17 Really, Really, Really Controversial Things That Actually Aired On "Saturday Night Live"

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1. This past Saturday, comedian and almost-SNL-cast-member Shane Gillis hosted SNL and made a joke — if you can even call it that— about women at the gym during his monologue. After discussing being a "fat guy" at the gym around "the hottest gay guys you've ever seen," he went on to awkwardly comment on women's bodies, saying, "I haven't been to the gym in so long, I didn't know women just dress like whores now."

ICYMI, Gillis was hired as a featured player for SNL back in 2019, but his offer was rescinded rather quickly after podcast clips emerged of Gillis making racist remarks towards East Asians. Nonetheless, he returned for his third time hosting SNL since his firing and, unsurprisingly, sparked a bunch more online backlash in his appearance. Continuing his same monologue, Gillis went on to describe women's workout shorts as "artificial bait-colored" and visualize the way the wrinkles of the shorts go "around the cheeks and all combine at the butthole," defensively adding on that "you're not allowed to look."

Gillis then went on to talk about his "two big, fat, bitch sisters" and how "you're either gay or you're Hitler" in today's America. Even SNL's band in the back wasn't having it...

In addition to online outrage, former SNL host Dan Levy publicly commented on the monologue, saying, "Women wearing short shorts to the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them whores misogynists, there's a difference there… By the way, I've seen more men's nipples at the gym that I've ever seen women showing their bodies off." He additionally called for men to stand up and defend women, saying this isn't a women's issue, but an "everybody issue." Former cast member Ego Nwodim also addressed Gillis' comments, posting an Instagram story of her in workout clothes captioned "whore reporting for duty."

2. In 1994, Martin Lawrence went off script during his opening monologue, very boldly sharing his personal experiences and opinions on women's hygiene. Lawrence commented on oral sex with women who have yeast infections, saying, "some women'll let you go down, you know what I'm sayin', knowin' they got a yeast infection... Come up with dough all on your damn lip... Got a bagel and a croissant on your lip."

Because of network policy, this part of the monologue has been edited out of reruns of the episode since it originally aired in 1994. Instead, the following graphics are displayed in its place, explaining that SNL takes "no stand on this issue one way or the other," and describing the omitted parts of Lawrence's speech. It goes on to call what occurred a "frank and lively presentation" that "nearly cost us all our jobs."

In response to his ad-lib, NBC canceled Lawrence's upcoming appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as Lawrence broke his agreement with the studio not to use certain language on-air, and that Jay Leno strongly opposed the cancellation.

3. In 2003, Adrien Brody hosted SNL and took some, uh, artistic liberties while introducing musical guest Sean Paul, who is from Jamaica. Brody donned fake dreadlocks and spoke in a stereotypical Jamaican accent, swinging his wig back and forth while muttering almost unintelligible phrases like "Rastafara, y'know?" for about 45 seconds straight.

It seems Brody's week on SNL was quite a chore for the crew, too. On a 2010 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Tina Fey — who'd been headwriter of SNL during the time of Brody's appearance — mouthed Brody's name after being asked who was the show's worst host.

4. In 1982, SNL guest Andy Kaufman did a controversial impression of Elvis on the show, in which Elvis asked two women to wrestle with only their underwear on. Kaufman abruptly broke character, removing his wig and apologizing to the audience. He stated that the sketch was based on a controversial book that had recently been released about the Rock 'n' Roll icon, and that he both disapproved of the book and the sketch. Unfortunately for Kaufman, the damage had already been done.

Later that same season, executive producer Dick Ebersol had viewers vote on whether to keep Andy Kaufman on the show or ban him from ever returning. Fans could voice their stance by calling one of two phone lines, and the show actually tallied the votes for their final decision. With a tally of 169,186 votes to 195,544, Kaufman was banned. He did reportedly continued to appear in spoof ads arguing for his return, but never made a return to the live broadcast.

5. In 1992, Mike Myers and Dan Carvey starred in a "Wayne's World" sketch that poked fun at Bill Clinton's then-12-year-old daughter, Chelsea Clinton. In the sketch, Wayne and Garth list the top 10 things they like about Bill Clinton, and at #2 on the list, Wayne comments that "adolescence has been thus far unkind" to Chelsea, but that he thinks she's "going to be a future fox."

