32 Most Infamous Moments On SNL

As someone who has been following Saturday Night Live for decades, I must say that the show has always been known for pushing boundaries and making bold statements. From its early days to the present, SNL has consistently provided a platform for comedians to take risks, challenge norms, and satirically comment on current events.

For every knockout Saturday Night Live moment, there are also some SNL sketches that did not go according to plan, as well as many musical performances at Studio 8H that are memorable for the wrong reasons. Not to mention, in addition to the unexpected occurrences from the classic sketch comedy series, some bits played out just as they were intended but managed to offend and infuriate some audiences. We’ll cover them all in this exploration of SNL‘s most infamous moments.

Adrien Brody’s Jamaican-Accented Sean Paul Introduction (Season 28)

After winning an Oscar for his role in “The Pianist,” Adrien Brody appeared on Studio 8H with musical guest Sean Paul. In a manner that was not authorized and potentially culturally insensitive, he introduced Sean Paul in a way that featured dreadlocks, a Rastafarian bracelet, and an exaggerated Jamaican accent, which is said to be the reason he has not been invited back to the show since.

Paul Shaffer Drops The F-Bomb (Season 5)

Prior to leading David Letterman’s band, Paul Shaffer was part of Studio 8H’s in-house band and eventually became a cast member. During this time, he made history on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in an unexpected manner during their 100th episode. In a sketch featuring medieval musicians who frequently used the term “flogging,” Shaffer, while reprimanding Bill Murray’s drummer for his rhythm, unintentionally uttered a curse word, making him the first to ever do so live on the show.

Buck Henry Gets Slashed In The Face (Season 2)

In modern times, John Belushi’s Samurai character is well-known for various reasons, but one unexpected incident took place during “Samurai Stockbroker” alongside Buck Henry. During the performance, Belushi, who was committed to using a genuine sword for his role, unintentionally struck Henry on the forehead while breaking through a wall with the sword. This accident caused the cast members to wear bandages on their faces in support of Henry.

Ashlee Simpson Is Caught Lip-Synching (Season 30)

In her first appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL), Ashlee Simpson smoothly sang “Pieces of Me”. However, when it came to her second performance of the same song, the audio for her vocals started playing prematurely, before she even held the microphone. Trying to fix the issue, she attempted a spontaneous dance, which she later referred to as a “hoedown”, and awkwardly left the stage. Despite this mishap, she was asked back for another performance the following year.

Damon Wayans Changes His Character Mid-Sketch (Season 11)

Often remembered more for his time with the cast of “In Living Color,” Damon Wayans’ stint on Saturday Night Live is generally overlooked, as it was cut short when he lasted less than a full season. This was due in part to an incident where he portrayed a flamboyant character in the “Mr. Monopoly” sketch without prior approval, leading to his dismissal from the show.

Chevy Chase And Richard Pryor’s Word Association (Season 1)

In one episode, although Richard Pryor was just a guest host, he is often recognized as one of the greatest SNL hosts ever. This recognition partly stems from his participation in one of the show’s most daring sketches. In this sketch, he portrayed a job applicant who engaged in a word association test with the interviewer (played by Chevy Chase). However, the test soon turned into a series of racial slurs, culminating when Pryor admonished Chase for using the N-word.

Sinéad O’Connor Rips Up The Pope’s Photo (Season 18)

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but remember the unforgettable moment when Sinéad O’Connor made her powerful statement on Saturday Night Live. During her stirring a cappella performance of Bob Marley’s “War,” she boldly held up a picture of Pope John Paul II, tore it apart, and exclaimed, “Fight the real enemy!” This act ignited controversy, with criticisms from the Catholic Church, laughter from the following week’s host, Joe Pesci, and a challenging period in the career of the remarkable Irish singer-songwriter. Regrettably, she was never invited back to SNL again.

Steven Seagal’s Episode (Season 16)

Lorne Michaels has stated that none of the people rumored to be banned from Saturday Night Live (SNL) might eventually come back, but it’s safe to say that action star Steven Seagal will never grace the stage again. His disrespectful behavior behind the scenes and unconventional acting decisions during his one hosting stint have been a topic of discussion among Studio 8H veterans who witnessed it firsthand. This was also hinted at when Nicolas Cage hosted the following year, joking in his monologue about being considered the biggest jerk ever on the show, and Michaels quickly assured him he wasn’t, then mentioned Seagal by name.

Djesus Uncrossed (Season 38)

As a gamer, I’ve got to say that one of the funniest skits from Saturday Night Live didn’t tickle everyone’s funny bone, especially some religious groups. The sketch in question was titled “Djesus Uncrossed,” which depicted a gritty, blood-soaked revenge thriller version of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring the talented Oscar winner Christoph Waltz as the gun-wielding Son of Man.

Fred Armisen’s Poking Fun At David Paterson’s Blindness (Season 34-38)

Fred Armisen frequently appeared on Weekend Update while impersonating New York’s former governor, David Paterson, who is legally blind. The politician would sometimes join Armisen at the Update desk, demonstrating his good humor, but he didn’t hesitate to criticize Armisen’s portrayal as “juvenile” and “stupid.

