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From on-air slip-ups to controversial jokes off-camera, some comedians have had their SNL dreams cut short! Join us as we explore both the clear-cut dismissals where we know exactly what happened and the mysterious exits that left fans scratching their heads. Which SNL firing surprised you the most?
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00:00Hey girls, it's Longfellow, don't get excited, it's just a name.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're diving into jokes or incidents both on and off stage
00:11that got cast members kicked off SNL, as well as firings that still baffle us.
00:16I gotta tell you, you have angered me with your irresponsibility.
00:22Exact moment, Shane Gillis' controversial podcast jokes.
00:26In 2019, Saturday Night Live announced Shane Gillis as one of its new cast members,
00:31but everything came crashing down pretty fast.
00:34Just hours after the big reveal, a 2018 podcast resurfaced,
00:38where Gillis was heard using offensive slurs against Chinese people and mocking their accent.
00:42But a video of Gillis from about a year ago surfaced from Matt and Shane's secret podcast,
00:48in which he mockingly mimicked a Chinese accent and used a racist slur to refer to Asian people in Chinatown.
00:55Other clips featuring homophobic slurs also went viral,
00:58sparking outrage and debates about whether he deserves a spot on SNL.
01:02Days later, an NBC spokesperson announced that Gillis would not be joining the cast.
01:07We were not aware of his prior remarks.
01:09The language he used is offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable.
01:13Public reaction was polarized.
01:14While some were in support of the show's decision,
01:17others defended the comedian for pushing boundaries.
01:19In the end, Gillis' gig on SNL was over before it even began,
01:23all because of words he spoke into a microphone.
01:26I am sorry you had the misfortune of being a cast member during this era of cultural unforgiveness.
01:32Never understand.
01:33Michael Longfellow's departure.
01:35Even when there's no clear reason,
01:37some SNL cast members are let go,
01:39and that's something we'll never understand.
01:41Take Michael Longfellow, for instance.
01:43He joined in 2022,
01:44earned a promotion after solid performances,
01:46and seemed to have a bright future on the show.
01:49My family's from Arizona,
01:50so if you can get in trouble for what your parents think,
01:54it's been a good run.
01:57In one skit, he even joked about how hard he worked.
02:00Then, out of nowhere, his agent reportedly called,
02:03saying he wouldn't be returning for season 51.
02:06No drama, no controversy,
02:08just an unexpected goodbye.
02:09And I'm trying really, really hard.
02:12And I love you, girl.
02:13So, please, don't be mad at me.
02:17Maybe it was part of the cast shake-up Lorne Michaels had hinted at,
02:20or maybe his time simply ran out.
02:22Whatever the reason,
02:23Longfellow took it in stride,
02:24even giving Michaels a shout-out when he announced his exit.
02:27Still, fans can't help but wonder why.
02:30What a day!
02:31How should we end it?
02:32Diarrhea?
02:34No.
02:36No, I don't think I will.
02:38Exact moment.
02:40Jenny Slate's biker chick-chat.
02:41We all make mistakes,
02:43but sometimes,
02:44the cost can be pretty huge.
02:46On her very first episode of SNL,
02:48Jenny Slate flubbed a line on live TV,
02:50and it became a pretty big deal.
02:51In the biker chick-chat sketch,
02:53Slate played a tough-talking biker,
02:55and was supposed to say fricking,
02:57but in other words starting with F slipped out.
02:59You stood up for yourself,
03:01and I f***ing love you for that.
03:03You're in my heart, babe.
03:04You're in my heart.
03:06You can even see her cheeks puff up when she realizes it,
03:09but it was already too late.
03:10Although she wasn't fired right away,
03:12she wasn't invited back the next season.
03:14I know why you're here.
03:15You got a grievance you want to air the frick out of.
03:17Truth.
03:18Many believed the slip-up cost her job,
03:20but the comedian insisted it just didn't work out for her.
03:23Despite the setback,
03:24she went on to build a thriving career,
03:26proving that one mistake doesn't define you.
03:28I do me.
03:29This is my show.
03:30Either love it or change the frickin' channel.
03:32Never understand.
03:34Chris Parnell gets booted out twice.
03:35It wouldn't be an exaggeration
03:37if we said Chris Parnell was perfect for Saturday Night Live.
03:40His sharp impressions,
03:42deadpan humor,
03:43and unexpected rap skills
03:44made him one of the show's standout talents.
03:46Just living it up on the west side.
03:48Everybody just chillin' poolside.
03:51While my rungs are goin' worldwide,
03:54KD and me gonna do some slip and slide.
03:56Yet, unbelievably,
03:58he was fired not once,
04:00but twice from the sketch show.
