List of Saturday Night Live incidents
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

As a
live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
show, NBC's ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' (officially abbreviated to ''SNL'') has had a number of technical problems, performer mishaps, and controversial content. Several hosts and musical guests have received negative press due to their appearances on the program, including musician
Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...
, comedian Andrew Dice Clay, then-Presidential candidate
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, and the bands Rage Against the Machine and
Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...
. In the course of the show's forty-plus-year history, several technical issues have occurred live on air, most notably with singer Ashlee Simpson. Other times, controversial content has been edited out of syndicated reruns and online-distributed editions of the show, including coarse language. The show has "banned" certain hosts and has also been accused of plagiarism.


Technical issues


Ashlee Simpson

Singer and actress Ashlee Simpson appeared as a musical guest on the October 23, 2004 episode with
Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...
as host. Her first performance, " Pieces of Me", was performed without incident, but when she began her second song, "
Autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
", the vocals for "Pieces of Me" were heard again — before she had even raised the microphone to her mouth. Simpson began to do an impromptu jig, and then left the stage. During the closing of the show, Simpson appeared with Law and said: "I feel so bad. My band started playing the wrong song. I didn't know what to do so I thought I'd do a
hoedown A hoedown is a type of American folk dance or square dance in duple meter, and also the musical form associated with it. Overview The most popular sense of the term is associated with Americans in rural or southeastern parts of the country, par ...
." On October 25, Simpson explained that due to complications arising from severe
acid reflux Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is one of the upper gastrointestinal chronic diseases where stomach content persistently and regularly flows up into the esophagus, resulting in symptoms and/ ...
disease, she had completely lost her voice and her doctor had advised her not to sing. Her father wanted her to use a vocal guide track for the performance after she had suffered vocal issues during rehearsals. Simpson stated of the incident, "I made a complete fool of myself." According to Simpson, the drummer hit the wrong button, which caused the wrong track to be played. Lorne Michaels had been unaware of the plan to use
lip synching Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...
, and said in an interview with ''
60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'' that he would not have allowed it if he had been consulted. Simpson is the only musical guest ever to walk off stage during a live performance at SNL. Simpson returned to the show on October 8, 2005, and performed without incident.


Controversies


Fear

In 1981, director Penelope Spheeris made a film titled '' The Decline of Western Civilization''; the film featured an appearance by the punk rock group
Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...
. This appearance in particular caught the attention of former cast member John Belushi, who lobbied successfully to get the band a spot as a musical guest on the 1981 Halloween episode of ''SNL''. Belushi had originally offered Fear the soundtrack for his major motion picture '' Neighbors''. The film's producers eventually forced Fear off the project, and Belushi got them the infamous ''SNL'' gig as compensation. The band's appearance included a group of slamdancers, among them Belushi, Ian MacKaye of
Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitaris ...
(and later
Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...
), Tesco Vee of
The Meatmen The Meatmen are an American punk band headed by Tesco Vee, originally existing from 1981 to 1988, before reforming in the mid-1990s, and again in the 2000s. They were known for their outrageous stage antics and offensive lyrics. They reformed in ...
, Harley Flanagan and John Joseph of the
Cro-Mags Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among th ...
, and John Brannon of Negative Approach. The show's director originally wanted to prevent the dancers from participating, so Belushi offered to be in the episode if the dancers were allowed to stay. The result was the shortening of Fear's appearance on TV. Frontman
Lee Ving Lee James Jude Capallero (born April 10, 1950), also known as Lee Ving, is an American guitarist, singer and actor. Ving is the frontman of the Los Angeles-based hardcore punk band Fear. As an actor, Ving played topless club owner Johnny C. ...
started the band's second song by stating, "It's great to be in
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
", drawing boos from ''SNL''s New York live audience. Fear played "I Don't Care About You", "Beef Bologna", "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones", and started to play "Let's Have a War" when the telecast faded into commercial. The slamdancers left ripe pumpkin remains on the set. Cameras, a piano, and other property were damaged in a situation that was close to a stage riot. After their ''SNL'' appearance, which resulted in $20,000 in damage, some clubs chose not to hire the band. A ''New York Post'' article later reported the figure to be $500,000. This is believed to have originated from Ving, who told the Post that "...we caused $500,000 worth of damage, a cool half a million dollars worth of damage, ‘cause we’re professionals, and I counted the damage myself." Since this incident, Fear has not appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'' again.


Andrew Dice Clay

When Andrew Dice Clay was scheduled as a host for the May 12, 1990 episode, cast member Nora Dunn immediately announced to the press that she was boycotting the show in protest. She stated the protest was in view of Clay's perceivably misogynistic act, and did so without informing Michaels, the cast, or most of the crew about her intent. The public backlash was immediate; the selection of Clay was compared to
the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
by an audience member during an interview with Michaels. Female members of the cast and crew were harassed by phone and mail for sticking with the show, and metal detectors were installed at the studio to enhance security. NBC censors insisted that the episode be aired with a delay to compensate for anything Clay might say on air. During the live show, some audience members heckled Clay but were immediately removed by the increased
security detail A security detail, often known as a PSD (protective services detail, personal security detachment, personal security detail) or PPD (personal protection detail), is a protective team assigned to protect the personal security of an individual or ...
. Dunn's contract was already coming to an end, and with one episode left in the season, the staff voted against having her take part in the final episode of the season, and her contract was not renewed. Dunn later expressed her surprise at the lack of support she received from her colleagues in her refusal to participate.
Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...
was scheduled to be the musical guest for the episode, but she also boycotted the show because of Clay's involvement, forcing the producers to find two musical replacements, with one performance by
Julee Cruise Julee Ann Cruise (December 1, 1956 – June 9, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and actress, known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She released fo ...
and a second by Spanic Boys.