It aired in full in the original episode, but all future re-runs and online uploads of the sketch have edited the bit out, skipping from point #3 straight to #1. Hillary Clinton commented on the joke in a Redbook interview, saying, "I think it’s sad that people don’t have anything better to do than be mean to a child... I’m going to do everything I can to help Chelsea be strong enough not to let what other people say about her affect her." Bill Clinton added on in a People interview, saying he didn't mind jokes about him on the show, "...but I think you gotta be pretty insensitive to make fun of an adolescent child."

Mike Meyers reportedly wrote a personal letter apologizing to Chelsea and her parents, and Lorne Michaels himself issued a public apology.

6. In 2000, Jimmy Fallon did blackface while portraying ex-cast member Chris Rock. In the sketch, he spoke to Regis Philbin about Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, saying, "Not a lot of Black folks on the show, know why? 'Cause Black folks don't like to answer questions." He continued, "They wanna be millionaires, but you gotta ask their kind of questions, like, 'In 1981, how many grams of crack did Rick James smoke when he recorded 'Super Freak'?'"

The clip, which resurfaced in 2020, went viral online and sparked massive backlash against the late-night host. Fallon addressed the sketch in a tweet, saying, "In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface. There is no excuse for this. I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable."

7. In 1981, Charles Rocket dropped an F-bomb while in character at the tail end of the episode. The episode's host, Charlene Tilton, asked how he felt, and to the horror of his castmates, Rocket responded, "Oh man, it's the first time I've ever been shot in my life. I'd like to know who the fuck did it."

Rocket's actions led to his eventual dismissal, massive behind-the-scenes restructuring, and a month-long hiatus, as the show's sixth season was not well received by viewers. SNL's original headwriter, Michael O'Donoghue, returned, and — as told in Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live — he said, "Everybody on the show sucks, except for [Eddie] Murphy... You [Murphy] make me laugh sometimes. But everybody else, you do nothing for me." The show eventually returned for the season's finale, which had no host and featured an unusual combination of preexisting cast members and new additions to the team.

8. In 1980 — once again, the seemingly cursed sixth season of the show — a sketch called "Commie Hunting Season" somehow made it to air, which is described by SNL as "rednecks go hunting for communists." The three-minute sketch features some very casual usage of the N-word, as one hunter says, "Well hell, Jim Bob, alls you've got to do is shoot yourself a Jew or a [n-word]."

There is a long pause following that line, and those on stage and in the audience were quiet enough to hear a pin drop after it was uttered. The sketch, uncensored, was uploaded to on SNL's official YouTube page in 2013.

9. In 1996, Rage Against the Machine was the musical guest alongside billionaire and then-Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes. In protest, the band tried to perform with upside-down American flags hanging from their amps, but they were removed by the crew prior to air.

This occurred during the band's first song of the night, and in a seldom-seen turn of events, they did not return for their second number, nor did they take the stage alongside the show's host for the goodnight segment at the end of the episode, as is customary. In the Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music documentary, the band's guitarist Tom Morello shared that Rage Against the Machine was detained by Secret Service in their dressing room following their first number.

"A representative of SNL [came] to the door and [said], 'Looks like the show’s running a little long, and we’re gonna cut your second number.' And then they [left] us alone. That was their mistake," Morello said. He explained that bassist Timmy Commerford then tore up one of the American flags, tied it into a ball, and allegedly went to attack Forbes in his dressing room. While Forbes wasn't there, his family was, and so they were the targets of his frustration. While he didn't do any actual physical damage with it being a balled-up piece of fabric, the outburst prompted Secret Service's response.

10. In 1994, Alec Baldwin and Adam Sandler starred in this "Canteen Boy and the Scoutmaster" sketch, in which Baldwin played a scoutmaster who repeatedly made inappropriate sexual advances on a boy scout in his troop. In the sketch, the scoutmaster leans in close and nuzzles the side of Canteen Boy's face, and after Canteen Boy becomes visibly uncomfortable and says he'll "take a rain check," Baldwin's scoutmaster rips open his own shirt.

