- 12 hours ago
Saturday Night Live has been stirring up trouble since its very first season — and it shows no signs of stopping. Join us as we look back at the sketches, monologues, bookings, and backstage decisions that sparked serious outrage over the decades. From Sinéad O'Connor tearing up the Pope's photo to Shane Gillis getting fired before his first episode, SNL has never been short on controversy.
Transcript
00:00"...they don't have my talent, my money, or especially my good looks. But you know what?
00:06They're not bad."
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the SNL sketches, performers, bookings,
00:12and backstage decisions that sparked serious outrage. Since controversy is subjective,
00:17we're including incidents that generated substantial backlash, whether or not the
00:21criticism was justified.
00:22"...I know I consistently strive to be a good Jewish representative."
00:28The Tourette's Incident
00:30Hi, I'm Mel Gibson, and as I probably should have pointed out decades ago, I too suffer from
00:36Tourette's, which explains a lot of the things I've said or yelled through the years. Am I proud of
00:41what I said? No. But I am very proud for you to know it was because of Tourette's. Fortunately,
00:47I'm not alone.
00:48A cut-for-time SNL sketch in February 2026 presented a mock public service announcement in which various
00:55disgraced or controversial celebrities blamed their behavior on Tourette's Syndrome. The premise
00:59followed a widely discussed BAFTA incident involving campaigner John Davidson and an involuntary
01:04vocal tick. Advocacy organizations responded furiously, arguing that SNL had reduced a complex
01:10neurological condition to a device for racial slurs and celebrity misbehavior. Tourette's action
01:14called the sketch unacceptable and warned that it reinforced misinformation, while disability advocates
01:20accuse the show of punching down at people who already face harassment and misunderstanding.
01:24I talked to the doctors and the scientists and the lawyers, and they agreed that apparently
01:30could suffer from something called the drink Tourette's, so you say I try to order the Diet Coke.
01:36It's simple, right? Only sometimes it'll come out like I need a double whiskey with a bunch of GHB mixed
01:42in.
01:42Finn Wolfhard parodies Stranger Things.
01:44Plus, wonder what happens to Mike when he leaves Hawkins behind to chase his dreams of becoming
01:48a writer? Find out in Michael Patrick King's Mike in Manhattan.
01:52And just like that, I was in a new Upside Down, New York. And it doesn't take a hive mind
01:57to realize
01:58after you've dated an 11, even tens fall short.
02:01Finn Wolfhard's January 2026 hosting appearance brought Stranger Things co-stars Gaten Matarazzo and
02:07Caleb McLaughlin along for a parody of possible Netflix spinoffs. One joke claimed that Will
02:12Byers was absent because his coming out scene from the finale was somehow still going.
02:16And before you get all mad and go, how come Will isn't in that?
02:19It's because his coming out scene is still going on.
02:22Because I am gay. Guys, I'm gay.
02:26Need the courage to tell you the truth.
02:29And the truth is, I am gay. Zing at all of your faces.
02:35He was clearly aimed at the scene's length and the show's drawn-out writing.
02:38But some fans thought SNL was belittling an emotionally important moment for an LGBTQIA plus
02:43character. Defenders argued that the target was awkward pacing and not Will's sexuality,
02:48and noted that the parody mocked virtually every aspect of the series.
02:52That distinction did not satisfy viewers who had found personal meaning in the original scene.
02:56And you should know that I like D and D, Dungeons and Dragons, just like you guys.
03:04Rage Against the Machine make a statement.
03:06Ladies and gentlemen, Rage Against the Machine.
03:09Pairing Rage Against the Machine with billionaire Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes was
03:14unlikely to make for a peaceful evening. Before performing Bulls on Parade in April 1996,
03:19the band hung two upside-down American flags from its amplifiers as a protest against Forbes and
03:25the political system he represented.
03:37SNL's stagehands removed the flags moments before the performance. The band's second song was
03:42subsequently cancelled, and its members were escorted from the building. Bassist Tim Comerford
03:47reportedly tore one flag apart and threw pieces towards Forbes' dressing room,
03:51although guitarist Tom Morello later attended the after-party.
03:54Rage Against the Machine came prepared to make a political statement,
03:57while SNL came prepared to protect a live television broadcast.
04:01Rage Against the Machine!
04:08Starbucks Varismo
04:09Introducing the Varismo Home Brewing System by Starbucks. Simply insert the pot of your choice,
04:16press coffee, espresso, or latte, and give the machine your name.
04:20Marcia.
04:21And when it's ready, Varismo's voice feature will let you know.
04:25Amorfa.
04:26SNL's Starbucks Varismo commercial parody imagined an at-home coffee machine that could reproduce
04:31the complete Starbucks experience. Unfortunately, that included getting customers' names and orders
04:37wrong. A second machine, called the Verquanica, contributed gossip and rude comments while doing
04:42little actual work.
04:43She said she don't want no tea.
04:45She said what?
04:46And from the makers of Varismo comes Verquanica, a larger non-functional machine for Varismo to talk
04:53to about you.
04:54Why'd she ask for her tea and she want a latte?
04:56I don't know, man.
04:57That's stupid.
04:58The sketch might have remained a familiar joke about complicated coffee orders,
05:02but the machines were given voices and speech patterns widely interpreted as caricatures of
05:07black baristas. The sketch managed to turn an appliance advertisement into a debate about race
05:12and class. That is considerably more bitterness than most people expect from their morning coffee.
05:17Latte for Shasha.
05:19Oh, I already got my latte.
05:20Now she don't want a latte? Oh my God.
05:23This bitch crazy.
05:24She is working my last nerve.
05:27Nikki Haley's surprise cameo.
05:28My question is, why won't you debate Nikki Haley?
05:32Oh my God, it's her. The woman who was in charge of security on January 6th.
05:38It's Nancy Pelosi.
05:40For the 100th time, that is not Nancy Pelosi.
05:45Politicians have appeared on SNL for decades, but an active presidential candidate receiving a
05:49friendly cameo will always raise questions. During a February 2024 cold open, Nikki Haley
05:55appeared as an audience member questioning James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump.
05:59That's not very nice, Nikki. It's not nice. And I'm always very nice to you,
06:05except when I'm implying you weren't born in this country. Even though you're from South Carolina,
06:10and now I'm going to beat you in your state.
06:13And did you win your home state in the last election?
06:16I won Staten Island.
06:18Host Io Adeburi then asked Haley why she had failed to identify
06:21slavery as the central cause of the Civil War during a real campaign event.
06:25Haley acknowledged that she should have said it the first time.
06:28Critics accused SNL of helping her repair a damaging campaign moment through a carefully controlled joke,
06:33while also giving her valuable national exposure before the South Carolina primary.
06:37Haley would ultimately lose the Republican nomination to then-former President Trump.
06:42And live from New York, it's Saturday night!