04:02The first came in 2001,
04:03reportedly due to budget cuts,
04:05not performance issues,
04:06though there was a rumor
04:07that an NBC executive didn't like his work.
04:10However,
04:10after an internal support,
04:12Parnell was rehired mid-season,
04:13which almost never happens.
04:19Yet again in 2006,
04:21he was fired from the show
04:22due to the same budget cuts.
04:24This time around,
04:25Parnell accepted his fate.
04:26So if it wasn't about his talent,
04:28was it just SNL being ruthless?
04:30Who knows?
04:40Exact moment.
04:41Charles Rockett on who shot CR,
04:43the 1980-1981 season of SNL
04:46was one of the show's roughest eras.
04:48With Michaels gone,
04:49a new producer stepped in,
04:51and nearly half of the cast was replaced.
04:53And if that wasn't enough,
04:54critics panned the show,
04:56and ratings dropped.
04:57Somebody shot Charlie Rockett!
04:58Charlie Rockett!
04:59Charlie Rockett!
05:01Somebody shot Charlie Rockett!
05:02Yet,
05:03Charles Rockett was positioned
05:04as the show's breakout star,
05:06but that changed fast
05:07after a live slip-up.
05:09During a parody of
05:10Who Shot JR,
05:11he was shot,
05:11and when asked how it felt,
05:13he blurted out the F-bomb.
05:15How are you feeling
05:16after you've been shot?
05:17Oh man,
05:17it's the first time
05:18I've ever been shot in my life.
05:19I'd like to know who s*** did it.
05:24While it's unclear
05:25if that mistake alone
05:26got him fired,
05:26it certainly didn't help.
05:28Weeks later,
05:29Rockett and most of the cast
05:30were let go
05:31after that disastrous season.
05:32Never Understand
05:36Chloe Trost's Quiet Exit
05:38In 2023,
05:40Chloe Trost joined the SNL cast
05:41as the only featured member
05:43for the 49th season.
05:44However,
05:45her stay on the show
05:46lasted just one season.
05:48Trost delivered
05:48some really memorable performances
05:50as Little Orphan Cassidy
05:51and Mama Cass,
05:53showing off her comedic range
05:54and singing voice.
05:55Overall,
06:07she felt like
06:07an exciting new addition
06:08to SNL,
06:09which made it all the more
06:10surprising when she wasn't
06:11asked back for the next season.
06:13There have been several theories
06:14about why she was let go,
06:15but no one knows for certain
06:16since neither the studio
06:17nor Trost offered an explanation.
06:20I mean,
06:21sometimes it feels like
06:22nobody wants me.
06:25There was no controversy
06:26and no public statement,
06:27which makes her departure
06:28all the more puzzling.
06:30There is nothing you can do.
06:33Nothing I can do.
06:36Think again.
06:38Exact moment.
06:39Damon Wayans upstages
06:40Mr. Monopoly.
06:42During the 1985 to 1986 season,
06:44Damon Wayans went off script
06:46and got himself fired.
06:48The actor had only been
06:48on the show for one season
06:50and was frustrated
06:51that many of his ideas
06:52never made it to air.
06:53Instead,
06:54he was cast into roles
06:55where he couldn't just be
06:56as funny as he wanted to be.
06:58Yes,
06:58we've got the whole transaction
06:59on videotape.
07:01We've got three people
07:02that saw you
07:02kill that undercover cop.
07:04Finally,
07:05at his breaking point,
07:06during the Mr. Monopoly sketch,
07:08Wayans decided to go rogue.
07:10Instead of playing
07:10a straight-laced cop,
07:11Wayans intentionally played him
07:13as flamboyantly gay,
07:14completely changing the tone
07:15without warning anyone.
07:17You're that guy from the game,
07:18Mr. Monopoly.
07:19In the flesh.
07:20That daring move
07:21got him instantly fired
07:22by Michaels.
07:23Wayans later admitted
07:24he did it deliberately
07:25to get that reaction.
07:26Ironically,
07:27that stunt
07:28helped define his career
07:29and he later went on
07:30to another sketch comedy show,
07:32In Living Color.
07:33If the Parker brothers
07:33could see you now,
07:34they puke.
07:35Why you ain't in jail,
07:36Miss...
07:37Oh, that's right,
07:37you're Mr. Monopoly.
07:38Mm-hmm.
07:39Oh.
07:40Never understand.
07:41Adam Sandler gets fired.
07:43Adam Sandler started as a writer
07:44on Saturday Night Live
07:46before being promoted
07:47to cast member
07:47the following year.
07:49With his goofy
07:49and offbeat humor,
07:51Sandler quickly became
07:51a standout
07:52whose charm
07:53resonated with viewers.
