This paper focuses on laughter as disaffiliative methodical resource for marking a just-prior ‘serious’ turn as laughable. Using video-taped family interaction and audio recordings of broadcast interviews, the paper investigates the sequential environment both preparing the laughter production and its verbal elaboration, as well as features of the laughter itself. The laughter by an unaddressed recipient may affiliate though with an addressed recipient. Laughter is thus involved in identity work. This further elucidates questions of participation status in interaction.