Jimmy Fallon’s Chris Rock Impersonation (Season 25)

In the year 2000, it was well-understood that white actors donning blackface was inappropriate, but this didn’t prevent Saturday Night Live from having Jimmy Fallon portray former cast member Chris Rock in a sketch. This skit reappeared two decades later, and although Rock made clear he wasn’t offended by the imitation, Fallon later devoted an entire episode of The Tonight Show to express his regret for what he called on Twitter a “blatantly offensive choice.

First He Cries (Season 5)

The sketch titled “First He Cries,” penned by Al Franken and Tom Davis, is a humorous take on Betty Rollin’s autobiography about her mastectomy, “Then You Cry.” However, instead of telling the story from Rollin’s perspective, this SNL parody presents it from her husband’s point of view (portrayed by Bill Murray), who laments the loss of her “assets.” Initially meant as a satire on superficial men, this sketch was perceived literally and deemed inappropriate for its juvenile humor. This led to host Bea Arthur receiving criticism for participating in it.

An Awkward Fake Safelite Auto Glass Ad (Season 43)

In an exaggerated advertisement for Safelite Auto Glass, comedian Beck Bennett portrays a windshield replacement specialist who intentionally damages a woman’s (Aidy Bryant) windshield as a pretext to harass her teenage daughter (Melissa Villaseñor). The genuine company publicly shared their disapproval on Twitter, stating that the sketch crossed an uncomfortable line.

Two Sketches About Teachers On Trial For Seducing Students (Seasons 40-41)

In the year 2015, an SNL sketch was broadcasted featuring a teacher character (Cecily Strong) standing trial for her relationship with a student (Pete Davidson). Despite the student openly bragging about the encounter on the stand, the sketch was reprised the following season. This time, Strong and host Rhonda Rousey portrayed teachers who had romantically involved themselves with Davidson’s teenage character. It remains puzzling to many why the creators at Studio 8H did not consider that this subject matter might be distressing for victims of abuse.

Dave Chappelle’s Third SNL Monologue (Season 48)

After two highly praised performances as the host on SNL, comedian Dave Chappelle found himself in controversy over his recent stand-up routines, which some deemed insensitive to the transgender community. Instead of tackling this contentious matter during his monologue, he chose to discuss controversial anti-Semitic statements made by Black celebrities like Kanye West. Furthermore, his performance seemed to suggest that the Jewish community was behind the phenomenon known as “cancel culture.” The Anti-Defamation League and other organizations voiced their disapproval of what they perceived as a conspiratorial narrative in Chappelle’s act.

Nude Beach Sketch (Season 14)

After the FCC relaxed its rules regarding specific words, former Saturday Night Live writer Conan O’Brien took advantage of this by penning a sketch set in a nudist beach. This segment, featuring host Matthew Broderick, depicted male sunbathers casually acknowledging each other’s private areas and repeatedly using their names. This led to an influx of thousands of letters protesting the notion that a late-night TV show would dare to portray such content.

Dana Carvey As Ching Chang (Seasons 12-26)

Dana Carvey is famous for creating numerous beloved characters on Saturday Night Live, yet Ching Chong isn’t among them. His frequent portrayals of an overly stereotypical Asian character, even as recently as when he hosted in 2000, have undeniably become outdated and questionable by today’s standards.

Pete Davidson Makes Fun Of Dan Crenshaw (Season 44)

Following some playful teasing towards Dan Crenshaw, a congressional candidate and ex-Navy Seal, who wears an eyepatch due to his eye being lost in Afghanistan, during a “Weekend Update” skit, Pete Davidson faced threats of violence. Fortunately, the situation was resolved when Crenshaw himself appeared on the segment with Davidson the subsequent week.

Canteen Boy And The Scoutmaster (Season 19)

Instead of being an actual child, Adam Sandler’s character Canteen Boy is portrayed as immature and acting as an assistant scout leader. However, some viewers became upset due to a skit where he was mistreated by Alec Baldwin’s Scoutmaster character. Sandler addressed this controversy in his monologue during a later hosting appearance, suggesting that Canteen Boy was a consenting adult with attractions towards both men and women, attempting to rewrite the events of the sketch.

Wayne And Garth Mock Chelsea Clinton (Season 18)

In an early episode of “Wayne’s World,” characters Wayne (played by Mike Myers) and Garth (portrayed by Dana Carvey) made inappropriate comments about Chelsea Clinton, then 12 years old, implying she could be attractive in the future. These remarks upset the Clintons, leading to a personal apology from Myers and a public one from show creator Lorne Michaels. As a result, all subsequent airings of the sketch have been edited, and online clips showing this part have been removed.

Conspiracy Theory Rock (Season 23)

One Robert Smigel’s “Saturday TV Funhouse” skits, which had some influence from Barack Obama, was rejected once. However, another one aired just once, following the instructions of Lorne Michaels, who later became NBC president Rick Ludwin and worked for General Electric at that time. Interestingly, GE was among the several entities criticized in “Conspiracy Theory Rock” – a parody of the popular educational series “Schoolhouse Rock,” which aimed to expose corporate censorship.