The sketch understandably not only received a ton of backlash, but also got a response from the Boy Scouts of America. In a Chicago Sun-Times article, a Boy Scounts representative said, "We see nothing funny about child molestation, and are surprised that this unfunny subject would be selected for a comedy sketch."

The sketch reportedly still appears in re-airings of the original episode with a title card saying the sketch "is based on actual events" and Canteen Boy is "a highly intelligent though quite eccentric 27-year-old who still lives with his mother, and who, despite his age, remains active in scouting," as was canonized in previous Canteen Boy sketches.

11. In 1992, Sinéad O'Connor made headlines by concluding her a capella performance of Bob Marley's song, "War," by shredding a photo of Pope John Paul II into pieces and telling the camera, "Fight the real enemy." O'Connor's protest was intended to draw attention to child abuse in the Catholic Church, especially in Ireland, where she is from. O’Connor spent time as a teenager in Magdalene asylum, an institution for "wayward or promiscuous youth", with allegations of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of children by clergymembers.

O'Connor pretty immediately faced backlash, both from enraged viewers — NBC allegedly received feedback from "nearly a thousand angry callers" — and celebrities alike. Madonna reportedly told the Irish Times, "I think there is a better way to present her ideas rather than ripping up an image that means a lot to other people." Joe Pesci, who hosted SNL the week after O'Connor's performance, addressed the incident in his opening monologue, too. He held the now taped-together photo of the Pope up to the camera and said, "I thought that was wrong," then went on to describe what he'd do to O'Connor if she'd done that during his episode.

12. In 1990, there was a "Chippendales Audition" sketch that largely poked fun at cast member Chris Farley's body compared to host Patrick Swayze's toned abs. In it, the two danced in classic Chippendales fashion against each other, before the judges ultimately chose Swayze's character for his "lean, muscular, healthy physique," whereas Farley's was described as "fat and flabby." Interestingly, this sketch in particular is one that several people behind the scenes at SNL have expressed regret over.

Bob Odenkirk, who was a writer on the show at the time, said, "F--- that sketch" in his 2022 autobiography, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama, noting that it was Farley's "first breakout moment" on the show. "It was a huge bummer to me to see that scene get on the air and get such attention. I know it confirmed Chris's worst instincts about being funny, which was how he proved his worth — that getting laughed at was as good as getting a laugh," he continued. "Chris flopping his overstuffed body around [is what made people laugh]. I feel like I can see it on his face in the moment when he rips his shirt off. Shame and laughter are synthesized in the worst way."

Chris Rock also has voiced his distaste for the sketch. On The Howard Stern Show, he said, "Here's the thing: The sketch is funny. I'm not going to say Farley dancing as a Chippendales dancer isn't funny. But at the end of the sketch, the guy comes up to Farley and goes, 'You're fat, disgusting.'" He continued, "He felt ugly, he didn't feel attractive. He didn't feel like people really wanted to be around him and that sketch kind of fed into that." Farley battled alcohol, drug, and food addiction throughout his life and was in and out of rehab for several years. He unfortunately died in 1997 at just 33 years old of a drug overdose.

13. In 1993, Cypress Hill was the musical guest for an episode of SNL alongside host Shannen Doherty. When it was time for their second performance of the night, which was "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That," DJ Muggs — unbeknownst to the crew — started smoking weed live on air. He said, "They said I couldn't light my joint, you know what I'm sayin'? But we ain't goin' out like that!"

The band also concluded their performance by trashing their instruments. They did, in fact, go out like that, as it's rumored the performance got them banned from the show. Since 1993, they've never been invited back.

14. In a 2010 "Weekend Update" segment, cast member Fred Armisen did an impression of then-New York governor David Paterson, who is blind. The bit repeatedly poked fun at Paterson's disability, as Armisen squinted his way through the segment and struggled to face the right direction when entering.

According to the New York Times, the governor's office issued a statement about the impression, saying "this particular Saturday Night Live skit, unfortunately, chose to ridicule people with physical disabilities and imply that disabled people are incapable of having jobs with serious responsibilities."

However, it seems like ammends have been made, as the former governor eventually appeared on "Weekend Update" alongside Armisen, who was once again doing a Paterson impression. Paterson referred to himself as "the real deal, not some cheap imitation" and commented on Arimsen's beard, saying, "I shaved that off a year ago, are you blind?" He went on to say, "While I have a good sense of humor, jokes that degrade people just for their disabilities are sophomoric and stupid."