Sinéad O'Connor

On October 3, 1992, O'Connor was scheduled to appear, performing an
a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
performance of
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
's " War". During the dress rehearsal of the episode, O'Connor held up a photo of a Balkan child as a protest of child abuse in war before bowing and leaving the stage, which the episode's director Dave Wilson described as a "very tender moment". During the live show, O'Connor changed the "War" lyric "fight racial injustice" to "fight child abuse" as a protest against the then still relatively unknown cases of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. She presented a photo of
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
while singing the word "evil", before tearing the image into pieces and saying "Fight the real enemy!" NBC had no foreknowledge of O'Connor's plan, and Wilson purposely failed to use the "applause" button, leaving the audience to sit in silence.
Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film ''The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards for his role ...
, who was the host for that episode and was raised as a devout Catholic, refused to acknowledge O'Connor at the end of the show. NBC received thousands of irate calls in the aftermath of the incident, and protests against O'Connor occurred outside of
30 Rockefeller Plaza 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66 ...
, where a steamroller crushed dozens of her tapes, CDs, and LPs. In the following weeks on ''SNL'', Catholic guests Joe Pesci and
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
both voiced their opposition to O'Connor. The show also aired several sketches mocking O'Connor. She has not appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'' since. The incident occurred a full nine years before John Paul II, in a 2001 apology, acknowledged that the sexual abuse within the Church was "a profound contradiction of the teaching and witness of Jesus Christ", followed in 2008 by Pope
Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
apologizing and meeting with victims, speaking of his "shame" at the evil of abuse, calling for perpetrators to be brought to justice, and denouncing mishandling by church authorities. NBC still declines to rebroadcast the sequence with the exception of an interview with O'Connor on MSNBC's '' The Rachel Maddow Show'', which aired on April 24, 2010, when the clip was aired in full. In reruns, the incident is replaced with the dress rehearsal performance. The original episode was made available on volume four of the DVD special "''Saturday Night Live'' – 25 Years of Music", with an introduction by Michaels about the incident. On February 20, 2011, the clip was aired on the ''SNL'' special "Backstage" showing footage of the dress rehearsal and live performance side by side. The footage cuts to interviewees during the moment the photo was ripped. The incident was mocked during an episode of the television show ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...
'' (created by former ''Saturday Night Live'' head writer
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
) in which it is mentioned that Tracy Jordan, star of ''TGS'' (the show's in-universe analogue to ''Saturday Night Live'') tore up a picture of the pope during an episode; it is replied, "In his defense, it was Pope Innocent IV, because he increased taxation in the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
." A later episode parodied the ''Saturday Night Live'' incident when an NBC page ( Kristen Schaal) goes on stage and tears a picture of O'Connor in half. It was also mocked in the third episode of '' The Life of Rock with Brian Pern'', which features the fictional title musician Brian Pern's appearance on a 1992 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', where he tears up a picture of
The Fonz Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1974–1984). He was originally a secondary character, but was soon positioned as a lea ...
, calling him "evil" after remarking "lies", as a protest against '' Happy Days'' providing a distraction to the American public from American foreign policy aggression. This incident was also spoofed by the Australian band
TISM TISM (an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist Eu ...
on the album cover of ''Censored Due to Legal Advice''. The album really was censored due to a lawsuit. The original name of the album was '' Australia the Lucky Cunt'' and depicted a
koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the womb ...
drawn in the style of artist
Ken Done Kenneth Stephen Done (born 29 June 1940) is an Australian artist best known for his design work. Although his simple, brightly coloured images of Australian landmarks have adorned a very popular range of clothing and homewares sold under the "D ...
with a syringe in its mouth. Done was angered by this cover and on the week after the album's September 1993 release date obtained an injunction order banning the sale of the album. The album was re-released in November the same year under the ''Censored Due to Legal Advice'' title with the cover depicting four images of O'Connor on ''Saturday Night Live'' edited to show her tearing up a sheet of the TISM logo and the album title on it instead of the pope.


Rage Against the Machine

On April 13, 1996, musical guests Rage Against the Machine (RATM) were scheduled to perform two songs. The show was hosted that night by billionaire and then-presidential candidate Steve Forbes. According to RATM guitarist
Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello ...
, "RATM wanted to stand in sharp juxtaposition to a billionaire telling jokes and promoting his
flat tax A flat tax (short for flat-rate tax) is a tax with a single rate on the taxable amount, after accounting for any deductions or exemptions from the tax base. It is not necessarily a fully proportional tax. Implementations are often progressiv ...
by making our own statement." To this end, the band hung two upside-down American flags from their amplifiers. Seconds before they took the stage to perform "
Bulls on Parade "Bulls on Parade" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine. It is the second song from their second studio album, '' Evil Empire'' (1996). It was released as the album's first single to modern rock radio on February 9, 1996. Ba ...
", stagehands were sent in to pull the flags down. Following the removal of the flags during the first performance, the band was approached by NBC officials and ordered to immediately leave the building. Upon hearing this, bassist Tim Commerford reportedly stormed Forbes' dressing room, throwing shreds from one of the torn-down flags. Morello said that members of the ''SNL'' cast and crew, whom he declined to name, "expressed solidarity with our actions, and a sense of shame that their show had censored the performance." Since this incident, Rage Against the Machine has not appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'' again.


