Kate McKinnon Breaks Character on SNL, Tells Viewers It's a 'Crazy Time'

Kate McKinnon broke character and the fourth wall on Saturday Night Live, telling viewers that it is a "crazy time" with Americans uncertain about what will happen with the coronavirus pandemic and the presidential election.

The moment came as McKinnon appeared as Dr. Wayne Wenowdis on the "Weekend Update" segment of the show to give a second opinion on President Donald Trump's televised medical evaluation following his COVID diagnosis.

During some back-and-forth with Jost, McKinnon repeatedly utters the words "we know this"—a joke referencing Dr. Wenowdis' name.

But while was pretending to check Jost's blood pressure, McKinnon broke character after failing to hold back her laughter.

"Kate, Kate, are you okay?" Jost, also laughing, asked as McKinnon continued to giggle uncontrollably.

"I'm obviously not," McKinnon replied, still laughing as the audience starts applauding.

She then turned to the audience and viewers at home, saying: "I'm sorry, you guys... It's such a crazy time."

Gesturing to her costume, she added: "This is something I started doing to cope. I have a lot of wigs and mustaches at my disposal and it's a nice way to escape. It's refreshing to play a character who... who know this."

McKinnon continued: "I mean, who will win the election? We don't know this. When will the pandemic end? This, we don't know. What will happen to the world? We do not know this.

"But Colin, the one thing we do know is that... no, we don't know this."

Jost then told McKinnon and viewers: "Listen, I know it is very stressful. I know this is very hard right now and I know that a lot of people are being very resilient about it. Even though it doesn't seem good, don't worry. We can figure this out, we can do this."

Back in character as Dr. Wenowdis, McKinnon then asks: "We can do what?"

"We can do this," Jost says. "We know this!" A jubilant Dr. Wenowdis then declares as the segment ends.

McKinnon breaking character on the show led to her name trending on Twitter early Sunday, with some calling her a "national treasure."

"Kate McKinnon is literally all of us this year," actor David Kaufman wrote. Alyssa Milano added: "There is no one better than Kate McKinnon. No one."

The Emmy-winning comedian and actress has become a fan favorite since joining the cast of SNL in 2012 and is known for her memorable impressions of celebrities, such as Justin Bieber.

She has been tasked with impersonating several notable figures on the show in recent years, including Hillary Clinton, Jeff Sessions, Rudy Giuliani, Kellyanne Conway and Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Last week, McKinnon dressed up as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to pay a silent tribute to the feminist icon after her death last month.