The Biggest Scandals To Ever Hit Saturday Night Live

When something’s on the air for as long as ‘SNL’ has been, a few controversies here and there are inevitable. Some of the dramas in ‘Saturday Night Live’s’ past have been difficult for the show to gloss over, though. From uncensored curse words and injuries to sketches making light of domestic violence, the show has definitely walked the line at times. Some of its biggest scandals have happened on camera for everyone to see, while others have gone down behind the scenes. All of them, though, have caused outrage and prompted calls for the show to end, not that this has ever actually happened.

Horatio Sanz has been accused of inappropriate behavior with a minor while on SNL

In the late ’90s and early ’00s, ‘SNL’ viewers came to know Horatio Sanz. During his time on the show, he was reasonably popular thanks to his portrayals of celebrities like Matt Le Blanc and Rosie O’Donnell. However, he was ultimately kicked out of the show due to budget cuts – or was he? In August 2021, it was alleged that he assaulted a minor during his time on ‘Saturday Night Live.’

A lawsuit claims that he touched the girl and made inappropriate remarks towards her. The first incident reportedly occurred at a post-show party, with cast members present but apparently looking the other way. The alleged victim supposedly asked for money to stay silent before she filed the lawsuit. However, Sanz denies that any of this ever happened.

Ashlee Simpson was caught lip-syncing after one of her songs played twice

‘Saturday Night Live’ isn’t all about comedy. Every episode also features a musical guest who performs several of their songs. From rock stars to pop icons, plenty of big names have appeared in this role. Unfortunately, not all of them have had the impact they probably desired when they agreed to be on the show.

One person who walked away full of regrets was Ashlee Simpson, who was caught lip-syncing when she featured in a 2004 episode. Simpson’s lies were uncovered at the start of her second song when the first track began playing again. Unsure of how to resolve the issue, the singer walked off stage and later claimed she had to lip-sync because of acid reflux. It didn’t bode well for her career.

Bill Murray and Chevy Chase got into a physical altercation behind the scenes

Younger viewers of ‘SNL’ might not know that some of the biggest names in show business used to be cast members on the variety show. That includes Bill Murray, who was with the series during the late ’70s. His successful appearances on ‘Saturday Night Live’ helped him build a thriving career, but it also put him at loggerheads with one of the show’s other alumni – Chevy Chase.

In 1978, the two men allegedly fell out so badly that they ended up in a physical altercation behind the scenes. Allegedly, the drama started because Murray cracked a joke about Chase’s marriage. However, while there might have been bad blood between them at that moment, it wasn’t enough to stop them from doing a film together in 1980.

Chevy Chase reportedly upset many people behind the scenes, ending in him being banned

1978 was the year that Chevy Chase returned to ‘SNL,’ having been a cast member on its debut season. After coming back, the actor didn’t leave again for another two decades, making quite the mark on the show during his run. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always a good thing. It seems that Chase often rubbed people up the wrong way, essentially causing one scandal after another.

Aside from getting into a fight with Bill Murray, Chevy also apparently made anti-LGBTQ remarks towards Terry Sweeney and allegedly hit Cheri Oteri on the head. This, combined with his tendency to miss episodes and be difficult to work with, reportedly led to him being banned from the show. He was the first cast member to ever face such a punishment.

Shane Gillis was fired just a few days after being confirmed for the cast

Another cast member who faced a similar punishment was Shane Gillis. However, you may not be as familiar with this name as that of Chevy Chase. After all, Gillis never even got to appear on the variety show before being given the boot. In 2019, the comedian was confirmed to appear on the upcoming season of ‘SNL.’

However, almost immediately after the news broke, clips from his podcast surfaced that shed light on some unfortunate remarks. Only one year earlier, he’d made comments that were deemed o9ffensive and anti-LGBTQ, prompting concerns over his casting. Although Gillis apologized, people weren’t convinced that there was much sincerity to it. As a result, he was fired from the show just a few days later.

Chris Kattan reportedly broke his neck during a sketch on Saturday Night Live

‘Saturday Night Live’ isn’t some big action blockbuster movie. It’s not the kind of show for which stunt doubles and significant safety precautions are required. However, if Chris Kattan’s experience on the show is anything to go by, maybe it should be. After all, the variety program is reportedly responsible for lifelong mobility issues in his upper body.

