Top 10 Times SNL Had to Be Censored
#10: Adam Sandler’s Canteen Boy
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In 1994, Adam Sandler was in the middle of his “SNL” heyday and had a recurring character known as “Canteen Boy.” He’s a naive 27-year old man who still lives with his mother and is an active Boy Scout. Forever ridiculed by anyone else in the sketch, he upset some viewers during a Valentine’s Day episode where he wards off the advances of a scoutmaster. It received backlash for its depiction of gay stereotypes and inappropriate behavior towards minors. Future airings of the segment included a disclaimer reminding viewers of how old Canteen Boy actually is.
#9: Kanye West Rant
In September of 2018, Kanye West was the musical guest for “SNL.” With the credits rolling, and West sporting a “Make America Great Again” hat, Kanye dolled out a third performance, but was cut off by NBC partway through the song. Whether it was the fact that cameras had stopped rolling, or just Kanye being Kanye, he then proceeded to go on a pro-Trump rant on stage while the rest of the cast just stood there with heads down. He has since been banned from the show for his colorful comments about the cast during his rant.
#8: Chelsea Clinton Jokes Cut
Even a beloved “SNL” sketch like “Wayne’s World” isn’t immune to getting the snip by editors. This time around, Wayne and Garth do a Top 10 list about what they love most about Bill Clinton. During the sketch, the duo makes some snide comments about Bill’s then preteen daughter Chelsea. After the airing, her mother Hillary criticized the inappropriate comments and the show opted to cut them from any future rebroadcasts. “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels made a public apology regarding the matter and Mike Myers, who portrays Wayne, sent an apology to the White House.
#7: Rage Against the Machine Flags
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When you are a band whose actual name can be taken as a political statement, it’s no surprise they come with a bit of controversy. Rage Against the Machine is known for their songs about revolutions and anti-authoritarian government. So when they were asked to play as the musical guest of then-Presidential candidate Steve Forbes, you just knew something was going to happen. As a statement, they hung two American flags upside down on the stage, only to have them removed by “SNL” staff seconds before the band started playing. After they finished their song, they were immediately asked to leave and have never been invited back.
#6: Safelite AutoGlass
You need a crack in your windshield fixed, so you call Safelite AutoGlass to the rescue. They show up, fix it, and then break it again just so they can flirt with you? That’s the premise of this now long gone “SNL” sketch from October of 2017. Modeled after the real company’s friendly advertisements, the spoof sparked backlash on Twitter from both the original Safelite AutoGlass and their followers. Shortly thereafter, “SNL” scrubbed the sketch from all of its social media presence, and replaced it in the repeats with an unaired one titled “The Last Fry.” Who knew people were so dedicated to their auto glass companies?
#5: Fear Faded Off
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Although he was no longer a member of the cast, John Belushi still had some pull over at “SNL.” He managed to get the punk band Fear as a musical guest during Season 7. As part of the deal, Belushi agreed to be in the episode in exchange for the show allowing a mosh pit to ensue in front of the stage. The band played several songs that evening, and the moshers proceeded to evoke an almost riot right there in the studio. As things spun out of control, the band’s performance was faded off into a commercial and the band never appeared again.
#4: "The Claudine Longet Invitational"
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In 1976, Vladimir Sabich, an Olympic skier from Aspen, Colorado, was fatally wounded by his girlfriend, Claudine Longet. A few days after the incident, “SNL” ran a sketch called “The Claudine Longet Invitational,” which consisted of ski bloopers overdubbed with gunfire and commentary from Chevy Chase implying the depicted athletes had been injured by Claudine herself. This, of course, did not go over well with Longet and after lawyers got involved, an apology was issued - and the sketch has never been seen since. Longet, however, was charged and eventually convicted of negligent homicide for which she served a very short prison sentence.
#3: Bill Hader Down Syndrome
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It’s not uncommon for someone to have an old memory spring back to life after hearing a song on the radio. Such was the case in a February 2007 “SNL” sketch entitled “Danny’s Song” about the song by Kenny Loggins. Patrons are listening to the tune and discussing not so appropriate memories they’ve recalled now hearing it again. That all sounds well and good until Bill Hader’s character makes an off-comment about Down syndrome. This evoked some sharp criticism after the episode aired, especially coming from Jon Colman, the CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society. The show addressed the controversy by simply bleeping out Hader’s reference in future runs of the episode.
#2: Martin Lawrence Monologue
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Comedians come in all shapes and sizes and Martin Lawrence is no different. Invited to host “SNL” in February of 1994, fans were excited to see what his brand of comedy would look like on the long-running sketch series. That excitement turned sour quickly when Martin’s “SNL” monologue went off on a vulgar diatribe about female hygiene. The explicitness of what was said was so offensive that Martin was banned from ever appearing on the show again. Reruns and clips of his now infamous monologue have replaced the controversial portion with a black title card and voiceover that provide a far more restrained description of what he said.
#1: Sinéad O'Connor Pope Incident
During a dress rehearsal for her performance on “SNL,” O’Connor held up a photo of a child refugee as she finished her rendition of Bob Marley’s song “War.” No one from the “SNL” production team had any issue with it, which is why they were all stunned when she chose to rip up a photo of then Pope John Paul II during the actual live performance. Shocking both the audience and the director, host Tim Robbins shunned her as the night closed out, and it only got worse after. The incident incited a lot of backlash and although the West Coast feed of the show was not censored, all reruns of it have since used her rehearsal version instead.
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