Top 20 SNL Meltdowns

#20: Mikey the Chimp (2005)

Let's just say that Jason Bateman doesn't have the prestige he has now when he hosted “SNL” in 2005. One skit featured a fictional show by the unpretentious title of “Monkeys Throwing Poop at Celebrities.” Apparently, the fact that Mikey was an ape wasn't the only technical issue. Returning as host 15 years later, Bateman recounted in his monologue that Mikey became distressed when he was brought back for the episode’s sign-off. The chimp attacked Bateman, nearly biting off his nose before being pulled away. 2020 also marked the year Hollywood quietly phased out use of ape actors to avoid such incidents. Whatever became of Mikey after he was sold, he gave Bateman quite the story.

#19: Colin Jost: April Fool (2023)

How perfect is it for an episode of “SNL” to fall on April 1st? It wasn't so fun for Colin Jost, who got noticeably lighter laughs than usual during “Weekend Update.” A self-deprecating remark about attending a pro-Trump rally prompted one audience member to shout, “You stink!” Amused and moved by his co-anchor’s humiliation, Michael Che confessed that he had asked the audience to not laugh at Jost’s jokes as a prank. Sure, many viewers couldn't help but crack up a bit. Nonetheless, Jost laughed hardest to try and cope with this mess. As modest as Che’s April Fool’s Day fun seemed to be, his victim didn't seem to take it very well.

#18: Donald Trump Backstage (2015)

There was no scandal when Donald Trump hosted “SNL” to promote his new show “The Apprentice” in 2004. It was a different case when he hosted in 2015 to promote his run for President of the United States. The show itself was much less dramatic than the backlash, but cast members later revealed that this was only after a difficult rehearsal. Trump reportedly clashed with writers and disrupted the table read to brag about book sales. He also struggled with grasping the material, as he did 11 years prior. If Trump appeared to take his gentle ribbing in 2015 in good spirits, it’s because he privately took control of the narrative. His conflicts with “SNL” since he took office couldn’t be more public.

#17: Sam Kinison Goes on a Rant (1986)

Unhinged comedy legend Sam Kinison naturally pushed some buttons with his recurring stand-up routines on “SNL.” As hard as it was to separate his staged meltdowns from the impromptu, some cooler commentary during a Season 12 appearance was particularly rebellious. Kinison advocated legalizing cannabis, violating NBC’s Reagan era policy about only addressing illegal drugs negatively. The former preacher also blasted televangelist Pat Robertson’s bid for a potentially theocratic U.S. Presidency. The loosely screened routine was censored on reruns to mitigate the backlash. How did “SNL” respond to Kinison preserving and adding heated material after rehearsal? They had him host an episode a month later, with more controversial jokes and a tape delay for any other live TV incidents.

#16: Damon Wayans's Self-Sabotage (1986)

It's no secret that Damon Wayans felt particularly underutilized as a featured player in Season 11 of “SNL.” His behind-the-scenes conflicts eventually broke through in a spiteful act of improvisation. In a Mr. Monopoly-centered police interrogation skit, Wayans portrayed an officer with stereotypical gay mannerisms. He had not rehearsed this bit, which stole the show for its complete randomness in the context of the sketch. Nonetheless, Lorne Michaels reportedly had his own meltdown over an actor unilaterally taking a risk. Wayans succeeded in his objective: not to stand out, but to get fired. He and his brothers then found a worthier platform for their off-the-wall, generally more controlled antics with the sketch show “In Living Color.”

#15: Red Hot Bombs (1992)

Not all feuds that went public at Studio 8H started there. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ seminal album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” was surrounded by tension between frontman Anthony Kiedis and guitarist John Frusciante. This supposedly explains their would-be ruinous rendition of “Under the Bridge” on “SNL.” Frusciante awkwardly mangled his notes, tempo and even volume, while the rest of the band could barely hide their confusion and frustration. Kiedis later claimed in the autobiography “Scar Tissue” that the guitarist intentionally botched the performance just to spite him. Frusciante maintains that he was just experimenting without notifying his bandmates. Either way, he left RHCP on bitter terms shortly after his embarrassing stunt, though they eventually reconciled.

#14: Charles Grodin Ruins Everything (1977)

Landing the renowned actor and comedian Charles Grodin as host should have been a triumph in the early years of “Saturday Night Live.” Unfortunately, commitment to the bit isn’t always the most professional route. Grodin claimed in his monologue that he was unfamiliar with the show and missed dress rehearsal, which would influence his performance throughout the episode. He chaotically improvised lines, awkward deliveries, forgetting material, and interrupting his peers. This Halloween episode was a treat for the show’s more maverick fans, but a nasty trick on the cast and crew. Grodin was thus banned from the show. The legendary entertainer’s disastrous performance may have been intentional, but he probably didn’t expect it to go that far.