06:45The Minnesota ICE commentary, or the lack thereof.
06:49Look, I know that no one is dying for a hot take on this from a guy who looks like
06:53he was homeschooled on a yacht,
06:55but it would be insane to ignore what's happening in my hometown right now.
07:00I mean, it's a really heavy thing to talk about.
07:02This controversy concerned what SNL didn't broadcast.
07:05In January 2026, Minnesota native and featured player Tommy Brennan recorded a weekend update
07:11commentary about federal immigration operations in his home state.
07:14Brennan discussed the killing of Renee Goode and the resulting unrest,
07:18then repeatedly showed footage of an ICE agent slipping on an icy street.
07:22He starts off sprinting in one direction, then falls. And I don't know if you guys caught the fall.
07:30Did you? Maybe you forgot. It's a long video. Just to be safe, let's play it again.
07:38And then he gets up and just jogs back to his car.
07:43The segment ended with a direct plea to leave Minnesota alone. It was cut from the live broadcast
07:48because of time constraints and uploaded online several days later. Although the show routinely
07:53cuts bits for time, some viewers suspected political caution and accused SNL of wanting
07:58credit for the commentary without assuming the risk of airing it live.
08:01And we're not like them. We won't jog back to the car and we won't slip up because in Minnesota,
08:07we've been dealing with ICE our whole lives, bitch. Tommy Brennan, everybody. Leave Minnesota alone.
08:14Trump at the theater. President Trump attended the opening night of Chicago at the Kennedy Center,
08:19and I think that's cool. Michael Che has made a career out of delivering a provocative line
08:24and watching Colin Jost react to it. During an April 2026 weekend update,
08:29Che discussed Donald Trump attending the opening night of Chicago at the newly renamed Trump Kennedy
08:33Center. Che remarked that it was nice to see a president going to the theater,
08:37before adding... I mean, what's the worst that could happen?
08:40The reference to Abraham Lincoln's assassination was obvious,
08:44and the White House condemned the joke as disgraceful. Critics also pointed to the attempts
08:48on Trump's life during the 2024 campaign, arguing that the implication was especially reckless.
08:54Che never explicitly advocated violence, but the studio audience's loud reaction guaranteed
08:59no one missed his meaning.
09:04Kim Kardashian reveals her connection to OJ Simpson.
09:07I'm Kim Kardashian West, and it's so great to be here tonight. I know. I'm surprised to see me here,
09:13too.
09:14In her 2021 monologue, Kim Kardashian joked that her late father, Robert Kardashian,
09:19introduced the family to its first black person. Before revealing that person was disgraced NFL star
09:24and media personality OJ Simpson. She followed with wordplay about taking a, quote,
09:29stab in the dark, and whether Simpson had left a mark.
09:32Want to take a stab in the dark at who it was?
09:45Tanya Brown, the sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, called the jokes inappropriate and said her
09:50sister's killing shouldn't be treated as comedy. The connection was especially personal because
09:54Kris Jenner had been a close friend of Nicole. Kardashian's family history gave her an obvious
09:59route into the subject, but to Nicole's relatives, that same history made the decision to joke about
10:04it considerably more painful.
10:06Hey, Courtney, it's me, OJ Simpson. You know, the juice. I'm your dad's old friend.
10:10Hey, how come y'all don't invite me to anything anymore? Hey, where's everybody going?
10:14Timothee Chalamet uses Hamas as a punchline.
10:16What are you doing?
10:17I can't take it anymore. I don't have anything worth living for.
10:21Come on, man. There must be someone or something you care about.
10:25You know, I guess it's my music.
10:29Your music?
10:30Yeah, I make music. I'm too much of a coward to ever show anyone.
10:34A Please Don't Destroy sketch featuring Timothee Chalamet begins with the group discovering a
10:38distressed musician standing on a rooftop ledge. After helping him step back, they offer to promote
10:43his music online. Then he reveals that his band is named Hamas, causing them to withdraw the offer
10:50immediately.
10:51The premise was seemingly straightforward, that Chalamet's character had unknowingly chosen
11:08the worst possible name for an aspiring band. However, the sketch aired in November 2023,
11:14only weeks into the Israel-Gaza war, when Hamas and the conflict's mounting casualties were dominating
11:19the news. Whatever the intention, the timing overwhelmed every other part of the setup.
11:24What's about my mom passing? Then why does it sound like that?
11:29Oh my god! A record company wants to hear my music!
11:32There you go!
11:34Woo! No! No!
11:37All my songs were on there! Quick, put in rice!
11:40Wario on trial.
11:41Is it true, as many have put forward today, that you are evil?
11:48No, I am not evil. I just misunderstood. And some of the anti-Italian hatred in this
11:54courtroom is disgusting.
11:56Elon Musk's 2021 hosting appearance was controversial enough before he put on Wario's yellow hat.
12:02In a courtroom sketch, Musk played the Nintendo villain while on trial for Mario's death,
12:07with his then-partner Grimes appearing as Princess Peach.
12:10I hate for it to come out like this, but Luigi was sleeping with Princess Peach, Mario's wife.
12:18You and I, we never asleep together!
12:22I never attach him under the overalls.
12:25The characters used exaggerated Italian accents and references to organized crime,
12:30prompting a formal complaint from the National Italian American Foundation.
12:34Defenders responded that SNL was parodying cartoonish video game characters rather than
12:38actual Italian Americans. That distinction did little to settle the argument.
12:43Hello, I'm Governor Andrew Cuomo.
12:47And I'm a Wario.
12:49And we are two misunderstood Italian Americans.
12:53Well, I'm actually Japanese, but okay.
12:56Musk's episode had already generated backlash over its host and the Gen Z hospital sketch.
13:01But more on that later.
13:03Phoebe Bridgers smashes her guitar.
13:17Rock musicians had been destroying instruments for generations,
13:21but Phoebe Bridgers still managed to turn one broken guitar into an online battleground.
13:25For the finale of I Know the End in February 2021,
13:30Bridgers repeatedly struck her Dan Electro guitar against a prepared stage monitor,
13:34producing a shower of sparks.
13:41Music legend David Crosby admonished the display as pathetic,
13:44while other critics complained that it was wasteful and an empty imitation of an old rock cliché.
13:49Bridgers lashed out at Crosby online and explained that the equipment had been prepared for the stunt,
13:54and that the guitar company knew what she planned to do.
13:57Fans also noted that male performers had rarely faced this level of scolding for similar theatrics.
14:03Aer Lingus.
14:03How long do you reckon we'll be on the runway? What's the delay then?
14:06I heard it was a dog.
14:08Oh, here's the lady with the orange sticks now. Maybe she has more information.
14:12All right.
14:14Folks, we've got a dog on the runway.
14:16It's got sad eyes.
14:17It's the soul of Oscar Wilde, so we're going to have to wait.
