Chris Farley was always my favorite performer on SNL. Growing up as a chubby kid from Chicago who liked to think of himself as a goof, I identified with Farley and even idolized him. His sketches always made me laugh the most, and I think I wore out my Best Of Chris Farley VHS tape. From his major characters to the dancing lunch lady, I wasn’t alone in laughing like crazy whenever he was on camera (and that’s not even including the masterpiece that is Tommy Boy). Let’s take a look at some of his best Saturday Night Live moments.
If you’re any fan of the sketch show, you know Matt Foley and at least his first appearance. Right off the bat, Phil Hartman introduced Foley as a motivational speaker who had been in the basement “drinking coffee for the last four hours.” Once he arrives onscreen, he just keeps building up until his unintentional pratfall right onto the coffee table. Foley kept coming back into our lives, ranging from motivating his fellow prison inmates to motivating kids as a distraught Santa Claus. Beyond Foley, Farley had a ton of hilarious and recognizable characters, like the Zagat’s Lady to the classic Chippendales dancer opposite Patrick Swayze. I think I could watch him fantasize about polish sausages for hours. And who could forget his stellar interview with Paul McCartney?
And that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. While Farley of course battled with addictions that led to his untimely death, he’s remembered fondly by people like David Spade and Olivia Wilde. What’s your favorite Chris Farley moment?
