The One SNL Skit That Ruined These Actors’ Lives Forever

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Many comedians consider “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) as their major career launchpad. While some former SNL cast members experienced even greater success post-SNL, unfortunately, for a small number, the show has become an enduring part of their lives – but not in a favorable light.

Working on Saturday Night Live (SNL) has had a profound and often negative impact on these actors’ lives. A single sketch from a single episode was frequently the turning point that set their careers spiraling downward. The slightest misstep in a skit could lead to a career crash. Regrettably, some performers were let go from SNL and never managed to regain their footing, while others sustained injuries during their time on the show that took years to heal. One actor is still plagued by questions about his most iconic SNL sketch, two decades later. Despite their varied experiences, they all share one commonality: After working at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, many of them experienced a significant fall from grace.

One SNL skit damaged Chris Kattan’s spinal cord

In his book “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me: Tales from Saturday Night Live,” Chris Kattan recalls a single skit, “MSNBC Investigates” from Season 26, as the moment that irrevocably altered his life. He penned in the memoir that following those 45 seconds on the SNL stage in May of 2001, his body would never be the same again.

In this scene, Kattan was intended to topple backwards from his chair, but as he did, he sensed a sudden break in his neck. For several months following the incident, he endured excruciating, persistent pain. It wasn’t until nearly a year later that he recognized the severity of his injury; it turned out he had damaged his spinal cord. Before undergoing the required surgeries, Kattan shared with Inside Edition that “I had to wait until after the SNL season ended, as they didn’t want to miss an episode.” The actor remembered that NBC covered two out of his five surgical procedures but otherwise stayed uninvolved, and he chose not to press the issue further. He told Variety, “I didn’t want to cause a stir. They’re like family, you understand?” Kattan felt compelled to hide his troubles and present himself as if everything was okay. Looking back, he wishes he had addressed the matter sooner.

Due to a persistent neck injury, Kattan found himself battling chronic pain and became dependent on painkillers as a result. He shared that his recovery process took over his life, causing strain on his relationships and career. Despite regaining some stability, the harm inflicted on his body remains permanent. “I can still perform most of the activities I used to,” he said to Variety, “but there’s a lot of discomfort involved.

Charles Rocket’s SNL F-bomb ruined his life

During one season of “Saturday Night Live,” Charles Rocket made a single appearance. However, in Season 6, Episode 11, he uttered an inappropriate word on live television, which proved to be a career-ending mistake for him. In response to host Charlene Tilton’s question about his character’s feelings after being shot, Rocket blurted out, “It’s the first time I’ve ever been shot in my life. I’d like to know who the hell did it.” This incident led to his immediate dismissal from the show. Interestingly, NBC may have planned to fire and replace the cast due to the show’s struggling ratings anyway.

After his career took off, Rocket didn’t disappoint. He graced the screens in shows like “Moonlighting,” “Earth Girls are Easy,” and “Dancing with Wolves.” Yet, it’s hard to deny that if he hadn’t left “SNL,” he might have reached even greater heights, much like his fellow “SNL” alumni Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy. Instead, the actor found himself taking on more guest roles and secondary characters, such as the antagonist in “Dumb and Dumber.” Without that one memorable skit on “SNL,” he might have headlined comedies just like that one. Regrettably, he’ll always be remembered for dropping an expletive on “SNL,” a fact his obituary doesn’t shy away from mentioning. His tale becomes even more heart-wrenching when you learn of his suicide in 2005.

Norm MacDonald’s jokes cost him his Weekend Update position

Norm MacDonald, a cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL), frequently made humorous remarks about O.J. Simpson during his Weekend Update segments. However, NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer, who was friends with O.J. Simpson, found these jokes distasteful. Eventually, towards the end of the season, Norm MacDonald was replaced at the Weekend Update desk by Ohlmeyer’s decision. Despite Norm MacDonald’s claims that he wasn’t fired due to his O.J. Simpson jokes, many people, including the creators of an SNL sketch titled “Conspiracy Theory Rock,” believe that his issues with Ohlmeyer played a significant role in his dismissal from the show.