14:20With Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan hosting and U2 serving as musical guest,
14:24the December 2017 episode could have been an overseas victory lap for Ireland.
14:30Then came Aer Lingus.
14:31We know what Aer Lingus sounds like.
14:33Yes, we can't get through a flight without someone making an Aer Lingus comment.
14:38You know about the word it sounds like, not saying any more about it.
14:42And the word we're talking about sort of rhymes with running,
14:45and it's about female bits and what you can do to them. But we're not saying any more about it.
14:50The sketch portrayed an Irish flight crew through exaggerated accents, potato references,
14:55and a predictable play on the airline's name. Irish viewers accused SNL of reaching for
15:00stereotypes that felt several decades out of date. Aer Lingus responded with a social media post
15:05mimicking President Trump's infamous online complaints about SNL, calling the show biased and
15:09unwatchable. The airline's comeback was shorter, sharper, and arguably better written than the
15:15sketch that provoked it.
15:16Folks, as you can see, the captain's dogs have run out of the cockpit.
15:20Folks, it'd be a great deal of help if you can grab a dog by the scruff as he passes.
15:24We could just load him back into the cockpit.
15:27Oh, look, Maeve's got her fiddle out.
15:31MAGA Outrage Over Black Jeopardy
15:48SNL's 50th anniversary special was meant to celebrate familiar characters.
15:52Instead, Tom Hanks' return as Doug from Black Jeopardy reopened a culture war argument.
15:57The original 2016 sketch found unexpected common ground between Doug, a Trump supporter,
16:02and the Black contestants around him.
16:04I have to say, it has been a pleasure.
16:06Well, you know, right back after my brother.
16:08The SNL 50 version showed Doug hesitating before shaking host Darnell Hayes' hand,
16:13adding a more explicit suggestion of racial prejudice.
16:16Conservative commentators accused Hanks and SNL of depicting Trump voters as ignorant racists.
16:21Even some liberal television personalities felt that the characterization was painted with too
16:26broad a brush. By reducing Doug to one suspicious handshake, pundits argued that the anniversary
16:31callback lost that nuance and found outrage waiting in its place.
16:35You're welcome at Black Jeopardy anytime.
16:36Oh, well, all right. Well, thank you, my brother.
16:40You know, maybe I'll start a show for you to come on and we'll call it
16:44What Jeopardy?
16:45No.
16:46We don't need it.
16:47We don't need it.
16:48Andrew Dice Clay and the boycott.
16:50Why is this happening to me?
16:52All this fuss over one stinking show, I never meant to hurt nobody.
16:58Look at me. I'm crying like a chick.
17:01Andrew Dice Clay created controversy before he even reached Studio 8H.
17:06Cast member Nora Dunn refused to participate in his 1990 episode,
17:10arguing that Clay's aggressively misogynistic act should not be legitimized by SNL.
17:14Musical guest Sinead O'Connor also withdrew, forcing the show to find replacements.
17:19Dunn received threats and hate mail, while NBC increased security and aired the episode with
17:24delay because of concerns over what Clay might say.
17:26That is Nora Dunn.
17:37Because you were never born, she was here that night
17:42and was accidentally crushed by Sinead O'Connor's amplifier.
17:47Other female cast members were criticized for remaining in the show,
17:50leaving them trapped between loyalty to their workplace and opposition to the controversial host.
17:55Clay ultimately completed the episode,
17:57but almost none of the resulting discussion concerned his actual performance.
18:01I couldn't. I'm telling you the truth.
18:03I couldn't get more PR if I took out my penis and wrapped it around a microphone stain.
18:09You know what I mean? So I ain't gonna do that. Relax.
18:12I don't believe in it. I never did. Know what I mean?
18:14Louis C.K.'s controversial monologue.
18:16The 70s, everything was different in the 70s than it is now. Except the Middle East. It's exactly the
18:21same. It's exactly the same as it was in the 70s. It's been the same fights. And you know what?
18:27It's
18:27boring now. That's the worst part of it. When I was a kid, we were like, ugh, but you can't
18:32go like
18:32this for like a thousand years.
18:35Louis C.K. was never likely to deliver a safe season finale monologue. In 2015, he moved through
18:41material about racism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before spending several minutes discussing
18:46people who abuse minors. The routine focused on how overpowering their compulsion must be if
18:51they're willing to risk imprisonment and public hatred. Audience members groaned as C.K. repeatedly
18:56returned to the subject, eventually joking that it might be his final SNL appearance.
19:00In any case, when a comedian's main safety net is predicting that he may never be invited back,
19:05the boundary has already been crossed.
19:07How do you think I feel? This is my last show, probably.
19:10C.K. would ultimately host once more in 2017, before misconduct allegations against him that
19:16year derailed his career.
19:17Bill Burr gets real after the 2024 presidential election.
19:21Oh, and two. All right, but you learn more from your losses than you win.
19:27So, let's get into the game tape. All right, ladies, enough with the pantsuit.
19:33Okay, it's not working. Stop trying to have respect for yourselves.
19:39Hosting the first SNL after Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris was always going to be a difficult
19:44assignment. Bill Burr responded by telling women they were now, quote, zero and two against Trump,
19:49and suggesting that future female candidates abandon pantsuits and use their sexuality
19:53more aggressively. He also stumbled through a line about feminists and women he considered
19:58unattractive. Okay, and I know, listen, I know a lot of ugly women, feminists, I mean,
20:02don't want to hear this message, but just tease them a little bit.
20:09Critics called the monologue misogynistic and especially insensitive only days after the election.
20:14Burr also called Trump a, quote,
20:16"...orange bigot," so the routine could hardly be classified as a MAGA endorsement.
20:20Lecturing women on how to defeat Trump was unlikely to be warmly received from a male comedian
20:26hosting a show that had just watched its own preferred candidate lose.
20:29I'll be honest with you, I can't believe Trump didn't win this thing like four months ago,
20:33you know? I know that's weird for younger people to hear, but like, when I was a kid,
20:37if you were running for president and you got shot and you didn't die,
20:42that was the end of the election. There was nothing you could say."
20:46An escalating job interview.
20:48All right, Mr. Wilson, you've done just fine on the Rorschach, your papers are in good order,
20:54the file's fine, no difficulty with your motor skills, and I think you're probably pretty ready
21:00for this job. We got one more, uh, kind of psychological test we always do here.
21:04Chevy Chase's use of the N-word in SNL's first season sounds like a case of old television aging
21:10terribly, but the context is slightly more complicated than that. In the scripted word
21:14association sketch, Chase plays a condescending interviewer testing a black job applicant,
21:19played by Richard Pryor.
21:20White, black, bean, pod.
21:25Their exchange escalates from ordinary vocabulary into racial insults,
21:29culminating in Chase using the slur and Pryor responding with a threat.
21:32Chase's character immediately backs down and offers Pryor the job. The sketch was designed
21:37as a reversal of power, exposing the insidious racism hidden beneath social niceties.