The problem apparently stems from a sketch about the sitcom ‘Golden Girls.’ Kattan threw himself backward in a chair and hurt himself so severely that he allegedly broke his neck. NBC reportedly paid for several surgeries, but it wasn’t enough to fix the problem. He had several more over the following years, but the procedures were never able to return full mobility to his body.

Fear allegedly caused $20,000 worth of damage during their musical performance

It seems Kattan’s injury wasn’t the first time that ‘Saturday Night Live’ proved that things could get a little dangerous. Back in 1981, the show had one of its most infamous musical guests in the form of Fear. They were brought on for the Halloween episode, a move that ‘SNL’ has been regretting ever since.

The audience didn’t take too kindly to the band after they came on, saying: “It’s great to be in New Jersey.” What’s more, their performance featured a bunch of slam dancers, which reportedly led to $20,000 worth of damage. The show never considered having Fear on again. What’s more, they likely stopped listening to John Belushi, who was apparently the one that lobbied for the group to be on the program.

Pete Davidson was criticized for making jokes about Dan Crenshaw’s eyepatch

Poking fun at people is part of the appeal of ‘Saturday Night Live.’ No one is safe from mockery on the show, regardless of their political affiliation or beliefs. Unfortunately, just because the show doesn’t limit who they make fun of, that doesn’t mean they never go too far. Some jokes have arguably crossed the line in the past, including ones aimed at Dan Crenshaw.

The man’s standing as a politician made him a big target for ‘SNL,’ but the humor was aimed more towards his eyepatch. Pete Davidson’s joke about him looking like a hitman in an adult movie didn’t sit well with many viewers. According to the comedian, he was later forced to apologize for his words, with Davidson feeling little remorse for what he said.

Fred Armisen caused upset by exaggerating his portrayal of a legally blind politician

This wasn’t the first time that a cast member of ‘SNL’ caused controversy for their portrayal of a politician. Years earlier, Fred Armisen also caused a stink after he impersonated David Paterson. Once again, the humor was considered somewhat tone-deaf, due to Paterson’s disability.

The politician is legally blind, and it seems Armisen was a little too excited to show that in his characterization of the man. He exaggerated David’s vision struggles to the point that viewers demanded an apology from both Fred and the show. Fortunately, it seems that Paterson didn’t take the drama to heart too much. After the scandal, he appeared on the variety program alongside Armisen’s portrayal of him. This ensured the controversy didn’t go any further.

Steven Seagal is considered the worst host that Saturday Night Live has ever had

For comedians like Pete Davidson and Fred Armisen, who have appeared in numerous seasons of the show, scandals like this are inevitable. After all, the longer you’re on the program, the greater the chances of you messing up. The cast members aren’t the only ones to cause upset, though. In fact, it’s usually the guest hosts and musicians who start drama.

That includes Steven Seagal, who fronted the variety program in 1991. At the time, no one behind the scenes knew that this episode was going to go down in history for all the wrong reasons. ‘SNL’ creator Lorne Michaels still considers Seagal to be the worst host the show has ever had because of his rude and unprofessional behavior that left him disliked by everyone.

Writers have repeatedly accused SNL of stealing material from other people

In a few years, ‘Saturday Night Live’ will celebrate 50 years on television. Given that there are around eight sketches an episode, and there have been almost 900 episodes of the show so far, it’s safe to say there’s been a lot of skits over the years. Amongst them have been plenty of heavy-hitters and a fair few clunkers.

However, it seems that not all of the material has been original. Ben Zweig and Ian Gary are two writers who have previously come forward accusing ‘SNL’ of stealing from them or people they know. We suppose something like this is inevitable when you constantly have to pump out new material every week. Even so, it doesn’t reflect too well on the show’s writers.

Louis C.K. tried to get double the amount of time for one of his monologues

Some celebrities get to host ‘SNL’ once and never appear on the show again. Others are fortunate enough to be asked back repeatedly, either because of their previous success on the program or their immense fame. Louis C.K. is one such person, although his time as a host hasn’t been without drama.