Donald Trump

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's second hosting appearance, in the midst of his
2016 presidential campaign This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kir ...
, courted controversy and protests. Latino advocacy groups pressed NBC to cancel Trump's appearance, due to his remarks on Mexican immigration, while protestors picketed Trump Tower and
30 Rockefeller Plaza 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66 ...
in the days preceding and of the show, holding "DUMP TRUMP" signs. That group created a petition to cancel Trump's hosting with over 500,000 signatures, delivering it to Michaels and
NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primari ...
Chief Executive Steve Burke. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus issued a "statement of opposition" to Trump's appearance. The group DeportRacism.com offered $5,000 in cash to any audience member that would heckle Trump and call him a
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
during his monologue. The show aired on November 7, 2015, and due to the equal-time rule, Trump only appeared for a total of twelve minutes. The notion of heckling was referenced in the show, when Larry David (who had guested earlier in the evening to play politician
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
) called Trump a racist, but only to secure the $5,000. In the end, the episode received 9.3 million viewers—the program's highest ratings in nearly four years—but was panned by critics. NBC subsequently offered free airtime to Republican candidates who filed equal time requests.


Kanye West

On September 29, 2018, during the end credits, musical guest
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, who wore a "
Make America Great Again "Make America Great Again" or MAGA is an American political slogan popularized by Donald Trump in his successful 2016 presidential campaign. The slogan became a pop culture phenomenon, seeing widespread use and spawning numerous variants in ...
" hat, launched into a third performance with the song "
Ghost Town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
" featuring
Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
and
070 Shake Danielle Balbuena (born June 13, 1997), better known by her stage name 070 Shake, is an American hip hop recording artist. 070 Shake is a part of the musical collective 070, who have released a mixtape together titled ''The 070 Project: Chapter ...
. Midway through the performance, NBC cut to commercial, as the show had reached the end of its allotted airtime. After finishing the performance, West began pontificating about the "liberal media" attacking President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
and his own 2020 presidential bid. This resulted in boos from the audience, as the cast stood off to the side of the stage and kept their heads down. The impromptu speech was captured in part by comedian and former ''SNL'' cast member
Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
. During the rant that was uploaded to
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
by West's record producer, Mike Dean, West accused the cast and crew of bullying him about supporting Trump.


Elon Musk

Tesla Motors Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles (electric cars and electric truck, trucks), battery energy storage from ...
and
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
CEO
Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The Bori ...
hosted the May 8, 2021 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'' with musical guest
Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
. The announcement received major criticism and backlash due to Musk's reputedly unlikeable personality and problematic history, with some questioning why Musk was chosen in the first place instead of having Cyrus pull double duty for the third time. Some cast members— Aidy Bryant, Michael Che,
Andrew Dismukes Andrew Vincent Dismukes (; born June 21, 1995) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. Dismukes was hired as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' in 2017, ahead of its 43rd season. He was then hired to join the ...
, and
Bowen Yang Bowen Yang ( zh, link=no, 楊伯文; born November 6, 1990) is an Australian-born American actor, comedian, podcaster, and writer based in New York City. He co-hosts a comedy pop-culture podcast, '' Las Culturistas,'' with Matt Rogers. Since Sep ...
—have voiced their opinions about the choice of Musk via
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
stories. Che and Dismukes joked about the controversy; while Che responded to an angry tweet made by actor John Cusack by confusing him with his sister Joan Cusack, but elsewhere stated "To me, it makes it exciting, I mean, everybody wants to watch now, so that's cool". Bryant and Yang, however, were straightforward with their opinions, with Bryant posting a tweet made by
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
about wealthy people such as Musk earning more than the American people during the pandemic, and Yang posted a shocked emoji and a response to a cryptic tweet made by Musk about his hosting gig with Yang saying "what the fuck does this even mean?" Some critics on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
claimed this booking was similar to the Donald Trump/Sia episode and blamed Lorne Michaels for making this decision.


Other

A number of hosts and musical guests have been "banned" from appearing on the show again and there have been examples of other controversial goings-on within ''SNL''. Examples of these are noted below.