21:42Nevertheless, it is still jarring to hear a white performer say the word on network television,
21:47even in a satirical context.
21:50I think you're qualified for this job. Uh, how about a starting salary of $5,000?
21:59Yo, mama!
22:00Jimmy Fallon does blackface to impersonate Chris Rock.
22:03I got a surprise for you, Reej. Chris Rock's here.
22:06Chris Rock? Now we're talking. Where is he?
22:08Man, oh man, Reej is filming.
22:10Some SNL controversies take decades to erupt. In a 2000 sketch, Jimmy Fallon impersonated Chris
22:16Rock while wearing dark makeup. The footage resurfaced in 2020 amid racial tension in the
22:21United States, spreading rapidly online and prompting demands that Fallon address it.
22:26He apologized, calling the decision unquestionably offensive and thanking
22:30people for holding him accountable. Fallon later devoted part of his Tonight Show to a wider
22:34discussion about race, speaking with NAACP president Derek Johnson and journalist Don Lemon.
22:40Rock eventually said he didn't believe Fallon intended harm, but still described the sketch as
22:44bad comedy. Once the clip returned without the protective haze of dated cultural moors,
22:49Fallon had no punchline that could explain it away.
22:52Larry David offends everyone, then makes fun of himself.
22:55Not all, but many of them are Jews.
23:06Larry David has built an entire career around making audiences uncomfortable,
23:10but his 2017 SNL monologue tested how far that reputation could carry him.
23:15Discussing what he perceived as the seemingly overwhelming frequency
23:19of Jewish men implicated in sexual harassment scandals,
23:22David then imagined trying to flirt with women inside a concentration camp.
23:25You treating you okay? You know, if we ever get out of here,
23:32I'd love to take you out for some latkes.
23:36You like latkes? What? What'd I say? Is it me or is it the whole thing?
23:43The Anti-Defamation League was among those criticizing the material,
23:47while Defenders argued that David, who is Jewish, was employing the same bleak
23:51discomfort comedy he always had. David later revealed that SNL's censors had encouraged him
23:56to remove parts of the monologue, but he refused. The warning signs were there,
24:00but the Curb Your Enthusiasm creator had simply decided they were part of the joke.
24:04We're really going to listen to people if they don't say what's politically correct,
24:07like these comics out there who think it's okay to make jokes about concentration camps.
24:12That guy should rot in hell.
24:14Presidential Candidate Donald Trump hosts.
24:16And we're going to have a lot of fun tonight.
24:18You're a racist!
24:20Who the hell is I? I knew this was going to happen. Who is that?
24:26Trump's a racist!
24:28Before Donald Trump reached the White House, SNL made a decision that still hangs over its
24:32political reputation. Trump hosted in November 2015, despite NBC having already severed some
24:38business ties with him over his controversial remarks. Latino advocacy organizations protested,
24:43members of Congress demanded NBC reconsider, and a petition opposing the booking gathered hundreds
24:48of thousands of signatures. After DeportRacism.com offered $5,000 for calling Trump racist over
24:55his immigration rhetoric, SNL had Larry David stage the heckle.
24:58It's Larry David. What are you doing, Larry?
25:01I heard if I yelled that, they'd give me $5,000.
25:08As a businessman, I can fully respect that. That's okay.
25:12To critics, the episode did more than satirize Trump. It gave the firebrand presidential candidate
25:17a national platform, reframing his campaign as entertainment. Trump ended up winning the 2016
25:23election in an upset over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
25:27Mudang news skit. During a weekend update segment, comedian Bowen Yang dressed up like
25:31the baby hippo Mudang to humorously lament the downside of sudden fame.
25:35For the past 10 weeks, I've been going non-stop. Running around, eating lettuce,
25:42trying to bite the hose from a water, the water from a hose.
25:45It didn't end there. The comedian took it up a notch by linking Mudang's viral popularity
25:49to pop star Chapel Roan's. It was a swing at satire, but it landed awkwardly for some viewers.
25:54Critics felt it was mocking Roan's struggles, especially since she backed out of a festival
25:58to focus on her well-being.
25:59And trust me, I know I would not be in this position without my fans, my community, my
26:06Mudang boo things. While some labeled it outright offensive on X, others felt the sketch actually
26:12supported leaving celebrities alone. In a surprising twist, Roan herself later called the sketch a,
26:17quote, harmless joke. Turns out people didn't have to be so mad on her behalf.
26:24The Depp-Herd trial parody. While Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were locked in their messy
26:28defamation trial, SNL jumped right in with a sketch that didn't hold back.
26:32Look, I know it's not the most pertinent story of the moment, but with all the problems in the
26:36world, isn't it nice to have a news story we can all collectively watch and say,
26:41glad it ain't me. Styled like live courtroom footage, it featured actors playing Depp, a judge,
26:47and their lawyers. In the hands of these actors, real allegations of abuse and trauma were
26:51reduced to an infamous poop-in-the-bed incident. There you have it. They found the dookie.
26:58Objection. Your honor, that is pure speculation. Overruled. I'd like to see more of this video.
27:05Why? Because it's funny. Naturally, the internet flared up. Some slammed it for turning a serious
27:13case into a joking matter, while others even accused it of blatant bias against Heard, who wasn't even
27:18depicted. With a trial this public and intense, turning it into a comedy sketch was bound to
27:23attract controversy. SNL probably knew what they were doing. Either way, I'm just so glad this ain't
27:29me. And live from New York, it's Saturday night!
27:34Charmin Bears How wild is it that SNL dropped
27:38Charmin Bears just months after a YouTuber did almost the same thing.
27:41Honey? Everything okay?
27:46No itches, no scratch. My booty feels so snatched.
27:50In July 2022, Joel Haver uploaded an animated video about a blue cartoon bear wanting to ditch
27:55the family's toilet legacy to pursue theater.
27:58I just feel like I have so much more to offer.
28:01Wiping your butt is one of the best things you can do as a bear.
28:03Fast forward to October and SNL aired a sketch with a suspiciously similar premise with just
28:09minor differences. You are the first member of this family to go to college,
28:13and you are getting that BFA. I don't want a Bachelor of Flushing Arts.
28:18Well, I don't care what you want.
28:20While others saw it as just another SNL sketch, Haver's fans were quick to call it out.
28:24The backlash grew, especially since SNL has a not-so-great track record with plagiarism claims.
28:30Haver took the high road, saying it could just be a coincidence or subconscious inspiration,
28:35not a malicious theft. Hard to believe, right? Some viewers probably still don't buy it.
28:39Honey, you're crying!
28:41Yeah! My son is a dancer!
28:43Temple Horses Plagiarism Controversy
28:45In 2019, New York-based comedy duo Temple Horses, Nick Ruja and Ryan Hoffman accused
28:51Saturday Night Live of lifting ideas from their sketches. The first was their 2014 sketch featuring
28:56a pumpkin owner confronting customers about their inappropriate behavior with his pumpkins.
