Nothing breaks the "SNL" cast like an impression. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the times an “SNL” cast member or host went so all in on their celeb impersonations that they made practically everyone around them break.
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00:00When I bit off more than I could chew.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the times an SNL cast member
00:11or host went so all in on their celeb impersonations that they made practically everyone around
00:18them break.
00:19Kindly, kindly move seats.
00:25Number 10.
00:26Kenan Thompson as Victor Willis from The Village People.
00:30The Village People were one of several artists who hit Trump with a cease and desist after
00:35he used their music at his rallies.
00:47So led by Kenan Thompson as Victor Willis, the group shows up on Weekend Update to vent.
00:53They start off lighthearted, reclaiming their song, but then things take a dark turn, leaving
00:59Colin Jost to jump in to try to keep things from totally derailing.
01:04Yet he can't hide his laughter.
01:16You can spot Michael Che cracking up in the background too.
01:20Although Colin's interruptions seem planned, it feels like he and Che might not have seen
01:25the latest version of the, um, updated lyrics.
01:43Number nine.
01:44Jimmy Fallon as Mick Jagger.
01:46It takes a good sense of humor to sit across from a comedian and watch yourself get lovingly
01:51roasted.
01:52Mick Jagger proved he was game when he showed up as himself opposite Jimmy Fallon, who was
01:57playing his reflection.
02:12Jagger is definitely more exaggerated and over the top.
02:16In fact, it crossed the border into caricature from pretty much the first moment.
02:21And you can see Jagger struggling not to break character.
02:34But Fallon's ridiculous portrayal gets to him.
02:37And there are moments where he can't help but crack a huge grin.
02:41Honestly, we're surprised Fallon's Jagger didn't think it was worth pointing, pointing,
02:46pointing it out.
02:58Number eight.
02:59Leslie Jones as Samuel L. Jackson.
03:01In the Super Bowl edition of Family Feud, Leslie Jones plays Jackson, a Falcons fan
03:06with some strong feelings about party etiquette.
03:17When asked what one might bring to a Super Bowl party, this Jackson shares his thoughts
03:22on the subject.
03:23After her emphatic delivery, Thompson, as Steve Harvey, just stares as if he's trying
03:29to suppress his laughter.
03:41Meanwhile, McKinnon seemingly tries to turn her reaction into a quirky character trait.
03:47But Leslie just laughs.
03:49All we can say is, if Jackson's coming to your party, don't expect him to bring anything
03:53but himself.
03:55And you'd better thank him for it, too.
04:07Number seven.
04:08Kenan Thompson as David Big Papi Ortiz.
04:11Kenan has given us so many classic characters on SNL, and his take on David Big Papi Ortiz
04:16created an instant legend.
04:31Thompson goes hard, featuring Big Papi's wild enthusiasm for everything, from his out-there
04:37endorsements to his deep love for a big lunch.
04:40The more Kenan amps it up, the harder Jost struggles to hold back his laughter.
04:45This is especially evident during the post-retirement plan segment, where we find Big Papi living
04:57his best life in the most over-the-top ways.
05:00At one point, Thompson even makes himself chuckle as if the absurdity of it all had
05:04suddenly hit him.
05:06It's big laughs all around.
05:22Number six.
05:23Ariana Grande, Chloe Fineman, and Dana Carvey as Jennifer Coolidge.
05:28Ariana Grande is an incredible mimic, so now whenever she's on SNL, fans are always keen
05:33for her to pull out her impressive impressions.
05:36And boy, did she deliver with her spot-on portrayal of Jennifer Coolidge.
05:53Teaming up with Chloe Fineman, she stars in a hilarious commercial for lip gloss that's
05:58so ridiculous, it's impossible for anyone to keep a straight face.
06:02Grande loses it up first, and it doesn't take long for Fineman to break, too.
06:17By the time Dana Carvey joins in, Grande has basically given up on hiding her laughter.
06:22Honestly, only a surprise appearance from the real Coolidge could have made this skit
06:26even better.
06:27Oh, thanks to Maybelline, lip lasting, long lip color, ultimate plumber, gloss color,
06:35liquid lip color, and Maybelline.
06:38Wow.
06:42Number five.
06:43Kenan Thompson as LeVar Ball.
06:46Another of Thompson's more eccentric characters is LeVar Ball, the CEO of Big Baller Brand.
06:52He's just keeping that seat warm on that leg of bench until my other sons get there.
06:57LeAngelo, LeMelo, and my long-lost Mexican son, LeBiblioteca.
07:02If you thought Big Poppy was intense, just wait until you meet this guy.
07:06He's like the Duracell bunny if it was glitching.
07:09We bet Che is often glad to be off-camera during some of the more bizarre moments, though
07:14we can still often hear him chuckling.
07:16You can jump 30 feet in the air while your feet are covered in sweet cocoa deka-doka-dokas
07:22But that's not all.
07:29Kenan does an incredible job cranking up the character's personality to the max, making
07:34it impressive that Che can keep it together at all, especially when Ball shows off his
07:38latest footwear investments.
