Stefon is my favorite Saturday Night Live character.
Bill Hader is one of my favorite SNL cast members of all-time as well.
I like the way he breaks character.
It feels as if he breaks character in a non-disruptive way.
Well, I guess it’s disruptive… but it’s more funny than annoying especially whenever he has scenes with Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen. And it’s not like he’s just breaking for the sake of breaking. In The Californians, they were basically trying to make him chuckle. In Scared Straight, they use physical comedy to ruin him.
Stefon though is a different case.
A failed sketch character in its debut, Stefon gained popularity as a Weekend Update character. As their New York City Correspondent, Stefon is tasked to give New York City visitors a good time.
And most of the establishments he recommends are kind of shady.
Anyway, Hader has two enemies in this bit. It’s a wide known fact that John Mulaney does his best to torture Hader by changing the script when it came to the actual performance. Just imagine the horror Hader would utter as he mouths the phrases on the teleprompter.
And then, there’s Seth Meyers. His straight man approach whenever Meyers does this bit and his low-key quips whenever Hader breaks is just awesome.