15. In 1981, Fear caused a bit of a riot on stage during their performance, which ultimately led to them being cut mid-set during the season's Halloween episode. The punk band wasn't a household name at the time, but allegedly former cast member John Belushi was a massive fan and got them booked. It's rumored that Belushi had punk fans bused in for the taping, attempting to give it a more authentic feel, but the decision ultimately backfired in an absolutely massive way.

The band goaded New Yorkers by joking, "It's great to be here in New Jersey!" and playing their song "New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones," which mocked the city. As the performance turned into a mosh pit, fans dove for the stage and could be heard on the mic yelling things like "New York sucks!" and "fuck you!" Going into their third number, "Let’s Have a War," Fear frontman Lee Ving began with some political commentary aimed at both Democrats and Republicans. This, combined with the damage fans were reportedly causing on set, led to the song being cut 16 seconds in, as the show took a commercial break.

16. In 2018, Kanye West was the musical guest for the season 44 premiere and donned a red MAGA hat in promotional videos for the episode. Needless to say, he was already a controversial pick for the show. After performing three new songs during the live episode, he closed out the episode by going on a pro-Trump rant. The audience booed, and both cast members and host Adam Driver looked visibly annoyed.

While his ramblings were cut off on-air, Chris Rock — who was in the audience that night — recorded it and shared it on Instagram. In part, West said, "There are so many times I talk to, like, a white person about this and they say, 'How could you like Trump? He's a racist.' Well, uh, if I was concerned about racism, I would've moved out of America a long time ago." At one point in the video, you can hear Rock himself mutter, "Oh, my god."

Donald Trump responded to Kanye's outburst on Twitter, saying West is "leading the charge!" and called SNL "just a political ad for the Dems."

17. And finally, in 1979, David Bowie outsmarted SNL during his performance of "Boys Keep Swinging," which included a phallic peek-a-boo at the very end that the crew didn't know was happening and, thus, wasn't able to censor in time. The SNL crew was prepared to censor the line "other boys check you out" for the live broadcast, and Bowie and his team likely knew this, so they had another surprise up their slev– er, pants.

For the performance, Bowie's head appeared atop a marionette doll, which danced around to the song. As it came to an end, a party horn shot out of the marionette's pants in a particularly phallic manner. Not only did it make it into the live broadcast, but SNL also chose not to censor it out of reruns.

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17 Really, Really, Really Controversial Things That Actually Aired On "Saturday Night Live"

Gillis then went on to talk about his "two big, fat, bitch sisters" and how "you're either gay or you're Hitler" in today's America. Even SNL's band in the back wasn't having it...

In response to his ad-lib, NBC canceled Lawrence's upcoming appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as Lawrence broke his agreement with the studio not to use certain language on-air, and that Jay Leno strongly opposed the cancellation.

It seems Brody's week on SNL was quite a chore for the crew, too. On a 2010 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Tina Fey — who'd been headwriter of SNL during the time of Brody's appearance — mouthed Brody's name after being asked who was the show's worst host.

Mike Meyers reportedly wrote a personal letter apologizing to Chelsea and her parents, and Lorne Michaels himself issued a public apology.

There is a long pause following that line, and those on stage and in the audience were quiet enough to hear a pin drop after it was uttered. The sketch, uncensored, was uploaded to on SNL's official YouTube page in 2013.

9. In 1996, Rage Against the Machine was the musical guest alongside billionaire and then-Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes. In protest, the band tried to perform with upside-down American flags hanging from their amps, but they were removed by the crew prior to air.

The band also concluded their performance by trashing their instruments. They did, in fact, go out like that, as it's rumored the performance got them banned from the show. Since 1993, they've never been invited back.

14. In a 2010 "Weekend Update" segment, cast member Fred Armisen did an impression of then-New York governor David Paterson, who is blind. The bit repeatedly poked fun at Paterson's disability, as Armisen squinted his way through the segment and struggled to face the right direction when entering.

Donald Trump responded to Kanye's outburst on Twitter, saying West is "leading the charge!" and called SNL "just a political ad for the Dems."

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