Incidents

* On December 13, 1975, the show was ordered by NBC network officials to run the episode hosted by comedian Richard Pryor on a five-second tape delay. Engineers at the show later said they did not run the delay because no one knew how to achieve the effect. However, the first edition of ''
The Book of Lists The ''Book of Lists'' refers to any one of a series of books compiled by David Wallechinsky, his father Irving Wallace and sister Amy Wallace. Each book contains hundreds of lists (many accompanied by textual explanations) on unusual or obscur ...
'', describing the broadcast, indicated that two words were deleted during the broadcast, although what was censored is not specified. * The December 15, 1979, episode featured three songs by musical guest
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, concluding with a performance of "
Boys Keep Swinging "Boys Keep Swinging" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released on 27 April 1979 by RCA Records in the United Kingdom as the lead single from his 1979 album '' Lodger''. It was written by Bowie and Brian Eno and recorded in Montreux a ...
", which used a
green screen Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on colour hues ( chroma range). The technique has been used in many fields to r ...
effect to superimpose Bowie's head on the body of a marionette he operated while singing. Censors muted the lyric "other boys check you out" during the performance, but were unable to react in time when the song concluded with a large phallus repeatedly popping out of the marionette's pants. The episode was not edited further for rebroadcasts. * The episode of February 21, 1981, hosted by ''
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
'' star Charlene Tilton, featured a parody of the famed " Who shot J.R.?" story arc from the then-popular nighttime soap. During the show a plot line had cast member Charles Rocket and Tilton flirting while other cast members expressed jealousy, leading to Rocket being shot in the chest by a sniper in the middle of a sketch. In the show's closing moments, as cast members gathered with the host to say good night, Tilton asked Rocket how he felt about being shot. In character, Rocket replied "Oh man, it's the first time I've ever been shot in my life. I'd like to know who the fuck did it." He attempted to explain it away as an extemporaneous exclamation. This later contributed to Rocket's dismissal from the show. During this same episode, musical guest Prince was thought to have sung the lyric "Fightin' war is such a fuckin' bore" during his performance of "Partyup", but it went largely unnoticed at the time, as censors either missed it or were unsure whether he actually had said "fuckin'" or "funkin'". * A stand-up routine by Sam Kinison during the October 18, 1986, episode was edited for the West Coast telecast and later airings, replacing two sections of the routine with a silent image of the previous season's cast. The first cutaway occurred when Kinison encouraged the legalization of
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
and said: "You can't get any more pot. If you give us back the pot, we'll forget about the crack." The joke violated NBC policy of the time that all references to drugs must be negative. The second, longer cutaway occurred when Kinison made a joke about the Crucifixion. During rehearsal, Kinison had not performed the drug joke but he had performed, and been asked to remove, the Crucifixion joke. * In a December 5, 1992, "
Wayne's World "Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main characte ...
" sketch, the characters Wayne and Garth (portrayed by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) made fun of
Chelsea Clinton Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer and global health advocate. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ...
, daughter of then-President-elect
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
. Wayne noted that while "adolescence has been thus far unkind" to the then-twelve-year-old Chelsea, Garth opined that "she could turn into a babe in waiting." First Lady
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
was publicly critical of the jokes, and they were subsequently edited out of all repeats and syndication rebroadcasts of this sketch. "We felt, upon reflection, that if it was in any way hurtful, it wasn't worth it," said executive producer Lorne Michaels. "She's a kid, a kid who didn't choose to be in public life." Myers himself wrote a letter of apology to the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
. * The 13th episode of ''SNL'' 19th season, aired the weekend before
Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...
in 1994, featured a sketch in which host
Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nichol ...
portrays a
scoutmaster A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit. Roles There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...
making overt sexual advances towards the
Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...
character
Canteen Boy Canteen Boy is a recurring ''Saturday Night Live'' character played by Adam Sandler. Canteen Boy is a naive, childlike assistant scoutmaster with an acute attention to detail. He is always seen with a full scout's uniform and a canteen around his ...
(played by
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...
). The sketch generated a considerable amount of complaints from viewers, who felt it was homophobic and trivialized pedophilia. ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' columnist Richard Roeper stated that he received calls from his readers claiming they stopped watching the sketch before it finished, while the
Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
said: "We see nothing funny about child molestation, and are surprised that this unfunny subject would be selected for a comedy sketch." Baldwin said that NBC received 300,000 phone call complaints and lost seven affiliates due to the sketch, though this was proven false. Nonetheless, the sketch frequently appears in lists of the most controversial ''SNL'' moments, and reruns add a disclaimer that Sandler's character is 27 years old. * During an April 12, 1997, ''Weekend Update'' story about
Tabitha Soren Tabitha Soren (born August 19, 1967) is an American fine art photographer and former reporter for MTV News, ABC News and NBC News. Early career As a 19-year-old college student at NYU, Soren appeared in the 1987 music video for " (You Gotta) Figh ...
