“This Makes Me Feel Almost…Unprofessional”: SNL Star On Laughing During Viral Sketch With Ryan Gosling

Saturday Night Live’s Heidi Garnder speaks on her laughter during a recent viral sketch with Ryan Gosling. Gosling stepped in to host SNL this past Saturday, April 13, with Chris Stapleton as the musical guest. The Barbie actor was in a number of notable sketches, the most viral of which being a “Beavis and Butthead” sketch in which Gosling plays a studio audience member with a striking resemblance to the animated character Beavis. Gosling’s character distracted interviewee Kenan Thompson, only to be replaced by Mikey Day dressed as Butthead.

Speaking with Vulture, Gardner recounts her experience laughing during the “Beavis and Butthead” sketch. In her interview, Gardner clarified that she had seen the costumes prior to the live airing of the sketch. This fact made the comedian “feel even worse and almost unprofessional” about breaking character during the sketch. She then recounted the story of the SNL skit’s dress rehearsal, where she laughed even more than in the live version. In preparation, Gardner was trying to will herself not to laugh like that live. Check out the full quote from Gardner below:

This makes me feel almost even worse and unprofessional. When I looked and saw Mikey in the dress rehearsal, I lost it. I was shocked. I’m thinking about it right now and laughing. I recovered and tried to tell myself in between dress and the live show, You can’t laugh like that again. I was trying to imagine seeing him in my head so I was prepared for it, but I just couldn’t prepare for what I saw. I really tried. I even saw Mikey out of the corner of my eye seconds before I went live. I saw the red shorts. I knew I couldn’t look over there again. Mikey even told me later that he was bending down and hiding himself so I wouldn’t see him.

The Beavis and Butthead Sketch Has Become An Instant Classic

The true story makes Gardner’s laughter even more hilarious. After the skit aired on Saturday, rumor circulated that Gardner may not have seen Day’s Butthead costume prior to the live show. After all, it is the moment that Gardner turns around to see Day’s Butthead behind her that the Saturday Night Live cast member could no longer contain her laughter. To envision Day hiding backstage so Gardner could not sneak a peek before this moment makes the visual comedy of this scene even more hilarious.

The “Beavis and Butthead” sketch has been incredibly well-reviewed since its release this weekend. Taking to social media, viewers have called it one of the best Saturday Night Live sketches in recent years. Gardner’s performance, and breaking character moment, has been the subject of particular discussion. Even while some people hypothesized that Gardner was surprised by Day’s costume, many people pointed to this laughter as a sign of strength for the sketch.

In fact, it seems that Gardner’s character-breaking laughter on SNL makes the sketch even better. Though well-constructed in its visual comedy, the “Beavis and Butthead” sketch ultimately succeeds because of a simple, goofy concept. The fact that said concept left even the cast in stitches is a testament to how well-executed this baseline concept is. Seeing the cast laugh allows the “Beavis and Butthead” sketch to gain more hilarious momentum, instantly certifying it as a modern Saturday Night Live classic.

Source: Vulture