Why the SNL Alien Abduction Skit With Kate McKinnon Is Still the Funniest Thing on TV

It happened on December 5, 2015. Most of us were just settling in for a standard episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Ryan Gosling, expecting the usual political jabs and digital shorts. Then came "Close Encounter." Within seconds, the Saturday Night Live skit alien abduction trope was flipped on its head, mostly because of a chain-smoking, disheveled woman named Ms. Rafferty.

You know the setup. Three people sit in a sterile government room, being debriefed by NSA agents about their shared experience aboard a spacecraft. Two of them describe a spiritual, luminous, life-changing journey into the cosmos. Then there’s Ms. Rafferty, played by the incomparable Kate McKinnon. While her companions were basking in the "glow of a thousand suns," she was getting her "knocker" slapped by a gray alien named Keith.

It’s rare. Usually, SNL sketches have a shelf life of about forty-eight hours before they vanish into the internet abyss. This one didn't. It became a cultural touchstone because it tapped into something visceral: the contrast between the sublime and the ridiculous.

The Anatomy of a Break: Why Ryan Gosling Couldn't Keep It Together

If you watch the original Saturday Night Live skit alien abduction, you aren't just watching a scripted comedy bit. You're watching a professional actor lose his mind in real-time. Ryan Gosling is a serious guy. He does "Drive." He does "Blade Runner 2049." But Kate McKinnon’s performance—specifically when she describes her "coot-coot and her prune" being poked by "forty little gray hands"—sent him into a giggling fit he couldn't recover from.

Breaking character is usually a no-no in sketch comedy. Here? It was the secret sauce. Seeing A-list stars like Gosling or, in later iterations, Casey Affleck and Benedict Cumberbatch, hide their faces behind their sleeves makes the audience feel like they're in on a private joke. It creates an authenticity that AI or overly rehearsed scripts just can't touch.

McKinnon’s physicality is what really seals the deal. She isn't just saying funny lines. She’s leaning her entire body weight onto her fellow cast members, demonstrating exactly how the aliens "poked and prodded" her with zero regard for personal space. It’s invasive. It’s gross. It’s hilarious.

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Ms. Rafferty vs. The Universe

The brilliance of the character writing lies in the socioeconomic gap. Cecily Strong and the guest host usually play upper-middle-class types who view their abduction as a religious awakening. They talk about "telepathic communication" and "universal peace."

Then you have Rafferty.

She’s basically the personification of a late-night gas station at 3:00 AM. She’s wearing a tattered robe, her hair looks like a bird's nest, and she’s probably missing a shoe. To her, the aliens weren't majestic beings of light; they were just "rude dudes" who didn't even have the decency to give her a "courtesy lick."

The Evolution of the Skit

While the first one with Gosling is the gold standard, the writers (Sudi Green and Fran Gillespie) knew they had a hit. They didn't just repeat the joke; they escalated it.

• In one version, she describes being dropped off at a Long John Silver’s parking lot.
• In another, she explains how her soul "stayed behind" while her body was basically used as a stress ball by a bunch of "greys."
• The final appearance during McKinnon’s last episode as a regular cast member brought the house down because it felt like a genuine goodbye to one of the greatest characters in the show's 50-year history.

Honestly, the Saturday Night Live skit alien abduction works because it subverts the "Chosen One" narrative. We all want to believe that if aliens came to Earth, they’d want to share the secrets of the universe with us. McKinnon’s character suggests they might just want to see how many people they can fit into a "taco-shaped pod" while one guy named Terrence watches.

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Why This Skit Ranks So High in Comedy History

Comedy is subjective, but technical execution isn't. The pacing of these sketches is nearly perfect. You have the "straight" characters providing the setup, the agents providing the "authority," and McKinnon acting as the chaotic disruptor.

1. The Physicality: McKinnon often uses her colleagues as props. In the 2017 version with Gosling (his return), she literally puts her face in his crotch to demonstrate an alien "greeting." You can’t script that kind of awkward tension.
2. The Language: The writers used incredibly specific, gritty American slang that felt out of place in a sci-fi setting. Words like "panties," "bus station," and "ashtray" grounded the cosmic horror in a way that was uniquely funny.
3. The Contrast: If everyone had a bad time, it wouldn't be funny. The humor comes from the fact that two people had a "Disney-on-Ice" experience while one person had a "demolition derby" experience.

What People Often Get Wrong About the Sketch

A lot of folks think the "breaking" was staged. In the world of SNL, "breaking" (laughing during a sketch) is sometimes criticized as being "the Jimmy Fallon move." But if you look at the dress rehearsal footage—which sometimes leaks or is talked about by cast members—the reactions are often even more extreme.

Kate McKinnon is known for changing her blocking or adding a slight physical touch during the live broadcast that she didn't do in rehearsal. She wants her co-stars to break. It’s a power move. When Gosling started laughing during the first Saturday Night Live skit alien abduction, he wasn't doing it for clout. He was genuinely overwhelmed by the absurdity of McKinnon’s performance just inches from his face.

Also, it’s not just "toilet humor." On the surface, yeah, she’s talking about her butt. But underneath, it’s a satire on the "Specialness" of human ego. We think we’re so important that aliens would travel light-years just to talk to us about our feelings. Rafferty reminds us that, to a vastly superior intelligence, we might just be weird little biological toys.

How to Apply These Comedy Principles to Your Own Content

If you're a writer or a creator, there’s a massive lesson in the success of the Saturday Night Live skit alien abduction. It’s not about being "perfect." It’s about the "crack" in the perfection.

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• Lean into Contrast: If you’re talking about something serious, find the one gritty, "Ms. Rafferty" detail that makes it human.
• Physicality Matters: Even in writing, use "heavy" words. Use words that have texture. Don't just say "she was messy." Say she looked like she "crawled out of a dryer at a laundromat."
• Let the Audience In: Don't be afraid to show the "seams." People love seeing the human side of a performance or a piece of writing.

The Legacy of Ms. Rafferty

When Kate McKinnon left SNL in 2022, she chose this sketch for her cold open. It wasn't a political parody or a celebrity impression. It was Ms. Rafferty getting into a spaceship for the last time. She looked at the camera, eyes watering a bit, and said, "I love you, Earth. Thanks for letting me stay a while."

It was a rare moment of genuine emotion from a character who spent most of her screen time talking about her "leaking" or her "taco." It showed that even the most ridiculous comedy can have a heart.

If you haven't watched it in a while, go back and look at the "Close Encounter" sketch from Season 41. Pay attention to Aidy Bryant in the background—she’s trying so hard to keep it together that she basically disappears into her chair. That’s the mark of a legendary bit.

Next Steps for Comedy Fans

If you want to dive deeper into why this specific brand of humor works, check out the "Behind the Sketch" videos on the SNL YouTube channel. They often break down the writing process for Ms. Rafferty. You’ll find that the writers actually researched real alien abduction accounts and then just "uglied them up" to see what would stick.

Also, look for the "High School Theater Show" sketches with Emma Stone or Elizabeth Banks. They use a similar "absurdist contrast" structure that made the alien abduction sketches so iconic. Basically, study the contrast between the expected (a serious theater performance) and the reality (a bunch of teenagers who don't understand the world). It’s the same engine that drives Ms. Rafferty’s spaceship.

Stop looking for "perfect" comedy. Look for the stuff that makes the actors cry-laugh. That's where the real magic is.