, anchor Norm Macdonald, a cast member who was no stranger to on-air controversies during his tenure at the ''Weekend Update'' desk, appeared to cough and choke momentarily, causing him to pause and then mutter live, "What the fuck was that?" The audience applauded, and Macdonald laughed the error away, saying at one point that he hoped everyone was enjoying "my farewell performance" and, in closing, "Maybe we'll see you next week". He was fired at the start of January 1998, partly because of this incident and partly (according to NBC's management, and disputed by much of the cast) due to a "drop in ratings and general reduction of quality." Macdonald and others believed that the real reason for his dismissal was the inclusion of a series of jokes calling O. J. Simpson a murderer during and after his double murder trial in Los Angeles. NBC Entertainment president Don Ohlmeyer was good friends with Simpson, and had thrown a party for the jurors who acquitted Simpson after the trial. The jokes were written primarily by Macdonald and longtime ''SNL'' writer Jim Downey, who was fired from ''SNL'' outright at the same time. Downey was re-hired in 2000. Macdonald was replaced on ''Weekend Update'' by
Colin Quinn Colin Edward Quinn (born June 6, 1959) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. Quinn first gained widespread attention for his work as a cast member and writer for the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 20 ...
, beginning on the January 10, 1998 episode. Macdonald's firing was widely criticized, most notably by comedian Chevy Chase, who was largely responsible for originating ''Weekend Update''. Chase argued that Macdonald's "time in the chair asamong the funniest and ostwell-written of all the Weekend Update stints". * In March 1998, a
Robert Smigel Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his ''Saturday Night Live'' " TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic D ...
animated short film called ''Conspiracy Theory Rock'', a parody of the show ''
Schoolhouse Rock! ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' is an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films (and later, videos) that aired during the Saturday morning children's programming block on the U.S. television network ABC. The theme ...
'', aired as part of the ''
TV Funhouse ''Saturday TV Funhouse'' is a segment on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' featuring cartoons created by ''SNL'' writer Robert Smigel. 101 "TV Funhouse" segments aired on ''SNL'' between 1996 and 2008, with one further segment airing in 2011. It also ...
'' segment. The scathingly political short accused big corporations, including
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...
,
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
,
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
, Westinghouse, and then-owner of NBC
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
, of developing a media monopoly to manipulate public perception and conceal questionable actions. The clip aired only once as part of the original ''SNL'' episode and was removed from syndicated repeats, with Michaels explaining that it "wasn't funny" (thereby ironically seeming to confirm the semi-satirical accusation). The clip was eventually released as part of the ''Saturday TV Funhouse'' compilation DVD in 2006. * While performing their single " B.Y.O.B." on May 7, 2005, System of a Down's
Daron Malakian Daron Malakian (born July 18, 1975) is an Armenian-American musician. He is best known as the guitarist, songwriter, and second vocalist of metal band System of a Down, and as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwrit ...
exclaimed "fuck yeah". The band had previously refused to self-censor their performance, leading censors to mute "fuck" each time it was sung, but miss Malakian's impromptu yell. It was subsequently edited out of the West Coast telecast of the show. * The episode hosted by Rainn Wilson, aired on February 24, 2007, and featured a sketch entitled "Danny's Song," wherein bar patrons listen to the titular song and reminisce about inappropriate memories. A character played by Bill Hader says, "He loved this song. I remember we had this one great day at the park. We just had so much fun. He was running in the grass and chasing squirrels. They had this fountain and we threw pennies in it for hours. So great. It was the first day that I ever thought to myself: 'I have a dad. And not that I have a dad with
Down's syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disa ...
. He loved crayons.'" The skit prompted criticism from Jon Colman, the CEO of the
National Down Syndrome Society The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is an American organization that offers support to people with Down syndrome, their families, friends, teachers, and coworkers, and educates the general public about Down syndrome. The mission of the NDS ...
, which led to the words "Down's syndrome" being
bleeped A bleep censor is the replacement of a profanity or classified information with a beep (sound), beep sound (usually a ) in television and radio. It is mainly used in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong ...
in later rebroadcasts. * On September 26, 2009, Jenny Slate made her ''SNL'' debut in a "biker babes" sketch alongside Kristen Wiig and actress Megan Fox in which their characters repeatedly use the word "frickin'". In one instance Slate accidentally said "fuckin'" instead, which was dubbed over with "freakin'" for subsequent airings. Slate was "pulled back" in subsequent episodes. * On December 15, 2012, actor
Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...
, appearing on the recurring Kenan Thompson sketch "
What Up with That "What Up with That?" (also rendered "What's Up with That?" in some episodes) is a recurring sketch on the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live'' which first aired in 2009. It stars Kenan Thompson as Diondre Cole, host of a talk show on BE ...
?" as a talk show guest whose segment was cut for time, exclaimed what sounded like the words "fuck" and "bullshit". Thompson ad-libbed in response, "C'mon, Sam, that costs money!" Jackson later claimed he had not said the full word "fuck" and that Thompson was supposed to cut off his second expletive. * On March 12, 2016,
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
