Heidi Gardner's viral moment on Saturday Night Live highlighted the show's playful tradition of breaking character, which has delighted audiences for over 50 seasons. Though producer Lorne Michaels disapproves, many performers, including Bill Hader, suggest he secretly enjoys it. The phenomenon, often seen as undermining the performance's integrity, has both entertained viewers and sparked discussions about professionalism in comedy.
In one of the most popular sketches of the last few seasons of Saturday Night Live, Heidi Gardner lost it. Playing a sober-faced news anchor, she suddenly broke character, convulsing in laughter after seeing her cast mate Mikey Day sitting in the audience of a town hall dressed up to look like Butt-Head from Beavis and Butt-Head.
Lorne Michaels, the longtime producer of the sketch show, has a reputation for hating it when cast members break character. But over 50 seasons, so many S.N.L. performers have done just that (some repeatedly) that it has become one of the show's signature moves.
In general, breaking during a performance, whether it's a play or a sketch, is considered unprofessional. The argument is that it panders for laughs, destroys the suspension of disbelief and draws attention to the person laughing at the expense of the scene.
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