07:41You know it's a Big Baller impression when even the cast can't hold back their laughter.
07:45And the best road-a-ceri-ticket by the Lunagelo Twenties is ready, Michael!
07:57Number 4.
07:58Jimmy Fallon as Barry Gibb
08:00Jimmy Fallon was notorious for breaking character during his SNL run, but in this recurring
08:05bit, he's the one doing the breaking.
08:07He plays Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees as an angry, erratic man who switches into falsetto
08:13at the drop of a hat.
08:14Don't you patronize me!
08:15I am Barry Gibb!
08:16I will take out my Bowie knife and gut you like a fish!
08:23Justin Timberlake plays his brother Robin, who speaks in short, deadpan sentences.
08:28The sketch is filled with hilarious moments, and it's clear Timberlake thinks so, too.
08:33I grew up on the straight house, Sidney, and no matter where I am, in the studio, I am
08:39never more than five seconds away from a gun!
08:43As Fallon's performance gets more unhinged, it becomes tougher for him to keep his cool.
08:48Honestly, watching him try not to break is just as entertaining as the skit itself.
08:53We loved seeing this classic return for Season 49, and nothing had changed.
09:00We are, we are, we are, we are from Australia!
09:07Number 3.
09:08Kate McKinnon as Ruth Bader Ginsburg
09:11Kate McKinnon could break her castmates like no one else on SNL because she threw herself
09:15fully into every character.
09:18You know how Aquaman can summon fish?
09:20I can do the same with rescued pit bulls.
09:27Her Billie Jean King had Seth Meyers losing it multiple times on Weekend Update.
09:32And don't even get us started on her Rudy Giuliani, especially when she tackled Trump's
09:37election claims.
09:38Also, we're suing all the states we lost.
09:41You're suing all the states for what?
09:43I don't know, child support?
09:45Jost keeps cracking up, and even McKinnon looked like she might break a few times.
09:50But the best might be her Ruth Bader Ginsburg impression.
09:53It's good.
09:54It's good.
09:55Is it good there?
09:56You're supposed to put it in water first.
09:57Yeah, I know.
09:58Yeah.
09:59You got a little kind of all over there.
10:03Oh dear!
10:04Yeah, all right!
10:05McKinnon brought such an unhinged energy to that role.
10:08She couldn't have had an easier time breaking Colin, and even herself.
10:13Her physical comedy is incredible.
10:15It's no wonder everyone around her can't keep a straight face.
10:19It might not be just emergency.
10:27Number two, Cecily Strong as Jeanine Pirro.
10:30There's no limit to how many times we can watch this impression and still laugh as hard
10:34as the first time.
10:36Cecily plays the role of the former judge and TV host Jeanine Pirro to perfection.
10:40But I don't know if you heard, Trump did say he's hoping to launch an investigation
10:44into both Obama and Hillary.
10:53From her outlandish claims to her booming voice, that sounds like someone turned up
10:57the volume to max and broke the dial.
11:00This sketch was never going to go as planned.
11:02But it's Pirro's love for a drink that really gets to Colin, though we can't imagine
11:07why.
11:08And I'm going to hold your arm for this part.
11:10By ignoring the subpoenas, Trump might actually give Democrats more reason to impeach.
11:15What?
11:16No!
11:18No!
11:19Cecily always keeps this recurring gag fresh, so he never knows quite what's coming.
11:24Also, singing in a crate of wine is just iconic.
11:28Honestly, we could never keep it together half as well as they do.
11:59Number 1.
12:00Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day as Beavis and Butthead
12:03You know a sketch is hilarious whenever Heidi Gardner, who basically never breaks, can't
12:08hold it together.
12:09She starts strong, but the second she sees Ryan Gosling dressed as a Beavis lookalike,
12:14she completely loses it.
12:16Can you move the seats?
12:18Uh, okay, sure, I'm sorry, I just, I've never heard of that cartoon character.
12:24Ever the pro, she pulls herself back.
12:28Until she catches sight of Mikey Day as Butthead's double.
12:31And that's it.
12:32Gardner's laughing fit eventually takes everyone else down, too.
12:35Maybe it's this Beavis person, I don't know.
12:39I don't watch much television, I have an incredibly busy life.
12:43Yeah, I'm very busy, too.
12:45The premise is so simple and goofy that it seems destined to fall apart from the original
12:50plan.
12:51Watching the cast collapse into giggles only makes the sketch better.
12:55And come on, we're all a little shocked that Gosling wasn't the first one to go.
12:59You don't know each other?
13:01No, no, um, hi, I'm Dean.
13:05I'm Dean.
13:06Jeff, Jeff.
13:07Nice to meet you.
13:08Nice to meet you, too.
13:09Which SNL impression would make you break?
13:12Let us know in the comments.
13:13If you hold your ear up to my ear, you can hear the ocean.
13:17Yeah, I'm good, I'm good right now.
13:21Soup yourself.
13:22Okay.
13:24Do you agree with our picks?
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