For instance, when he was invited to make his second appearance on the show, he got into an argument with Lorne Michaels. It seems Louis wanted to have a 12-minute monologue, despite monologues typically being half that amount of time. When Michaels said no, C.K. said he might just do it anyway. However, the ‘SNL’ creator said that if he did, the world would know that he was “undisciplined and unprofessional.”

Louis’ jokes about people touching children inappropriately upset plenty of viewers

Louis C.K. isn’t one to shy away from controversial humor, as evidenced by his appearance on ‘SNL’ in 2015. During the comedian’s monologue, he made jokes about adults that touch children inappropriately. Making remarks like “you could only really surmise that it must be really good… for them to risk it all” didn’t go down well at all with viewers.

People were disgusted that C.K. would make light of such a sensitive topic, and public approval towards the comedian began declining. This was around the same time that women started accusing Louis of inappropriate behavior at work. Within a few years, the allegations began significantly affecting his professional life, with C.K. even admitting to doing wrong on numerous occasions.

The ‘Canteen Boy’ sketch caused scandal for inappropriate behavior towards a minor

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It’s easy to look back on something from two decades ago and criticize it from a modern point of view. However, times change, and something that might seem inappropriate now would have been more acceptable when it aired. At least, that’s how it is for most things. Some stuff will always rub viewers up the wrong way, such as the ‘SNL’ sketch ‘Canteen Boy.’

This aired almost three decades ago and saw Alec Baldwin as a scoutmaster making advances on Adam Sandler’s scout character. The seemingly inappropriate behavior between an adult and a child caused such a scandal that ‘SNL’ had to make certain changes for reruns. Most notably, they inserted a disclaimer that said Sandler’s character was 27 years old.

The ‘Safelite Autoglass’ sketch also caused controversy for similar subject matter

The ‘Canteen Boy’ sketch is definitely one of the most notorious things to ever appear on ‘SNL.’ However, it’s hardly the only sketch the show has aired over the years. Another one that caused similar concern only debuted a few years ago – the ‘Safelite Autoglass’ sketch. Appearing in a 2017 episode, this spoof ad for Safelite Autoglass saw Beck Bennett acting far too inappropriately towards a minor.

At one point during the sketch, the character breaks a car windshield so he can make moves on a 17-year-old girl in the vehicle. The spoof received such a hostile reception, including from Safelite Autoglass, that it’s been cut from all future reruns. Evidently, people don’t see the appeal in joking about adults abusing children.

Religious groups weren’t a fan of the ‘Djesus Uncrossed’ sketch on SNL

Certain topics are always bound to cause offense when it comes to comedy. Religion is up there as one of the biggest offenders because people take great pride in their faith. That’s why the ‘Djesus Uncrossed’ sketch on ‘SNL’ caused quite an uproar in 2013. The skit was meant as a spoof of the Western movie ‘Django Unchained,’ with Jesus taking revenge on those who had wronged him.

Unfortunately, because the sketch was parodying a Quentin Tarantino film, the comedy came with a lot of violence. While some found the scene incredibly funny, plenty of religious organizations didn’t see the humor in it. As a result, they rebelled against the variety program and demanded that changes be made to ensure no offense was caused.

Portraying Tiger Woods as a victim of domestic violence was a step too far for some viewers

Kenan Thompson is one of the biggest names on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ given he’s been with the show since 2003. Thompson has successfully parodied many celebrities during his time on the series, but one celebrity he failed to win audiences over with was Tiger Woods. It was less that people found his impersonation convincing and more that they didn’t enjoy the direction this sketch took.

The show poked fun at the golfer’s infidelity by having Woods’ character repeatedly attacked by his wife. Audiences felt this poked a little too much fun at domestic violence, which is obviously a significant problem across the nation. It didn’t help that Rihanna – someone who experienced such violence at the hands of Chris Brown – was the musical guest for that episode.

Larry David’s monologue about World War II was deemed offensive and insensitive

Decades have passed since the horrors of World War II, but comedy based around this horrific event will always draw controversy. Occasionally, a comedian can get away with making a joke or two about it, but Larry David isn’t one of them. Even if he was, ‘Saturday Night Live’ isn’t the place where he could get away with it.