07:54Tell your friend Veronica
07:56it's time to celebrate Hanukkah
07:58I hope I get a harmonica
08:00on this lovely,
08:02lovely Hanukkah
08:03Yet,
08:03that didn't stop him
08:04from getting booted out
08:05when SNL went through
08:06a massive shake-up
08:07in 1995.
08:08His friend,
08:09Chris Farley,
08:09broke the news
08:10of them getting fired
08:11and Sandler never got
08:12a clear reason why.
08:13The Happy Gilmore star
08:14reportedly said
08:15some NBC executives
08:16didn't like his gang,
08:18which might have played
08:18a role in their dismissal.
08:19So very long
08:21since I've been around
08:2324 years
08:25and 24 pounds
08:27So glad to be back
08:29Now I get the snack
08:31Opera Man
08:33Bye-bye
08:35Whatever the reason,
08:41that firing turned out
08:41to be a blessing in disguise.
08:43Sandler's exit
08:44from the NBC sketch show
08:45marked the beginning
08:46of an incredible movie career.
08:48I was fired
08:49I was fired
08:51So sad to tell
08:53Well I never saw it coming
08:56I got fired from SNL
08:59Exact moment
09:01Norm Macdonald's OJ Simpson jokes
09:03Norm Macdonald's humor
09:05on Saturday Night Live
09:06was definitely not for everyone.
09:07As the anchor
09:08for the Weekend Update
09:09in the mid-90s,
09:10he often pushed
09:10the limits of taste
09:11with edgy materials.
09:12I didn't spend
09:13Mother's Day
09:14with my kids
09:15because I killed
09:16their mother.
09:19His takes on Michael Jackson
09:20and other sensitive topics
09:22were pretty distasteful.
09:23During the OJ Simpson
09:24murder trial,
09:25his relentless jokes
09:26about OJ
09:27became his landmark
09:28and got him in trouble.
09:29Reports claim
09:30NBC executive
09:31Don Allmayer,
09:32a close friend of OJ,
09:34was furious
09:34and had Norm fired.
09:36When OJ's mother,
09:37Eunice Simpson,
09:38first heard about
09:39the slaying of Nicole Brown,
09:41she exclaimed,
09:42he did it.
09:44Reached for comment,
09:45OJ said,
09:45my mom was just guessing,
09:47I hadn't even told her yet.
09:49Even the writer
09:50behind some of the jokes
09:51was also removed.
09:52Years later,
09:53Macdonald admitted
09:54that wasn't the whole story.
09:55He said his firing
09:56wasn't just about OJ,
09:57it was mainly because
09:58he was insubordinate
09:59and refused to follow orders.
10:01This is far from over.
10:03Asked to clarify
10:04that statement,
10:05OJ said,
10:06I'm going to kill more people.
10:07What do you think I meant?
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10:25Never understand,
10:27Chris Farley's departure.
10:28Sandler and Chris Farley
10:29were an unforgettable duo
10:31on Saturday Night Live.
10:32Their wild energy
10:33and goofy chemistry
10:34left audiences
10:35in stitches week after week.
10:37Hank and I have decided
10:38to spend a nice,
10:39quiet evening at home.
10:41Isn't that right, Hank?
10:43The book is gone,
10:44but the mouth goes on.
10:47Even that didn't stop them
10:48from being shown the door
10:49in 1995.
10:50Some reports suggest
10:51that Farley's substance use disorder
10:53led to a suspension,
10:54and even when he returned to host,
10:56there were concerns
10:56about his health.
10:57I've learned lessons
10:58about responsibly...
11:00Responsibility?
11:02Being responsible
11:03not only to myself,
11:05but to the people around me.
11:06That means you guys.
11:07I think it's time
11:08to quit goofing around.
11:10I think it's time
11:11to grow up, fellas.
11:12Still, that's not
11:13the whole story.
11:14NBC reportedly wanted
11:15fresh faces
11:16and a new direction.
11:17So, as new talents came in,
11:19Farley and Sandler
11:20were booted out.
11:21Did Farley's substance use
11:22contribute to his dismissal,
11:24or did the network
11:24simply stop finding him funny?
11:26It's hard to say.
11:27Sadly,
11:28Farley's life spiraled
11:29after SNL,
11:30and he passed away
11:31in 1997.
11:32You're using your paper
11:33not for writing,
11:35but for rolling doobies.
11:38You're gonna be doing
11:40a lot of doobie rolling
11:41when you're living
11:43in a van
11:44down by the river.
11:46Which SNL cast member's
11:48dismissal shocked you the most?
11:49Let us know
11:50in the comments section.
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