29:00Guess who rolled out a sketch with a similar premise four years later?
29:04I cannot believe I have to ask you this, but did you perform a lewd act with some of our
29:11pumpkins
29:11last night?
29:13No!
29:14No, sir!
29:15Yep, SNL. But that wasn't all. The pair also claimed that SNL's Pound Puppy sketch resembled their 2011 sketch.
29:22Both ideas present a fictional product that shields the eyes of pets during their owners' intimate moments.
29:28Once inside, you can go to town and your dog will just think there's a much larger dog in the
29:33room with him.
29:34When Ruja and Hoffman's lawyer sent a letter to NBC highlighting the similarities,
29:38NBC claimed the ideas had been independently developed by writers.
29:42Just another uncanny case of parallel thinking, right?
29:44Your dog will smile while you doggie-style. Available in the adult section of Petco.
29:50The Menendez trial. Just like with the Depp-Herd trial, SNL couldn't resist jumping on the Menendez
29:56brothers' case while public interest was still high and emotions still raw.
30:00Now, is it true your father never allowed your other two brothers, Danny and Jose Jr., out of the house?
30:08Yes.
30:09And that he never allowed them to go to school?
30:12Yes.
30:13Never had them in family pictures or mentioned them to friends?
30:17Yes.
30:17Yes.
30:18The sketch features John Malkovich as Lyle and Rob Schneider as Eric, while Mike Myers plays a TV reporter.
30:24In it, Lyle comically retracts his confession and blames the murders of his parents on imaginary brothers.
30:30So, would you please tell the court what happened to your brothers Danny and Jose Menendez Jr.?
30:40Sure, it was meant to be funny, but to some, it was cold and tasteless.
30:43Critics felt the sketch trivialized a sensitive issue that had to do with brutal murders and prolonged abuse.
30:49In 2024, the controversy flared again when SNL poked the Menendez brothers' story anew,
30:54which some found distasteful yet again.
30:56They don't know when to quit, do they?
30:58We thought people would see two doctors and start banging pots and pans together for us, like during the pandemic.
31:04Instead, people keep yelling things like, you're innocent and you're so hot.
31:08The White Lotus parody
31:09A joke might seem harmless, but when you're the target, it can hit pretty hard.
31:13In April 2025, SNL aired a political parody on HBO's hit show The White Lotus, but one part didn't sit
31:20right.
31:20Hello? Earth to Donald?
31:24It's your wife Melania, are you okay?
31:28Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah, sorry, I...
31:30In it, Sarah Sherman plays Amy Lou Wood's character Chelsea with ridiculously large fake teeth and an over-the-top
31:37British accent.
31:37What if we took all the fluoride out of the drinking water?
31:41But what would that do to people's teeth?
31:43Fluoride?
31:44That's fat.
31:45Even for SNL, it felt like a cheap shot. Wood did not find it funny.
31:49She took to her Instagram story to call the sketch mean and unfunny.
31:52Fans rallied behind her and the backlash began.
31:55Eventually, SNL apologized and Sherman sent flowers to Wood.
31:58But still, maybe next time, leave people's features out of comedy.
32:01Especially when they've openly shared how sensitive it is for them.
32:05No! Not the monkey!
32:08Alec Baldwin vs. The Scouts
32:10Canteen Boy was a recurring SNL character in the 90s,
32:13played by Adam Sandler as a clueless man-child who never outgrows the Boy Scouts.
32:18Canteen Boy, come over here!
32:20Hang on a sec, fellas.
32:21Fellas, I got a bit of a situation over here.
32:24You can relax, Canteen Boy. That thing's made of wood.
32:30So it is.
32:31During one Valentine's Day episode hosted by Alec Baldwin, things got weird.
32:36Baldwin plays Mr. Armstrong,
32:38a scoutmaster who flirts and makes suggestive moves toward Canteen Boy, all played for laughs.
32:43I'm sorry, Canteen Boy. My beard is scratchy, isn't it?
32:48No harm done.
32:49Some viewers were creeped out by it, turning off the show mid-air.
32:53Even the Boy Scouts of America blasted it for making light of abuse.
32:56A disclaimer now appears in reruns of this sketch, clarifying that Canteen Boy is actually 27.
33:02But for some, it's still a sour note. Even goofy jokes don't sit well, especially when they seem to
33:07tiptoe into predatory territory.
33:09Hey, you know what? The park ranger just called.
33:12Uh, he said one camper per sleeping bag.
33:14Sorry. Adios, amigos.
33:17God, you make me laugh, Canteen Boy.
33:21Wayne's World vs. Chelsea Clinton.
33:23SNL has taken plenty of shots at Hillary Clinton over the years, but one sketch crossed a line
33:28she couldn't ignore. In a 1992 episode, Wayne and Garth listed the top 10 things they liked about
33:33Bill Clinton.
33:34Okay, number 10, all right? Universal health care.
33:38I don't know, it just seems to make sense in these days, that's all.
33:41One entry stood out for all the wrong reasons. This item named Chelsea basically made fun of the then
33:4712-year-old Chelsea Clinton by implying she wasn't much to look at. It was mean-spirited
33:51and inappropriate, sparking instant backlash. Hillary even penned a letter to SNL creator
33:56Lorne Michaels expressing her disapproval. Mike Myers later wrote a letter of apology,
34:01and the joke was removed from reruns.
34:03It sucks donkey.
34:04It sucks rhino.
34:05It sucks woolly mammoth.
34:08Taking a shot at a public figure is one thing, but dragging their child into it? That's just low.
34:13The nude beach.
34:14Way back in 1988, SNL aired a sketch that pushed the boundary of what was acceptable
34:19on TV at the time.
34:20Uh, come on. Is this great or what, huh?
34:24I don't know. I feel a little self-conscious, Bob. I mean, I've never been to a nude beach before.
34:29Doug, come on. Will you stop with this? You have nothing to worry about.
34:33In the sketch, Matthew Broderick plays Doug, a newcomer to a nudist beach who feels self-conscious
34:38about his body. Meanwhile, other characters casually and repeatedly comment on each other's genitalia.
34:43So, Doug, where are you from?
34:45Montpelier, Vermont.
34:47Ooh, cold up there. Must be tough on your penis, huh?
34:50The sketch even ends with a humorous song, repeating a certain word over and over. It was
34:56bound to ruffle some feathers, and it did. SNL reportedly received 46,000 letters, largely
35:02driven by a Christian nonprofit group's campaign. The fallout didn't stop there. The uproar also
35:07cost SNL major advertisers, proving once again that pushing buttons comes with a price.
35:12So, to those of you who missed the point, grow up. Really, come on.