Unfortunately, no one told him that before he hosted the show in 2017. During his opening monologue, he made the mistake of talking about how he’d hit on women if he’d been taken prisoner when the war was on. His jokes were deemed “offensive, insensitive, and unfunny” by the Anti-Defamation League, prompting questions over why he was ever allowed to say this stuff in the first place.

Mike Myers caused controversy for his jokes about then-12-year-old Chelsea Clinton

Whenever ‘SNL’ mocks someone, there will always be people who take offense to it. However, for the most part, the parody is deemed acceptable provided that it doesn’t go too far. Of course, there are some people that many viewers believe should never be made the center of the jokes on this show. This includes children.

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey found that out the hard way after they cracked jokes about Chelsea Clinton during a ‘Wayne’s World’ sketch. The girl was only 12 at the time, so audiences didn’t take too kindly to her being made fun of so severely. The backlash got so out of control that Myers allegedly wrote an apology to the White House, with the sketch also removed from future broadcasts.

Louise Lasser locked herself in her dressing room while hosting SNL

Being afraid of performing on live television isn’t unreasonable. However, if you’re planning to appear on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ it’s something you have to be able to get over. Unfortunately, it seems Louise Lasser wasn’t able to do that before she was welcomed on as a host in 1976. She was selected to close out the first-ever season, but her appearance wasn’t the celebration producers were hoping for.

After giving an opening monologue about her fear of live TV, Lasser locked herself in her dressing room. It was only after Chevy Chase intervened that she came out again, but this didn’t improve matters. It seems Louise wasn’t a fan of the material they wrote for her, finding it all to be too “salacious.”

Martin Lawrence discussed a grisly story about private areas for his opening monologue

When it comes to opening monologues, there’s so much a celebrity can talk about. That’s why viewers were so stunned by what Martin Lawrence chose to discuss when he hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1994. Presumably, the words that came out of his mouth weren’t what he’d originally planned to talk about. Otherwise, the producers probably never would have let the monologue go ahead.

Lawrence used his time in front of the audience to talk about John and Lorena Bobbit, a formerly married couple with a very grisly story. The incident involved the latter cutting off her husband’s private parts, something that doesn’t exactly make for a comfortable talking point. Unsurprisingly, that section of Martin’s monologue is no longer shown on reruns.

Rage Against The Machine rebelled against Bill Forbes as a host

Given the band’s name, you might think it unsuitable to put Rage Against the Machine on the same show as a billionaire political candidate. However, that’s exactly what ‘SNL’ did in 1996. The musicians were asked to perform on an episode hosted by Bill Forbes, and judging by their behavior, they weren’t too happy about this.

For one, the band hung American flags upside down on their amplifiers before performing. The people at ‘Saturday Night Live’ were able to remove these before the viewers at home saw, so the audience never knew there was an issue. The producers did, though, which is why the band was asked to leave. This apparently prompted member Tim Commerford to throw bits of a tattered flag at Forbes in his dressing room.

System of a Down caught the show’s censors off guard and cursed on live television

The producers of ‘SNL’ are well aware of each guest they bring onto the show. They know if someone is potentially going to be problematic before an episode. However, they sometimes have to reach a compromise for the sake of keeping the program fresh and exciting. That’s certainly what they did when they invited System of a Down on as musical guests in 2005.

The band had no intention of censoring themselves during their performance, something that could have caused a problem for the show. However, they worked around this by simply checking the lyrics beforehand so they knew when to bleep. Unfortunately, they didn’t anticipate the band yelling expletives outside of the song. The censors were caught off guard and a curse word made it onto live television.

Elvis Costello performed a song that Lorne Michaels forbid him from playing

Elvis Costello was one of the earliest musical guests in the show’s history, being invited to perform in 1977. Unfortunately, he didn’t make a great impression with his appearance. It seems he caused controversy after switching songs at the last minute, swapping ‘Less Than Zero’ for ‘Radio Radio.’

The reason this sparked such a scandal was that Lorne Michaels had told him not to play the latter track due to its subject matter. The song is critical of corporate broadcasting, so playing it on a popular NBC show was asking for trouble. Costello didn’t seem to care, though, which is why he switched to the track one minute into performing ‘Less Than Zero.’ This act got him banned from the variety show for over a decade.