uttered the word "shit" during her opening monologue. The profanity was "expected" to be edited out of the West Coast broadcast, but was not. * On November 12, 2016, host
Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...
deliberately used the words "goddamn" and " nigger" throughout his monologue and in several sketches. Although NBC did not censor Chappelle,
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
affiliate
WRAL-TV WRAL-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Research Triangle area. It is the flagship station of the locally based Capitol Broadcasting Company, which h ...
, which had only joined the network earlier in the year, did so, as it found airing profanity to be in violation of its own policy. * On February 4, 2017, host Kristen Stewart said that hosting the show was "the coolest fucking thing ever" during her opening monologue. Stewart realized her mistake, apologized and joked that she would never be invited back. She hosted again on November 2, 2019. * The episode hosted by Gal Gadot aired on October 7, 2017, and featured a sketch entitled "Safelite AutoGlass." The sketch drew controversy for a scene in which a Safelite windshield repairman purposely breaks a customer's windshield in order to hit on the customer's 17-year-old daughter. The sketch was subsequently pulled from rebroadcasts and the Internet. Rebroadcasts replaced the sketch with a previously unaired sketch entitled "The Last Fry". * On January 13, 2018, host
Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...
accidentally said "you can't be this fucking stupid" while in character as a frustrated children's television host reminiscent of
Mr. Wizard ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...
. In the same episode, ''Weekend Update'' co-anchor Colin Jost said the word "shithole" in reference to then-President Donald Trump's comments about "shithole countries" despite NBC asking him to say "s-hole." Both incidents were censored for the West Coast broadcast of the show. * On November 3, 2018, cast member Pete Davidson said during his ''Weekend Update First Impressions'' segment on the 2018 Midterm Election candidates that Lieutenant Commander Dan Crenshaw looked like "a hitman in a porno movie." Crenshaw himself made a cameo on the next episode's ''Weekend Update'', in which Davidson apologised to him. Davidson later rescinded the apology, implying that he apologised because he was compelled to do so. * On September 12, 2019, the night before ''SNL'' planned to announce the three new cast members hired for the 45th season, several offensive remarks made by incoming cast member
Shane Gillis Shane Gillis (born December 11, 1987) is an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, sketch comedy writer, and podcaster. He is co-host of ''Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast'' with fellow stand-up comedian Matt McCusker. Sanneh, Kelefa (Sep ...
were made public. Freelance comedy reporter Seth Simons posted clips, since removed from
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
, of an episode of ''Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast'' from 2018 in which Gillis made racist and mocking remarks about Chinese people. A video of the podcast, removed before Gillis's hiring but reposted to Twitter, showed Gillis using racial slurs against Asian people, making derogatory references to the food they eat, and discussing his frustration with their inability to learn English, later referring to it as "good racism". Early in 2019, he called Democratic presidential nominee Andrew Yang a " Jew
Chink ''Chink'' is an English-language ethnic slur usually referring to a person of Chinese descent. The word is also sometimes indiscriminately used against people of East Asian, North Asian and Southeast Asian appearance. The use of the term des ...
". Gillis responded to the backlash with what ''Vox'' and ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' characterized as a non-apology. Four days later, on September 16, a spokesperson for Michaels announced that Gillis had been removed from the cast. * On the November 7, 2020, episode,
Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...
said " nigga" several times during the opening monologue. It was unclear whether or not this would result in a response from the FCC. * On the February 20, 2021, episode, ''Weekend Update'' co-host Michael Che said, "
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
is reporting that they've vaccinated half of their population, and I'm gonna guess it's the Jewish half". This joke was criticized by Israeli officials and by several major U.S. Jewish groups, including the
American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish org ...
, who accused Che's joke of being an
antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
trope. * On May 8, 2021, a sketch titled "Gen Z Hospital" that played on popular Internet phrases, derived from
African-American Vernacular English African-American Vernacular English (AAVE, ), also referred to as Black (Vernacular) English, Black English Vernacular, or occasionally Ebonics (a colloquial, controversial term), is the variety of English natively spoken, particularly in urban ...
was met with criticism by
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
users calling the show out for poking fun at it. Sketch writer Michael Che responded on
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
on May 10 writing: "I've been reading about how my 'gen z' sketch was misappropriating AAVE and I was stunned cause what the fuck is 'AAVE'? I had to look it up. Turns out it's an acronym for 'African American vernacular english.' You know, AAVE! That ol' saying that actual black people use in conversation all the time...look, the sketch bombed. I'm used to that. I meant no offense to the 'aave' community. I love aave. Aave to the moon!" * On May 22, 2021, rapper Lil Nas X had a wardrobe malfunction during a musical performance as he ripped his pants. * The October 8, 2022 episode hosted by Brendan Gleeson featured a sketch that parodied a recent cheating controversy from the American online comedy group The Try Guys. The sketch was met with criticism for downplaying the severity of the situation, with many noting that behind closed doors, The Try Guys were ultimately handling workplace misconduct, and that the sketch writers undermined how a situation like this should be handled.