Dwayne Johnson’s Evil Invention (Season 42)

In his fifth episode as a host, Dwayne Johnson appeared in a comedy sketch portraying a mad scientist attempting to create the most wicked invention by designing a robot that inappropriately interacts with children. Predictably, viewers expressed displeasure towards this sketch, perceiving it as trivializing abuse. However, surprisingly, there was no reported backlash from White Castle, as the sketch turned out to be a cleverly disguised advertisement for their brand at the end.

Patti Smith Sings “Gloria” On Easter (Season 1)

As a devoted admirer, I must express my perspective: Patti Smith’s selection for the inaugural Easter weekend show on SNL seemed somewhat unsuited to me. The momentous occasion of Easter was still unfolding when she took the stage with “Gloria,” a song that begins with the lyrics, “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine.” Given that the episode was helmed by Ron Nessen, the White House press secretary under Republican president Gerald Ford, I sensed a predominantly conservative audience, which added an extra layer of complexity to the situation.

Buck Henry As Uncle Roy (Seasons 4-5)

In three instances on SNL, Buck Henry played a character named Roy, who was 45 years old. His actions, which included inappropriately leering at young girls he was supposed to be watching, left viewers feeling uneasy. Despite this, the creators of the skit, producer Rosie Shuster and writer Anne Beatts, argued that it critically depicted such behavior, rather than condoning it.

Rage Against The Machine’s Set Is Cut Short (Season 21)

On a single episode of Saturday Night Live, the rap-rock group Rage Against the Machine – recognized for their strong political activism – performed just one song titled “Bulls on Parade”. This was due to their intention to demonstrate against that night’s host, Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes, by displaying inverted flags on stage. However, the flags were taken down prior to their performance, and they were requested to leave the studio not long after.

Samuel L. Jackson Drops The F-Bomb (Season 38)

The use of profanity, often associated with Samuel L. Jackson, has been quite prevalent more than one might think, and an instance as recent as 2012 was seen during “What Up With That?” It seems that Kenan Thompson, who was set to interrupt his co-star from “Snakes on a Plane,” intervened just a bit too tardily.

ISIS On Shark Tank (Season 40)

In a spoof reminiscent of the popular reality show, Shark Tank, Chris Rock and Kyle Mooney assumed roles as ISIS members, presenting their ideas to the renowned investors. While real-life Shark Daymond John found the skit inappropriate, he was pleased that he (portrayed by Kenan Thompson) was the one who had the terrorist organization apprehended.

Nirvana Make Out During The End Credits (Season 17)

In a game of time travel, I found myself at the end of an episode back in the ’90s, hosted by Rob Morrow. There, on stage, were Nirvana members – Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl – sharing a heartfelt moment that involved some friendly kisses under the watchful eye of the camera. It’s commonplace now, but in those days, NBC executives deemed it necessary to blur it out for later broadcasts. Even Peacock, the network’s digital platform, uses footage from the dress rehearsal instead.

The Claudine Longet Invitational (Season 1)

During the debut season of SNL, a sketch was presented that included clips of skiers tumbling down, followed by gunshots, with Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin providing commentary. They claimed the athletes were being shot by Claudine Longet. This sketch was a reference to an unfortunate event where the singer and actress fatally shot her boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich. Following this, Claudine’s supportive ex-husband, Andy Williams, threatened legal action against NBC over this comedic bit.

Nancy Pelosi And Barney Frank On The Financial Bailout (Season 34)

Initially broadcast, a comedy sketch with Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen portraying Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank respectively, discussed the Financial Bailout. This sketch included Darrell Hammond and Casey Wilson as Herb and Marion Sandler, actual owners of Golden West Financial in Oakland. They were depicted as individuals who should be punished, referencing allegations of predatory lending that led to Wachovia Bank’s collapse, even though no charges were filed against them. The Sandlers opted not to pursue legal action, but NBC lawyers removed the clip voluntarily, deeming it inappropriate according to their standards.

Christina Ricci Punches Ana Gasteyer In The Face (Season 25)

An unexpected incident unfolded in a comedy sketch featuring Ana Gasteyer as Sally Jessy Raphael and Christina Ricci back then. In 2016, it was disclosed on Jenny McCarthy’s Sirius XM radio show that, following the consumption of an alcoholic beverage to ease her nerves, Ricci unintentionally struck Gasteyer in the nose in a genuine punch during the performance.

Kanye West’s Political Soap Box (Season 44)

In the climax of an episode, as Adam Driver was wrapping things up, Kanye West—sporting a MAGA hat—launched into a passionate speech about his political beliefs. This monologue left several audience members and castmates feeling uneasy, prompting many to exit the room. As it turned out, Kanye’s remarks would often be the subject of jokes on SNL in the following weeks. From my perspective as a gamer, it was quite an unexpected turn of events during that episode.

2024-11-19 00:38