Nirvana upset NBC by making out with each other during the closing credits

At their peak, Nirvana was the biggest band in the world. Everyone wanted a piece of them, although some were a little scared of what that would entail. After all, while the members of Nirvana were brilliant musicians, they were also fans of causing controversy. ‘SNL’ seemed willing to take the risk when they brought the band on as musical guests in 1992.

However, they soon regretted it after the men made quite a scene during the closing credits. While everyone else was hugging each other and saying goodbye – as is customary on the show – Nirvana began making out with each other. The scandal prompted the network to switch out the credits on future reruns of the episode, but the band didn’t seem to care much.

Sinead O’Connor caused major upset by destroying a photo of the pope

1992 was apparently the year for controversial musical performances. The same year that Nirvana caused a storm with their makeout session, Sinead O’Connor drew the outrage of many religious viewers around the world. During her performance of ‘Fight The Real Enemy,’ the singer ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II. Sinead later said that this wasn’t an attack on the man himself but rather the institution he belonged to.

Of course, that didn’t make things any better. After O’Connor finished singing, the audience wasn’t told to applaud, meaning the performance ended in silence. Later on, at the end of the episode, Sinead wasn’t acknowledged by host Tim Robbins. Unsurprisingly, she’s never returned to ‘SNL,’ with the show banning her from ever coming back.

Samuel L. Jackson dropped an expletive that the censors failed to bleep out

Samuel L. Jackson is a major Hollywood star. He’s also a celebrity with a penchant for cursing. ‘SNL’ knew this when they asked him to host in 2012, so they knew there was a risk that a few expletives would leave his mouth on the episode. The show presumably didn’t think this was an issue because they could simply censor his foul mouth.

Unfortunately, they didn’t anticipate someone being slow on the upkeep and accidentally letting an expletive make it onto the air. Although Jackson did try to catch himself mid-word, this didn’t undo the damage. The Federal Communications Commission had a field day with the incident, with many angry at ‘SNL’ for letting this happen. The actor hasn’t been allowed back on the show since.

Adrien Brody pretended to be Jamaican when introducing Sean Paul

Plenty of progress has been made in regards to equality. However, there’s still a long way to go, especially when you consider what people were doing not that long ago. It was only in 2003 that one of ‘Saturday Night Live’s’ guest hosts thought it appropriate to pretend to be Jamaican when introducing a musical act. Sean Paul was the one set to perform, with Adrien Brody responsible for announcing his entrance.

Unfortunately, what should have been a minor element of the show became a huge scandal when Brody donned dreadlocks and put on an accent. Lorne Michaels apparently wasn’t impressed by the host’s behavior in this moment, and the criticism from viewers didn’t help matters either. Hopefully, nothing like this will ever happen again.

Adam Sandler was fired from SNL, but he apparently has no idea why

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Adam Sandler is a big name when it comes to comedy. His humorous efforts don’t always land, but that hasn’t stopped him from forging a successful career. The comedic actor has ‘Saturday Night Live’ to thank for that, given the show gave him his start in the ’90s.

Sandler enjoyed a good run on ‘SNL’ for a few years, but he didn’t stick around as long as some cast members. Unfortunately, that wasn’t his choice. Apparently, Adam was fired alongside Chris Farley, who was the one that told him they were getting the chop. Sandler allegedly wasn’t given a reason for his exit, and to this day, he’s apparently still none the wiser.

Jenny Slate dropped an expletive and didn’t get her contract renewed

Guest hosts aren’t the only ones capable of swearing on ‘SNL.’ One of the show’s cast members did the exact same thing back in 2009 while making their debut. It was Jenny Slate’s first sketch, and she was the one responsible for writing it. If successful, it could have spelled great things for her future on the show.

Unfortunately, partway through the sketch, she dropped an expletive. It wasn’t intentional, and Slate realized her mistake immediately after it happened. There was nothing she could do to take it back, though. Although she was kept on for the rest of the season, her contract wasn’t renewed at the end of it. Worst of all, she had to learn about being fired by reading it online.