Banned performers

The following performers have been banned from either hosting or performing on ''Saturday Night Live'' mostly due to being badly rehearsed, going offscript (which Lorne Michaels reportedly hates), camera-mugging, not getting along with the cast and crew, or anything else that would be inappropriate. *On the October 29, 1977 episode, host Charles Grodin performed the entire episode as if he was incompetent, the cast never letting on that it was all on purpose. This led to the rumor he was banned. Any mention of a ban has since been debunked as part of the joke. Lorne Michaels invited him to host again but Grodin declined. * On the December 17, 1977 episode hosted by
Miskel Spillman Miskel Spillman (September 8, 1897 – March 30, 1992) was the winner of the only "Anyone Can Host" contest on NBC's late-night variety series ''Saturday Night Live'', and hosted the December 17, 1977, broadcast of the show. An 80-year-old German i ...
(winner of the "Anyone Can Host" contest),
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
was the musical guest. Costello was slated to perform " Less Than Zero" due to pressure from his record company. Costello disagreed, and felt that the song, which was about British Union of Fascists leader
Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...
, would not be understood by an American audience and was too low-key to make much impact. After only a few bars, Costello stopped his band, and said to the audience, "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but there's no reason to do this song here." The band then began to play "
Radio Radio "Radio Radio" is a song written by Elvis Costello and performed by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The song originated as a Bruce Springsteen-inspired song called "Radio Soul" that Costello had written in 1974. In 1977, Costello reworked ...
" instead. Costello was not invited back until 1989 and 1991. He parodied the incident on the 25th anniversary show by interrupting the Beastie Boys' performance of "Sabotage", which quickly morphed into a joint performance of "Radio Radio" with the Beastie Boys as his backing ensemble. *
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
was banned after his 1978 episode for doing a "disastrous job of hosting the show", mugging for the camera, and even announcing to the audience that he was reading from cue cards. * On April 14, 1979,
Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...
guest-hosted the program. Berle's long reputation for taking control of an entire television production—whether invited to do so or not—was a cause of major on-set stress. One of the show's writers,
Rosie Shuster Rosie Shuster (born June 19, 1950) is a Canadian-born comedy writer and actress. She was a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' during the 1970s and 1980s. Biography Shuster was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Ruth (''née'' Burstyn), an inte ...
, described the rehearsals for the Berle ''SNL'' show, and the telecast, as "watching a comedy train accident in slow motion on a loop." Upstaging, camera mugging, doing
spit-take A spit-take is a comedic technique or reaction in which someone spits a drink, or sometimes food, out of their mouth as a reaction to a surprising or funny statement. An essential part of the spit-take is comedic timing. The person performing the s ...
s, inserting old comedy bits, and climaxing the show with a maudlin performance of "
September Song "September Song" is an American standard popular song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. It was introduced by Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway musical production ''Knickerbocker Holiday.'' The song has been recorded by nu ...
" complete with a pre-arranged standing ovation (something producer Lorne Michaels had never sanctioned) resulted in Berle being banned from hosting the show again. The episode was also barred from being rerun until surfacing in 2003, because Michaels thought it brought down the show's reputation. * In 1982,
Robert Blake Robert Blake may refer to: Sportspeople * Bob Blake (American football) (1885–1962), American football player * Robbie Blake (born 1976), English footballer * Bob Blake (ice hockey) (1914–2008), American ice hockey player * Rob Blake (born 19 ...
was banned after taking a script, crumpling it up, and throwing it into the face of cast member and writer Gary Kroeger. * In 1986, The Replacements were banned after they came out drunk during their performance of "
Bastards of Young "Bastards of Young" is a song written by Paul Westerberg and recorded by his band The Replacements for their fourth studio album '' Tim'' (1985). Inspired by Westerberg's sister Mary and the band's feelings of alienation, the song has been descri ...
" and later appeared in each other's clothes during the second performance. However, Paul Westerberg later went solo and was allowed to appear. The band did not perform again on any NBC television program until 2014, when they appeared on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
''. * Steven Seagal was banned after hosting in 1991. Lorne Michaels called him the "worst host ever" as well as difficult to work with. In a later episode hosted by Nicolas Cage, Lorne Michaels got in a jab at Seagal. When Cage lamented during his monologue that the audience might think he's the biggest jerk who's ever been on the show, Michaels responded "No, no. That would be Steven Seagal." * A portion of
Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...
's February 19, 1994 monologue concerning feminine hygiene was removed from all repeats and replaced with a
voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...
and intertitles stating that the excised portion "...was a frank and lively presentation, and nearly cost us all our jobs." Lawrence also made references to genitalia when he talked about the
John and Lorena Bobbitt John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
incident. This led to Lawrence being subsequently banned from ever hosting, appearing, or even being mentioned on the show, although Leslie Jones mentioned his show ''
Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...
'' during a 2016 ''Weekend Update'' segment. * Original ''Weekend Update'' anchor
Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
's issues with cast members and writers led to his being the only ''SNL'' alum banned from the show. While he had fought Bill Murray during his time as a cast member, and insulted
Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...
and
Terry Sweeney Terry Sweeney is an American artist, actor, and writer. He was a writer and cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' in the 1980s, co-wrote the 1989 film ''Shag'', and has written for the television ''series MADtv'', ''Hype'', and ''Tripping the Ri ...
when returning as a guest host in 1985, the ban came in 1997 after he harassed women on the show, including Cheri Oteri, whom he hit on the back of the head. The ban only appears to be limited to hosting, however, as Chase participated in sketches and specials since 1997. * In 2003, Adrien Brody introduced musical guest
Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists. Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...
while wearing fake dreadlocks and speaking in fake Jamaican Patois for 45 seconds, prompting Michaels to allegedly to ban. It was previously thought to be an ad-lib, but was later revealed to have been rehearsed.