35:16The Claudine Lange Invitational
35:18SNL didn't start pissing off people today. It's been stirring the pot since 1976,
35:23barely a year after the show debuted.
35:25Well, we certainly have a beautiful day for it, Tom.
35:28Right you are, Jessica.
35:29One of its earliest scandals came from a sketch poking fun at Claudine Lange,
35:33a French pop star accused of shooting her boyfriend, a ski legend. In this sketch,
35:37skiers tumble down slopes while Saturday Night Live announcers jokingly blame each fall on
35:42Lange's accidental shots.
35:48Around that time, Lange had just received a 30-day sentence for accidentally killing
35:53Spider Savage. The public was outraged, and SNL dove right into the drama. Lange's lawyer did not
35:59find it funny. He sent SNL a cease and desist letter, and the sketch show was forced to offer
36:04his first on-air apology.
36:06Oh well, this has been Tom Tymon.
36:08And Jessica Antler Dance.
36:10Here in Vail, Colorado at the Claudine Lange Invitational.
36:13Ski shooting, that's very funny.
36:17The rise and fall of Shane Gillis.
36:19Most of you probably have no idea who I am.
36:22I was actually, I was fired from this show a while ago, but if, you know,
36:29don't look that up, please.
36:31The stand-up comedian and podcaster definitely wasn't the first SNL cast member to be fired from
36:36the show, but it's safe to say that he is the most prominent. Slated to appear on SNL's 45th
36:42season premiere in 2019, Gillis was quickly ejected from the cast following accusations of
36:48making racist remarks on a podcast appearance a few years earlier.
36:51I probably shouldn't be up here, honestly. I should be home. I should be,
36:55I should be a high school football coach. That's what I should be.
36:59Gillis' comedy career didn't suffer permanent damage,
37:02and he was even invited to host SNL on multiple occasions since.
37:06But the controversy doesn't end there. During his monologue of his October 2026 hosting gig,
37:12Gillis made a quote-unquote joke that was called out as sexist by the audience at large.
37:17Also, I haven't been to the gym in so long, I didn't know women just dress like whores now.
37:23Look, I'm sorry, there's no other way to describe.
37:26Have you seen it? I've seen it. The shorts? Have you seen the shorts?
37:30Those neon, they're like the only, they're like artificial bait colored.
37:34Many stars have fired back at him following the episode,
37:37and fans are left wondering if SNL will continue to platform Gillis in the future.
37:53If you'll recall, the former Denver Broncos superstar signature move is literally kneeling
37:59in prayer. This made him a ripe target for SNL, which poked fun at the quarterback's devout
38:04Christianity in 2011. The sketch itself was fairly tame, with cast member Jason Sudeikis
38:10portraying a version of Jesus visiting the Broncos dressing room.
38:12Yes, I, Jesus Christ, am indeed the reason you've won your past six football games, okay?
38:18I knew it!
38:18Whoa, Tim, easy, easy.
38:20However, the response from the Christian community was far from gracious.
38:24Veteran televangelist Pat Robertson and Fox News analyst Bob Beckel were among those who
38:29criticized the comedy show for its perceived blasphemy. Expanding on the issue, Beckel opined
38:34that, quote, there's nothing funny about commercializing Christianity.
38:37I'm serious, man. Matt Prater? I pray to you, brother.
38:41Wow, you pray to me? I didn't know that.
38:43Well, yeah, you know, that's because I'm not in everyone's face about it.
38:47Woody Harrelson uses SNL as a soapbox.
38:50Lained against a tree and started to read the craziest script.
38:56Okay, full disclosure, I smoked a joint first.
39:00The outspoken multiple-Oscar nominee is no stranger to controversy. Once arrested in
39:05Kentucky for planting hemp seeds, it might not come as a total surprise that Harrelson
39:09found himself the subject of backlash following remarks made during his 2022 SNL monologue.
39:15The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all
39:21the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes.
39:26The actor and former Cheers star quickly veered into conspiracy theory territory,
39:30metaphorically referring to the American government as a, quote, cartel forcing, quote,
39:36drugs — in this case, the COVID-19 vaccine — onto an unsuspecting public.
39:40Having previously been criticized for promoting such conspiracies on his social media accounts,
39:45Harrelson was roundly reprimanded for spreading disinformation.
39:48I threw the script away. I mean, who is gonna believe that crazy idea of being forced to do drugs?
39:56I do that voluntarily all day long.
39:59Trying to tackle the Try Guys.
40:01First off, Eugene, Zach, Keith, it's an honor.
40:07Thank you. This is, yeah, it's just surreal. There's a lot of anger on this couch.
40:14You guys remember this, right? It was all over the internet in September 2022. The Try Guys,
40:19a group of four male YouTubers, were rocked by scandal when it was revealed that Ned Fulmer,
40:24one of their members, had had an affair with one of their production company's employees.
40:28Was this affair non-consensual?
40:30No. Worse. He committed the heinous act of having a consensual kiss and not telling us his friends.
40:40The fallout sent shockwaves across the web as fans tried to reconcile their squeaky clean image with
40:46Fulmer's betrayal. Of course, SNL had to cover it in some way, but still caught serious flack for it.
40:51Writing for Mashable, Elizabeth DeLuna chastised the show for, quote,
40:55condoning brazen workplace misconduct and, quote,
40:59misunderstanding the Try Guys' brand and fandom.
41:01What now?
41:02Well, we've conducted an internal review with a team of HR professionals
41:06and are no longer working with white guy, wife guy, Try Guy Ned.
41:11Dave Chappelle's monologue results in backlash.
41:13Early in my career, I learned that there are two words in the English language that you should never
41:19say together in sequence, and those words are the and juice.
41:25Ever the provocateur, Chappelle on SNL is always must-see TV. Having previously hosted two episodes
41:31following major U.S. electoral events, both admirers and detractors eagerly awaited his takes.
41:37However, his November 2022 hosting appearance took a slightly different turn, focusing on other recent news.
41:44Kanye's gotten into some scrapes before, and normally when he's in trouble, I pull up immediately.
41:49But this time, I was like, you know what? Let me see what's gonna happen first.
41:52In his somewhat bizarre and disjointed monologue, the notorious comedian addressed then-recent accusations
41:58of anti-Semitism directed at Kanye West and NBA player Kyrie Irving.
42:03Chappelle faced criticism from Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt for lacking
42:08sensitivity and nuance, as well as for not strongly disavowing the men's remarks.
42:13I had so many questions. Why do some of your people dress like Run-DMC?
42:17Safelite Auto Glass
42:18At Safelite, we know how busy life can be. This girl was heading to play in the state championship
42:24when their windshield got a crack.
42:25For the uninitiated, Safelite was probably the last company anyone would expect the show to poke fun at,
42:30considering their main business is selling and fixing car windshields.
42:34The premise of a 2017 sketch parodied Safelite's previous commercials,
42:38with Beck Bennett portraying a Safelite technician who uncomfortably
42:42hits on a customer's underage daughter in progressively creepier ways.