It’s challenging to identify a specific skit that led to his career decline as McDonald frequently mentioned O.J. Simpson in various instances. However, if we had to choose one sketch that could be seen as the turning point, it would likely be the first Weekend Update appearance following O.J. Simpson’s trial conclusion. In this segment, McDonald humorously commented, “Well, it is finally official. Murder is legal in the state of California.” This statement signified McDonald’s unwillingness to stop making O.J. jokes even after the man was acquitted, which some speculate infuriated Ohlmeyer due to its insensitivity towards the serious nature of Simpson’s trial.

After Norm MacDonald left his role, his former boss may have intentionally hindered his career opportunities, possibly contributing to the poor performance of his film “Dirty Work.” Subsequently, MacDonald mostly kept a low profile, except for collaborations with his “SNL” partner Adam Sandler, until his passing from cancer in 2021.

Christopher Walken can never escape the shadow of More Cowbell

The iconic “SNL” comedy sketch “More Cowbell,” starring the Season 25 cast and guest Christopher Walken as a cowbell-crazed producer, often ranks among the greatest “SNL” skits ever made. But in an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Walken’s fellow “SNL” actor Will Ferrell revealed that Walken has grown weary of discussing this particular sketch.

Based on Ferrell’s account, Walken once expressed his frustration by saying, “You know, you’ve made my life a constant repeat of that skit.” Walken was irritated because people persistently quoted his famous sketch at him repetitively. For example, he remembered an incident at a restaurant where a waiter asked him if he wanted some “additional cowbell” for his meal. In an interview on CONAN on TBS, Walken stated, “The sketch was excellent… but I don’t comprehend why it seems to haunt me as much as it does.” It even followed him all the way to Singapore. “In a restaurant in Singapore,” said Walken, “the couple at the next table… at one point, the man said to me, ‘Chris, this dish could use more cowbell.’

It seems clear that Ferrell had a reasonable assumption about why Walken was upset. Considering Christopher Walken has an acting career that dates back for decades, from “The Deer Hunter” to “Severance.” However, his most famous role remains the “More Cowbell” guy from a comedy sketch, which ironically overshadows all of his dramatic performances. It’s understandable that he might feel frustrated, although it’s worth noting that compared to other actors on this list, Walken’s complaints about “SNL” are relatively minor.

SNL viewers voted Andy Kaufman off the show

One particularly unfortunate instance of a Saturday Night Live (SNL) sketch that had profound consequences for an actor was the episode broadcast on November 20, 1982. During this episode, Andy Kaufman was dismissed from the show by the audience’s votes. Towards the beginning of the episode, Gary Kroeger announced that the decision about Kaufman’s future on SNL would be made by viewers who could either vote for him to stay or ban him permanently. As soon as voting began, the viewers rushed to cast their ballots.

As a devoted admirer, I’d recount how, during his stint on “SNL,” Kaufman earned quite a reputation – a figure shrouded in controversy, renowned for his unconventional humor and intricate practical jokes. On several occasions, he dared to invite audience members onto the stage for a wrestling match with him. In cahoots with producer Dick Ebersol, Kaufman devised an audacious voting stunt that swept through “SNL.” The cast, either believing it was all a jest or underestimating Kaufman’s influence, went along with the charade. Little did they know, this wasn’t just a prank; it was a power move. When the votes were tallied, an unprecedented 195,544 against him compared to 169,186 in his favor, Kaufman was unceremoniously booted off the show. The aftermath left everyone stunned and questioning the limits of humor and power on live television.

Kaufman respected the election’s outcome and agreed to leave “SNL.” Later on, he attempted to return to the show by buying airtime on minor TV stations to run ads begging for another chance. One of these ads was even aired on “SNL” after his departure, but it only elicited laughter from the audience. Just two years later, Kaufman passed away from lung cancer at age 35, and he never got another chance to appear on “SNL.

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2025-07-05 16:30