Plagiarism allegations

* The sketch "O'Callahan & Son Pub", aired March 18, 1995, on the episode hosted by
Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and television writer. He is known for his roles as Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom ''My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 fi ...
, was entirely lifted from a standup routine by comedian
Rick Shapiro Rick Shapiro (born April 13, 1959) is a Los Angeles-based comedian and actor. Life and career Shapiro was born in New Jersey. Spending his early years in New York City and New Jersey, Shapiro started his career in the early 1980s as a comedian ...
by cast member/writer Jay Mohr. During rehearsal three weeks later, Mohr was brought to Michaels and shown a tape of Shapiro's act. Mohr denied any knowledge of Shapiro or his act at the time, but later admitted in his memoir that he had stolen the sketch word for word from Shapiro's work. Shapiro and his manager sued the show and gained an undisclosed settlement, which included the removal of the sketch from all reruns of the show. * "Ladies Who Lunch," a sketch that aired on the September 25, 2010, episode hosted by Amy Poehler, was deemed similar to the ''
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' is an American sketch comedy series created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Adult Swim and ran until May 2010. The show features surreal and often sat ...
'' segment "Tiny Hats." Both Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim jokingly tweeted links to the video. Heidecker told
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
that "I watched it this morning, and found it to be very similar to our sketch, surprisingly similar," while noting it also could have been coincidental. * The sketch "River Sisters," aired on the October 4, 2014, episode hosted by Sarah Silverman, was accused of plagiarizing "Rollin'", a similar sketch performed by the Los Angeles improvisation group
the Groundlings The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniques ...
. * A May 9, 2015, sketch showed a contestant on a '' Win, Lose or Draw''-style game show panicking at being asked to draw the Muslim prophet
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
. Viewers compared the sketch to a "strikingly similar" January 2015 sketch on the Canadian sketch comedy series ''
This Hour Has 22 Minutes ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics wi ...
'', igniting allegations of
plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...
. * In a 2017 episode hosted by
Louis C.K. Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...
, a sketch aired in which a man, played by C.K., hires a clown (
Bobby Moynihan Bobby Moynihan (born January 31, 1977) is an American actor, comedian and writer who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2008 until 2017. He also voiced Louie Duck on Disney's ''DuckTales'' from 2017 to 2021, Panda in ''We Bare Be ...
) to perform at a birthday party at which he is the sole audience member. Comedian Tig Notaro accused the show's writers of plagiarizing her short film ''Clown Service''. Notaro further claimed that a writer who was aware of ''Clown Service'' worked on ''Birthday Clown'', and that Notaro and C.K. had not spoken for over a year. * In the November 2018 episode hosted by
Jonah Hill Jonah Hill Feldstein (born December 20, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is known for his comedic roles in films including ''Superbad (film), Superbad'' (2007), ''Knocked Up'' (2007), ''21 Jump Street (film), 21 Jump Stre ...
, a sketch entitled "America's Got Talent: Wait, They're Good?" was aired. Several fans pointed out the similarities between the performance and a YouTube video posted by comedian Gus Johnson entitled, "Every Episode Of America's Got Talent", and leveled accusations of plagiarism at the show. Johnson himself said that he considered it a coincidence and that he did not feel SNL intended to plagiarize him. In a video made in response, he stated "I really don't even think that SNL did anything wrong; they probably didn't even see my stupid video anyway. I mean, you can't keep up with all the memes on the internet." * The founders of the sketch comedy troupe Temple Horses alleged that two sketches from Season 44, "The Pumpkin Patch" from the October 13, 2018, episode hosted by Awkwafina and "Pound Puppy" from the February 16, 2019, episode hosted by Don Cheadle, were plagiarized from their own earlier sketches "Pet Blinders" and "Not Trying to Fuck This Pumpkin," uploaded to
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
in 2011 and 2014 respectively. In a statement to '' Variety'', Ryan Hoffman said "Imagine, one day you come home and it looks like somebody's robbed your house, what do you want from that situation? We feel like somebody took our stuff, and this isn't the kind of thing where you can just get it back or call your insurance company to have it replaced, so at this point we're just speaking out about it." * The January 30, 2021 episode hosted by
John Krasinski John Burke Krasinski (; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom ''The Office''. He also served as a producer and occasional director of the series throughout its nine ...
included a sketch in which a man is aided during sex by a rat from '' Ratatouille'' kept underneath his hat. This was widely accused to be plagiarized from ''
Cum Town ''Cum Town'' was a comedy podcast that was hosted by New York City-based comedians Nick Mullen, Stavros Halkias, and Adam Friedland, and produced between 2016 and 2022. During its run, it was consistently one of the most popular podcasts on Pa ...
'', a comedy podcast associated with would-be cast member
Shane Gillis Shane Gillis (born December 11, 1987) is an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, sketch comedy writer, and podcaster. He is co-host of ''Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast'' with fellow stand-up comedian Matt McCusker. Sanneh, Kelefa (Sep ...
, who later went on to mention the incident on their show. * The October 1, 2022 season 48 premiere, hosted by
Miles Teller Miles Teller (born February 20, 1987) is an American actor. He played a jazz drummer in ''Whiplash'' and a supporting pilot in '' Top Gun: Maverick''. Teller made his feature film debut in 2010 and gained recognition for his starring role in t ...
, featured a sketch titled "Charman Bears" centered around a family of bears, as seen in the television commercials for Charman toilet paper. The plot consisted of the son of the family breaking the news to his parents that he was uninterested in pursuing a bathroom related higher education and would rather become a dancer instead. The sketch was singled out as being similar in concept to an animated short by YouTuber Joel Haver , which was uploaded July 14, 2022, in which a young Charman bear tries to convince his parents to let him pursue an education in theater or dancing rather than the toilet paper focused family business. Haver responded to the sketch in a video posted October 3, 2022 where he encouraged his audience to give SNL's writers the benefit of the doubt and chalked up the similarities to parallel thinking. Haver also explicitly requested of series creator Lorne Michaels that no negative consequences befall the writer of the sketch before taking the opportunity to shine a spotlight on some smaller creators.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNWbI8T42II


References


Bibliography

* * * * * *


Further reading

* {{Portal bar, Comedy, Television, United States Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live incidents, List of