Sarah Silverman’s material kept getting overlooked until she was allegedly fired by fax

Sarah Silverman has forged a pretty successful career for herself over the years. Unfortunately, one endeavor that didn’t help much with that was ‘SNL.’ Silverman was a cast member between 1993-94, during which time she was also a writer. However, none of her material ever seemed to be good enough for the show.

Apparently, only one of her sketches actually made it to the rehearsal stage, and that one never even made it to live TV. Given the program’s apparent disinterest in Sarah’s writing, it’s not a huge shock that she didn’t stay with ‘Saturday Night Live’ for long. What is a surprise, though, is the claim that Silverman was fired by fax. That’s what the actress says happened, anyway.

Chris Parnell got fired twice while he was on Saturday Night Live

What’s worse than being fired from your job? Being fired twice. It’s not something that happens often, but one person who’s all too familiar with the experience is Chris Parnell. It seems that during his time on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ the comedian was given the boot twice. The first time it happened because the man apparently lacked confidence.

That’s an essential trait in comedy, particularly on live television, so if you don’t have it, you don’t stand a chance. Parnell referred to his firing as “devastating,” but all wasn’t lost. ‘SNL’ brought him back on the next season, and Chris remained as a cast member for several years. Unfortunately, when the show had to make significant budget cuts, he was kicked out yet again.

Chris Farley and John Belushi both passed away before their time due to substance abuse

Many cast members have come and gone from ‘Saturday Night Live’ over the years. Some have faded into obscurity after leaving the show, while others have embarked on highly successful careers. Unfortunately, some haven’t had the chance to do either because they left the world long before their time. It’s surprising just how many people from ‘SNL’ have passed away over the years.

Then again, when a show has such a long list of alumni, it’s inevitable that some will meet a tragic end. Chris Farley and John Belushi are two such people, with both men departing in a similar way. Both struggled with substance abuse issues that ultimately proved to be their downfall. Belushi passed away in 1982 and Farley in 1997.

Phil Hartman lost his life after being shot three times by his wife

These two weren’t the only ones from ‘Saturday Night Live’ to have scandalous passings. Phil Hartman, who was with the show for eight seasons between 1986-94, met his maker in quite a grisly fashion. After going to dinner with his wife and one of ‘SNL’s’ former writers, he got into an argument with the latter. At the end of it, Hartman went to bed and never woke up again.

That’s because, in the middle of the night, his wife shot him three times in different places. She was apparently under the influence of multiple substances that night and allegedly had trouble controlling her anger. After confessing to what she’d done immediately afterward, Phil’s wife took her own life in a similar fashion.

Damon Wayans was fired after changing his character without telling anyone

‘Saturday Night Live’ is very much a collaborative effort. If cast members aren’t willing to work as a team, there’s a greater risk that the sketches won’t land when they’re aired. Most comedians on the show understand this and do what they’re supposed to. That’s not always been the way, though. One cast member who preferred to do things his own way was Damon Wayans.

The man was only on ‘SNL’ for one season, during which he made certain creative choices in the middle of performing. The most scandalous instance of this was when he decided to portray a cop as flamboyant and LGBTQ without discussing it with anyone else. The move proved he couldn’t be trusted and got the comedian fired.

John Belushi apparently thought very little of female comedians on SNL

John Belushi might have left the world in a tragic fashion, but that doesn’t mean everyone forgets about how he was when he was still alive. Those who worked with him on ‘Saturday Night Live’ can’t overlook how he sometimes behaved, given how misogynistic he could be. Apparently, Belushi didn’t hide the fact that he didn’t care much for female comedians.

He reportedly said that they’re “fundamentally not funny” and avoided working with them at all costs. What’s more, he allegedly refused to appear in a sketch if it was written by a woman. That’s according to Jane Curtin, who also revealed that John believed it was “his duty” to ruin any sketches penned by a female writer. That’s not a legacy to be proud of.

Nora Dunn was fired for refusing to appear in an episode hosted by Andrew “Dice” Clay

Speaking of misogyny, Belushi isn’t the only one to apparently have this mindset on the show. Fortunately, in this instance, the guilty party was a guest rather than a cast member. When Andrew “Dice” Clay was invited onto ‘SNL’ in 1991, not everyone was over the moon. Nora Dunn, in particular, was livid about his casting because she didn’t appreciate his offensive style of comedy.