42:45How did the game go?
42:46We won!
42:48Wow, the windshield looks brand new. Thanks for your help.
42:51Bye!
42:52Wait, how close was the game?
42:53We demolished them.
42:55Good job!
42:56Safelite responded negatively on Twitter,
42:58expressing disappointment at the show's portrayal of its employees,
43:01and calling it, quote,
43:02not cool.
43:03In response, NBC swiftly but quietly removed the clip from all of its official platforms.
43:09A brand new windshield.
43:10You know, I came out at halftime and it was cracked again.
43:13No worries. So, who won the game this time?
43:16We destroyed them.
43:18The ADL takes issue with a cold open.
43:20I yield my time back to Miss Stefanik.
43:23Damn it!
43:24I am here today because hate speech has no place on college campuses.
43:30When a show tackles hot-button issues on a weekly basis, it's bound to rile some people up.
43:35On December 5th, 2023, the United States Congress held a hearing about anti-Semitism
43:40on American college campuses in the wake of the October 7th Hamas-led attack on Israel,
43:44and subsequent related protests.
43:46Hate speech belongs in Congress, on Elon Musk's Twitter, in private dinners with my donors,
43:55and in public speeches by my work husband, Donald Trump.
43:59On December 9th, SNL began a parody of this hearing,
44:02with cast member Chloe Trost portraying U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik.
44:06The sketch took aim at Stefanik and the Republican Party at large for being vocal about this issue,
44:11but choosing to remain silent about other similar topics.
44:14SNL took heat on social media from the Anti-Defamation League,
44:18New York Post, and Republican politicians about their handling of the issue.
44:22This is personal for me. While I am not Jewish, I'm Roman Catholic.
44:27ISIS recruitment sketch.
44:28Well, this is it.
44:31You need any help with your bag?
44:33No, that's all right. I got it.
44:35How about some walking around money?
44:36Dad, it's okay.
44:37Did anyone see where this one was going when they first saw it?
44:40Host Dakota Johnson and SNL cast member Taryn Killam play a dad-daughter duo.
44:45Killam is seemingly dropping Johnson's character off at college
44:48in a parody of a 2015 Super Bowl ad for Toyota.
44:51You be careful, okay?
44:54Dad, it's just ISIS.
44:56When a truck full of arms-toting ISIS militants pulls up,
44:59it's pretty clear that Johnson's not going to college.
45:02SNL audiences didn't quite warm up to this absurd heightened spoof
45:05that leans heavily into dark comedy.
45:07The sketch was roundly criticized by social media users,
45:10with one person writing on Twitter, now X,
45:13I say this as a lifelong SNL fan.
45:16The ISIS commercial was in poor taste.
45:18Scratch that.
45:19Horrible taste.
45:20Take care of her.
45:23Death to America.
45:24Gen Z Hospital.
45:26Doctor, please tell us what's up with our bestie.
45:29You all might want to sit down.
45:31What I have to say right now, I'd be a little cringe.
45:33Just give us a tea.
45:34Elon Musk is a divisive public figure, to say the least.
45:38His SNL hosting gig on May 8, 2021, was no less polarizing than one would expect.
45:44While Musk's comedic chops received predictably mixed reviews,
45:47one sketch in particular stood out with regard to the controversy it raised.
45:51Your bestie took a major L while driving her Hellcat.
45:54Yeah, we saw.
45:55We tried everything we couldn't.
45:57Viewers were critical of Gen Z Hospital for its attempt to satirize contemporary trends.
46:02Beyond that, the sketch came under fire for its perceived attacks on
46:05African-American vernacular English.
46:07Michael Che, who claimed credit for writing Gen Z Hospital,
46:11responded via social media, stating that he was unaware of the term's existence
46:15and insisting he meant no offense.
46:18Unfortunately, not right now, bro.
46:20You know the vibes.
46:22But I promise, if anything changes, I'll pull up.
46:26Say less, bro.
46:27Pete Davidson vs. Dan Crenshaw.
46:29As we said, the midterm elections are next week.
46:32Here with his first impressions of some of the candidates, it's Pete Davidson.
46:35Whoever said SNL never had an effect on American politics?
46:39Okay, maybe no one ever said that,
46:41but it is slightly amusing to think that this weekend update segment
46:44is likely what got Congressman Dan Crenshaw elected.
46:47So the midterm elections are obviously a huge deal.
46:50And after I had to move back with my mom, I started paying attention to them.
46:59She's loving it.
47:00As part of a bit in which Davidson roasted GOP hopefuls
47:03who were up for 2018's midterm elections,
47:05the King of Staten Island star referred to the then-candidate Crenshaw as, well…
47:10Oh, hold on.
47:12You may be surprised to hear he's a congressional candidate from Texas
47:16and not a hitman in a porno movement.
47:19Left and right-wing publications alike criticized Davidson for mocking
47:23not only a military veteran, but a person with a disability.
47:26Crenshaw later appeared on the show to roast Davidson right back,
47:29after which the comedian apologized.
47:32Thank you so much for coming.
47:33Thanks for making a Republican look good.
47:36You gotta stop saying that, man.
47:39You've been saying it all day.
47:41President Trump airs his grievances via Twitter.
47:44You did the best tweet.
47:45I mean, wow, what a great, smart tweet.
47:48It's a never-ending cycle.
47:50SNL and Alec Baldwin mocked Donald Trump during a skit,
47:53prompting the president to rage on Twitter.
47:56In turn, this provides SNL material for a future sketch,
47:59ensuring they never run out of jokes to make at Donald Trump's expense.
48:04Tell me about your Twitter bio.
48:05It says liberalism is a mental illness.
48:09Whoa, I just got retweeted.
48:12Eventually, this cycle went meta, resulting in Donald Trump blasting SNL on Twitter
48:16about a skit making fun of how Trump uses the platform.
48:20Baldwin would play the role until 2020,
48:23at which point, incoming cast member and viral Trump impressionist
48:26James Austin Johnson filled his shoes.
48:29Actually, that's not why I do it.
48:30I do it because my brain is bad.
48:34But I promise I'm done retweeting.
48:37I'm ready to buckle down and get to work.
48:39Adrian Brody goes Jamaican
48:41After winning an Oscar for his fantastic turn in Roman Polanski's The Pianist,
48:46Adrian Brody seemed to try everything in his power to squander that momentum.
48:51Besides giving Halle Berry an impromptu kiss at the Oscars,
48:54the talented actor's improv skills were called into question on Saturday Night Live.
48:59While hosting a 2003 episode,
49:01Brody donned fake dreadlocks and tried out a Jamaican accent
49:05before introducing reggae musician Sean Paul.
49:08Brody has yet to re-host SNL, suggesting that Lorne Michaels was far from impressed.
49:18When Down Syndrome was the punchline.
