21 Times Actors Broke Character In TV Shows…And It Actually Made It Into The Episode

Recently, Twitter user @ANDAMOVlE made this fun lil tweet about the positively excellent moment you’re watching a sitcom and notice someone on screen cannot stop themselves from breaking during a take. Not only did the tweet garner over 25,000 likes in agreement, but it also spurred tons of other sitcom lovers to share their very favorite examples of that phenomenon.

Twitter: @ANDAMOVlE

As your resident Sitcom Stan™️, I decided to round up the very best, funniest, and most out-of-pocket examples people shared. So, here are 21 times sitcom actors subtly (and not so subtly) broke character…and somehow made it into the final cut:

1.When Max Greenfield wasn’t even facing the camera but still had to pinch his nose not to completely fall apart in this New Girl scene:

Two people having a conversation indoors; one man is wearing a plain t-shirt

FOX

Suggested by: @ayshivy

2.When not even a zoom-in could hide Adam Scott breaking during this Parks and Recreation episode:

Two people in a conversation. The person on the left wears a patterned shirt with a thoughtful expression. The person on the right is only partly visible

NBC / @selinaknope / X

Shared by: @selinaknope

3.In this episode of Friends, where you can literally see Matt LeBlanc duck behind David Schwimmer because he couldn’t hide his laughter:

Two men in a room, one animatedly gesturing with his hands, possibly explaining or reacting to something, while the other watches

NBC

Shared by: @molliexmartin

4.When Kurtwood Smith realized mid-sentence what he’d just said out loud on an episode of That ’70s Show and could not deal:

A person in a checkered shirt is gesturing while sitting at a dining table with drinks and snacks

FOX

Shared by: @clownrosary

5.When Jason Bateman was fighting for his life after David Cross’s reading of this line in Arrested Development:

Person with blue-painted face and bathrobe sits at a kitchen counter, talking to a woman holding a mug and paper. Casual kitchen scene

Imagine Television

Shared by: @bren1sly

6.When, like, half the cast was putting their all into not bursting out laughing during Steve Carell’s “Prison Mike” bit on The Office:

Person in a suit with a patterned bandana stands in front of a blank flip chart, speaking to an unseen audience

NBC / @ChasingSnyder / X

Shared by: @ChasingSnyder

7.When Julia Louis-Dreyfus — who I lovingly consider the queen of iconically breaking character — couldn’t deliver this Veep line without her voice totally cracking:

Woman in office setting gestures while engaged in conversation with a man in a suit, suggesting a discussion

HBO

Shared by: @strkslut

8.This double-break from Debra Messing and Eric McCormack on Will & Grace that’s got me also giggling, TBH:

Two people in a living room; one wears a glittery top, the other a sweater, both in conversation

NBC

9.When Andy Samberg got Stephanie Beatriz — who played the particularly stoic, unfazed Rosa Diaz — to crack a smile on Brooklyn Nine-Nine:

Person in a dark police uniform smiles with hands on hips, standing in a room with framed pictures on the walls

NBC

Shared by: @MysteryRambles

10.Don’t worry, though, because Andy got his karma in another episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, when Joe Lo Truglio made him break so hard, fans believe they can hear Andy quietly say Joe’s name:

Person in a checkered shirt, smiling while seated at a desk in an office setting, wearing a badge on a lanyard

NBC

Shared by: @yjwandi

11.When, like, half the people in this scene from Glee where Heather Morris sings “My Cup”:

A person in a vintage-inspired outfit sings while another plays guitar in a living room, with a child nearby

FOX

Shared by: @girliniceberg

12.When Jennifer Aniston — another icon in the Breaking Character Hall of Fame — could not keep it together after Lisa Kudrow started singing in this episode of Friends:

Person playing bagpipes indoors, wearing a casual shirt

NBC

Shared by: @deedayman

13.Something about musical instruments really gets Jennifer, because here she is again, but with David playing the piano this time.

A person intensely plays a keyboard in a cozy room with flowers and art in the background

14.Here’s Ashton Kutcher reallllly struggling to keep it together on That ’70s Show:

Two people at a social event wearing name tags. One wears a tan suit and gestures thoughtfully; the other wears a patterned dress, smiling

FOX

15.OKAY, one more from That ’70s Show, because there are like a millllllion. When Allison Munn screaming “SHUT UP!” made Mila Kunis break so thoroughly that she had to turn to look at Laura Prepon to remember she needed to compose herself:

Three people sit in a retro living room from a TV show; one stands animatedly, gesturing while the others listen. Vintage decor surrounds them

FOX

I’m convinced like 50% of the time Jackie laughs in the show, it’s actually just Mila not being able to hide her own giggle, and it just became a part of the character.

16.From The Office, here’s the time Idris Elba was so close to full-on laughing that he literally had to look away after Brian Baumgartner said just one word:

Two people in an office setting discussing. One is wearing a suit and tie, and the other is in a coat and glasses

NBC

Shared by: @okimstillhungry

17.In another Kevin Classic™️, Brian also made both Mindy Kaling and Ed Helms lose it during this Christmas-themed episode of The Office:

People dressed as Santas in an office holiday party scene with festive décor; one Santa sits on another's lap

18.When Thomas Mikal Ford lost it over the fake dog barking during this scene from Martin:

Four people sit around a table in a living room while a man stands holding a large dog on a leash, suggesting a tense conversation

You Go Boy! Productions / HBO Independent Productions

Shared by: @BigJerm_8

19.When Timothy Olyphant broke so hard in The Santa Clarita Diet that he literally broke the fourth wall:

A man and woman stand together indoors, both with relaxed expressions. The man wears a casual shirt; the woman has long hair and speaks to the camera

Garfield Grove Productions

Shared by: @plosbro

20.When the actor in this New Girl episode was fighting not to break during Winston’s (Lamorne Morris) dialogue:

A person in a white shirt stands with hands clasped, looking upward with a dramatic expression against a textured background

FOX

Shared by: @onlyangvIs

21.And finally, here’s a bonus one of Julia Louis-Dreyfus that was included in the credits of an episode of Seinfeld, which took several…several…SEVERAL takes:

An older man gestures in a scene from a TV show. Credits list directors: Andy Ackerman, Jason Alexander, Tom Cherones, David Steinberg, David Owen Trainor, Joshua White

HBO

Shared by: @danasfox

Is there a sitcom character break you love that didn’t make this list? Tell us in the comments!

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