I don’t think I was dealing with the top brass.”
“I kinda duck-walked over to pee.”
“Yeah, a little different for me.”
“I was full Porky Pigging it in a drafty dome.”
“Look, it wasn’t my worst Wednesday night.”

8.3 million views and counting on YouTube since uploading on Sunday…

Roll the clip!

Sometimes when SNL cast members break, it seems like they’re having more fun than we are as viewers. But sometimes it translates through the camera, too.

Like this classic 2004 Debbie Downer sketch in which Rachel Dratch had Amy Poehler, host Lindsay Lohan, Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz in tears from giggling.

Speaking of Fallon and Sanz, they’re the star attractions in this song from Andy Samberg and Adam Sandler performed during this February’s SNL40 celebration, “That’s When You Break.” Roll it.

Related reading: My friends at Decider also compiled their own Top 10 list of SNL breaking-point moments.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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