49:20You know what this song reminds me of?
49:22What?
49:22My dad.
49:23Humor works best when it's at the expense of someone else.
49:26So, over the years, Saturday Night Live has poked fun at nearly everyone.
49:31Still, why Down Syndrome?
49:33He was running in the grass and chasing squirrels.
49:35The Danny's song skit centers around a group of friends sitting at a bar,
49:40fondly reminiscing about a few unsavory memories.
49:43It's the first day I ever thought to myself, just,
49:46I have a dad, and not, I have a dad with Down Syndrome.
49:50John Coleman, the CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society,
49:54wrote a scathing letter to Lorne Michaels,
49:57criticizing the sketch as insensitive and derogatory.
50:01NBC replied with an apology and thanked Coleman for sharing his concerns with them.
50:06He left browns.
50:07In the morning when I rise.
50:10Martin Lawrence.
50:11Nowadays, it might be hard to believe,
50:13but there was a time when Martin Lawrence owned Hollywood.
50:17Man, man, oh man, look at all these white people.
50:19The Martin series was hugely popular,
50:22and he even made the jump to the big screen with Bad Boys and Nothing to Lose.
50:26Despite being one of the hottest comedians of the 90s,
50:29Lawrence was banned from SNL due to an offensive monologue,
50:32delivered while hosting a 1994 episode.
50:36The rambling intro spends an absurd amount of time lambasting women
50:39for not taking proper care of themselves, prompting SNL to ban the comedian.
50:44It was a frank and lively presentation and nearly cost us all our jobs.
50:48We now return to the conclusion of Martin's monologue.
50:52Tiger Woods sketch mocking domestic violence.
50:55I offer my profound apology for these multiple transgressions.
51:00Multiple? So it happened more than once?
51:04Did I say multiple?
51:05Mocking Tiger Woods is perfectly fine.
51:08Saturday Night Live would have been crazy to not write a skit after the infidelity scandal broke out.
51:13During 2009's Thanksgiving weekend, Elin Nordegren chased her husband with a golf club
51:18before Woods crashed his car and was temporarily knocked out.
51:22I was disoriented from the fall, so I stumbled to the other side of our house,
51:26and I launched myself through a plate glass window.
51:30Yeah, this is what happened.
51:32While Florida Highway Patrol found no evidence of domestic violence,
51:36SNL turned it into the punchline, with Kenan Thompson's Tiger Woods
51:39trying to excuse his progressively worsening injuries.
51:42Uh, this is all my fault. Uh, believe it or not, I actually ran over myself.
51:48The sketch was criticized for suggesting that domestic violence is funny when the husband is the victim.
51:54So, uh, this time I have a prepared written statement which I shall stick to.
52:01David Spade mocks Eddie Murphy's career.
52:04Celebrities and politicians are fair game, but you should never throw one of your own under the bus.
52:09Look, children, it's a falling star. Make a wish.
52:11David Spade and Lorne Michaels learned that the hard way
52:14when a brief Hollywood Minute segment ruined the show's relationship with Eddie Murphy.
52:19SNL owes a lot to the legendary comedian, which explains why Murphy was shocked and hurt
52:24when Spade joked that his career was on the downturn.
52:28After two commercial misses, the last thing Eddie Murphy needed
52:31was for his ex-employer to kick him while he was down.
52:34You make a Hollywood Minute omit, you break some eggs.
52:3720 years later, they finally put their bad blood to bed.
52:41This show is such a big part of who I am in my life, and I'm so happy to be
52:46back here,
52:47and, uh, it's just a magical feeling. It actually feels like going back to my old high school, kind of.
52:52Jesus Uncrossed
52:54Guess who's back.
52:58Christoph Waltz is Jesus H. Christ in Jesus Uncrossed.
53:03The trailer spoofs Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained and Inglourious Bastards by portraying a
53:08renegade version of Jesus who's out for revenge against the Romans who killed him.
53:13Jesus H. Christ.
53:15The age is silent.
53:16In the twist of the decade, a few religious groups did not take kindly to this over-the-top depiction
53:22of their lord and savior.
53:23When you get to heaven, say hi to my dad.
53:26SNL angered both Muslims and Christians, prompting the Council on American-Islamic relations to publicly lambaste Jesus Uncrossed as distasteful
53:35and disrespectful.
53:36We doubt anyone involved was surprised by the outrage.
53:40Jesus Uncrossed.
53:42No more Mr. Nice Jesus.
53:45Laughing at a New York governor with a visual disability.
53:49Here to publicly address the issue is New York governor, David Patterson.
53:56Over the decades, Saturday Night Live has supplied great satire on America's political system,
54:02but their Governor Patterson sketch is not one of them.
54:04Since the politician is legally blind, Patterson does require assistance with some tasks, but otherwise is self-sufficient.
54:13SNL portrayed the governor as a Mr. Magoo-type character, stumbling into and ruining a few different skits.
54:18If you don't believe me, take a look at this graph that I got here.
54:24The governor was not pleased with the gag, explaining that it perpetuates the stereotype that the visually impaired
54:30cannot carry out even the most basic of functions.
54:33Whoever is appointed senator must, like me, be caught totally off guard and be comically unprepared to take office.
54:41Norm Macdonald angers NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer.
54:44There are two things that I've never done.
54:46It's beat a woman and bury all my money in the backyard.
54:49Lorne Michaels tends to have complete control over the comings and goings of SNL's cast, but there was a time
54:54when it was taken away from him.
54:56During the O.J. Simpson trial, SNL was known for portraying the naked gun actor as guilty,
55:01including remarks leveled by Norm Macdonald during his Weekend Update segment.
55:06Show me the money! Show me the money! Who saw that movie?
55:10Rumors suggest that these jokes annoyed Don Ohlmeyer, NBC's West Coast Division president and
55:16Simpson's friend, leading to the comedian's dismissal.
55:20McDonald definitely believed this was the case, but it was never outright confirmed.
55:25It's just a matter of opinion. He also thinks that O.J. is innocent.
55:30Before we continue, be sure to check out WatchMojo's 24-hour livestream.
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55:39Are you not entertained?
55:42Sinead O'Connor takes on the Pope.
55:45Everywhere is war.
55:48Even after all these years, this still easily stands out as Saturday Night Live's most infamous moment.
55:54Sinead O'Connor had already garnered a reputation as a musician who's willing to rock the boat,
55:59but that was taken into overdrive in 1992. After performing a cover of Bob Marley's War,
56:06the singer tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II while demanding that people fight the real enemy.
56:13Fight the real enemy!
56:15The moment did not help O'Connor's career,
56:17and Joe Pesci jokingly threatened physical violence during the next SNL episode.
56:22I would have grabbed her by her eyebrows.
56:26From political cameos to sketches that aged terribly,
56:30tell us which SNL controversy you think crossed the line in the comments.