Ryan Gosling Can’t Stop Laughing as Guest Host on SNL – You Won’t Believe Why!

Returning for his third hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live,” Ryan Gosling should have been celebrating a year of successful appearances, culminating in his acclaimed “Barbie” performances, including his memorable “I’m Just Ken” showstopper at the Oscars in March. He even made a surprise appearance on Kristen Wiig’s episode the previous week to drum up excitement.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Instead of a celebration of his past successes, Gosling’s episode was marked by numerous instances of the host breaking character and struggling to suppress his laughter. This contagious energy seemed to affect his fellow cast members, who also struggled to keep a straight face during sketches, particularly during a “News Nation” skit about the potential dangers of runaway artificial intelligence. This was hilariously derailed when Gosling and Mikey Day were compared to the animated duo “Beavis and Butt-Head,” causing Heidi Gardner, the segment’s host, to burst into laughter each time she looked their way.

Gosling’s laughter first surfaced in the cold open, and while it’s easy to blame the return of the always-funny “SNL” veteran Kate McKinnon for causing the laughter, the giggle fits persisted throughout multiple sketches. These included a man expressing his fear of marriage to a new friend, a Tennessee man who enjoys speaking in a Cuban accent at the Cabo Club, a goofy doctor and surgeon skit with Bowen Yang, and a parody of “Erin Brockovich” starring Chloe Fineman and Gosling.

The episode would have greatly benefited from a pre-recorded segment allowing Gosling to excel without the pressure of live performance. This made it all the more puzzling when viewers were directed online to watch “Papyrus 2,” a follow-up to one of Gosling’s most popular “SNL” sketches, penned by comedian and filmmaker Julio Torres. It was a missed opportunity to not include this in the episode.

Chris Stapleton, the musical guest for the night, performed “White Horse” and “Mountains of My Mind” and appeared in a music video titled “Get That Boy Back.” Unlike previous weeks, there was no Please Don’t Destroy video this time.

The episode kicked off with an alien abduction sketch, the third installment in a series featuring Kate McKinnon as the hilariously eccentric and somewhat inappropriate Miss Rafferty and Gosling. Gosling’s character humorously pointed out that he’s even wearing the same clothes as the last abduction. Alongside Gosling and McKinnon, cast member Sarah Sherman participated as they each recounted their alien encounters.

The monologue served as a platform for Gosling to revisit his famous Ken from “Barbie” character one last time. Initially, he announced his intentions to part ways with Ken, but Gosling quickly changed his mind, deciding to reprise his celebrated role to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well.” His co-star from “The Fall Guy,” Emily Blunt, made a surprise appearance, expressing disapproval of his “Kenning” and eventually hitting Gosling with a breakaway chair. However, she soon joined him in singing about the difficulty of letting go of her “Oppenheimer” character, Kitty. Gosling concluded by declaring, “Ken will never die!”

Top sketch of the evening: The strange revenge in ‘Get That Boy Back’

Three women (Fineman, Ego Nwodim, and Chloe Troast) croon about their unique methods of getting back at their exes. Troast’s character outdoes them all with her intricate psychological warfare on her ex (Stapleton), which includes replacing his shoes with a larger size to trick him into thinking he’s shrinking, and recruiting her ex-CIA operative brother (Gosling) to subtly cut his hair and replace his Sudoku puzzles with unsolvable ones. The revenge plot intensifies until the singer discovers her ex wasn’t unfaithful, and they decide to reconcile, but not before Troast reveals herself from her camouflaged position against the wall.

Another highlight: Beavis and Butt-Head come to life

Kenan Thompson, playing an AI expert, finds it increasingly difficult to focus on his presentation due to audience members who bear an uncanny resemblance to Beavis and Butt-Head. Gosling, who plays Beavis, sports a blond pompadour and a “Death Rock” T-shirt, while Day’s Butt-Head character perfects a permanent sneer. Despite the frequent outbursts of laughter, this sketch could have been a hit, especially with a final reveal of a group of men resembling the characters from “King of the Hill.”

‘Weekend Update’ standout: Caitlin Clark confronts Michael Che

While cast member Michael Longfellow offered a lukewarm defense of men and their alleged incompetence, the real star of the segment was college basketball sensation Caitlin Clark. After co-host Michael Che made a stale joke about Clark’s jersey being replaced by an apron, Clark reminded Che of his frequent jabs at women’s sports. She presented clips of Che mocking women’s college basketball and the WNBA, before she asked Che to read some of her own jokes. These included a quip about the Indiana Fever being a sports team and not a condition Che inflicts on his romantic partners, and a dig at Che’s latest Netflix special. Clark, known for her three-pointers, offered Che three pointers of her own: “Be. Funnier. Dumbass.” She then gifted him a signed pink apron. When he mentioned giving it to his girlfriend, Clark retorted, “You don’t have a girlfriend, Michael.”