Although Clay specializes in shock comedy, there’s still a line you shouldn’t cross. Dunn felt he’d already gone well over that line, which is why she refused to appear in the episode. This move got her fired. Sinead O’Connor was also supposed to sing on this episode but declined because of Clay’s involvement. She was replaced and brought back later for that infamous performance.

Kanye West went on several rants during his appearances on SNL

Kanye West has appeared on ‘Saturday Night Live’ several times, and every time, he’s made quite a splash. Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been a good thing. For instance, in 2016, he had a meltdown because some of his flooring was ruined by the ‘SNL’ staff. Apparently, there were concerns over how it would affect the visuals of his performance because it was so shiny, so changes were made.

He started ranting about it, something that he did several years later after another one of his performances. West got very political with this one, showing his support for the then-president and sharing his intentions to run for office in 2020. The general reaction to this was awkwardness and silence, with some booing thrown in for good measure.

Joking about O.J. Simpson got Norm MacDonald fired by an NBC executive

The trial of O.J. Simpson was one of the biggest scandals in the ’90s. Millions waited eagerly to discover if the former NFL star would be charged with claiming the lives of two people. Before the verdict was made, plenty of people had already decided if Simpson was guilty or not, including Norm MacDonald.

The ‘Saturday Night Live’ had a tendency to crack jokes about the man on the show. However, the one that was deemed to be going too far was the one he made when the verdict came in. It wasn’t the audience that took offense to this joke, though, but rather Don Ohlmeyer. The NBC executive was friends with Simpson, so he had Norm fired for making fun of O.J. one too many times.

David Spade invoked Eddie Murphy’s wrath after labeling him a “falling star”

David Spade and Eddie Murphy both found success after being cast on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ However, just because they’re part of the show’s alumni, that doesn’t mean they’re destined to get along. The pair had quite the falling out in the ’90s when Spade referred to Murphy as a “falling star” on ‘SNL.’

This was at a time when Eddie’s career was stalling, and his newer work wasn’t reaching the same heights as his earlier stuff. After David made the joke, Murphy apparently called the comedian and asked him what his deal was. Plenty of expletives were thrown the man’s way, proving there was no love lost between the two. Murphy went on to boycott the show for years before eventually making a reappearance in 2015.

Many people weren’t impressed when Kim Kardashian hosted SNL in October 2021

‘SNL’ has welcomed a variety of hosts throughout its run. After all, there have been hundreds of episodes that all need a new face to bring them to life. That didn’t mean the world was thrilled when they learned the latest guest in October 2021: Kim Kardashian West. The social media mogul and businesswoman has millions of online fans. The problem?

Several people took to social media to talk about their anger with the choice. Many claim that Kim was only there to promote her family’s new show and her own brand named Skims. People were quick to ask why past hosts have never advertised their films or albums and how Kim was allowed to be so open – in their eyes – about her promotions.

Several SNL fans were also surprised to see Kim kiss Pete Davidson

Things have been pretty up and down for Kim Kardashian West and her love life since the world learned she was filing for divorce from none other than rapper Kanye West. The pair have welcomed four children and married for seven years so far, but it seems enough is enough. Although they have gone their separate ways, it seems that people weren’t ready to see Kim move on.

At least, kind of move on. One sketch has Kim playing Jasmine and Pete Davidson playing Aladdin from the Disney classic ‘Aladdin’ where they take a magic carpet ride. However, it’s the moment they kiss that caused so much outrage online, with people claiming they never expected to see the pair lock lips.

Kim Kardashian spent her entire monologue roasting the rest of the world and her family

The ‘Saturday Night Live’ monologue is often one of the best bits of the show, but it’s not always the most popular. That was far from the case when Kim Kardashian appeared on the show. Apparently, she thought this would be the best chance to roast her entire family, friends, the show, and the rest of the world for four minutes.

From making jokes about her leaked adult movie to how she is the “reference photo my sisters showed their plastic surgeons” and everything in between, it seems nothing was off the cards. While many fans of the show were surprised to see how well Kim fit into ‘SNL,’ others thought the star wanted nothing more than to stir drama among the media.