#13: Woody Harrelson’s Movie Pitch (2023)

The world seemed optimistic in early 2023, between the COVID-19 vaccines and the lovable Woody Harrelson hosting “SNL.” Unfortunately, the actor has never been shy about his anarchist views. His monologue culminated in an awkward, babbling movie pitch about a cartel collective taking control of a dystopian world. He was blatantly hinting at conspiracy theories about lockdown protocols and media coverage of the recent pandemic. The audience’s silence was deafening, until Harrelson scored some uncomfortable laughs with a joke about personal substance use. The unhinged bit was met with considerable backlash, which Harrelson dismissed in defense of free speech. It’s still a concerning reminder for even the coolest public figures to be responsible about what they say.

#12: Elvis Costello Goes Rogue (1977)

Who’d have expected the iconoclastic Elvis Costello to be more commercially savvy than Columbia Records? The label insisted that the English rocker’s 1977 “SNL” performance include the new single “Less Than Zero,” which he considered the political lyric esoteric to American audiences. Costello cutting off his own performance to play the then-unreleased “Radio Radio” became an iconic moment. The real meltdown was just off-camera. Costello recalls a furious Lorne Michaels giving him the middle finger throughout the performance. As if it wasn’t clear by the end of the song, the singer was banned from the show, at least until 1989. Maybe Michaels would have preferred “This Year’s Girl” with his policy of “no surprises.”

#11: Larry David Walks Out (1985)

Sometimes, your big break can just about break you. Larry David’s brief tenure as an “SNL” writer in the mid-‘80s was all the more high-pressure for the fact that only one sketch made it to air. This led to a particularly heated confrontation with producer Dick Ebersol right before an episode went live. David quit on the spot… then got back to work at the start of next week like nothing happened. This ordeal wound up inspiring George Costanza’s storyline in “The Revenge,” the first “Seinfeld” episode that David wrote solo. The most degrading incidents can be spun into comedy gold, though this one probably convince Ebersol of David’s untapped greatness.

#10: Morgan Wallen Would Rather Be Elsewhere (2025)

A magnet for controversy, country artist Morgan Wallen faced backlash just for barging off the “SNL” set during the sign-off. That, and later posting a photo of his private jet with the caption “Get me to God’s country.” This sparked speculations that Wallen’s folksy persona clashed with the show’s definitively New York climate. He explained on Caleb Pressley’s podcast “Sundae Conversation” that he was just eager to get home, while Entertainment Weekly reported that he was on good terms with the “SNL” team. But the following week, they harshly spoofed the incident twice. Kenan Thompson had himself suggested to EW that there really was tension surrounding the musical guest. Whoever is “the problem” in this situation, Wallen’s walk-off was rude at best.

#9: Martin Lawrence Gets Nasty (1994)

The first and last host monologue by actor-comedian Martin Lawrence concluded with a stand-up riff on “feminine hygiene.” Future airings of this episode would cut him off with a statement explaining that his descriptions were too offensive to show. When the off-script moment was shown live, it inspired some 200 formal audience complaints. The incident reportedly nearly resulted in mass firings for not stopping Lawrence, who was himself not just banned from “SNL.” He was banned from NBC entirely! The network has since issued an apology to Lawrence and reopened its doors, but the show itself appears to still be haunted by the impromptu rant. After all, it’s most important to keep your act clean on live television.

#8: The Replacements, What a Mess (1986)

Kudos to the many rock bands that cooled down their stereotypical antics as guests of Rockefeller Center. Unfortunately, The Replacements had managed to get ahold of alcohol after “SNL” invited them as a replacement for musical guest The Pointer Sisters. They wound up breaking a guitar, destroying a hotel room, and forgetting lyrics. Worst of all, as far as Lorne Michaels was concerned, frontman Paul Westerberg swore during the performance. He was ironically able to return to the show as a solo act in 1994. But of course the band was banned as the quintessential example of going too rock ‘n’ roll even for “SNL.”

#7: Chevy Chase vs. Bill Murray (1978)

Distance hasn’t exactly eased tensions between Chevy Chase and the “SNL” team since he left the main cast in ‘76. His returns as host have yielded many scandals and feuds, but none more notorious than his first comeback. Bill Murray, who initially replaced Chase after his departure, took it upon himself to burst the comeback kid’s movie star ego with an increasingly heated exchange of insults. They ultimately came to blows right before the show went live! It was Chase’s old nemesis John Belushi who broke up the fight, but not the feud. Though it reportedly relaxed on the set of the classic “Caddyshack” two years later, Chase has never lived down this one of many altercations.

#6: Fear the Audience (1981)

John Belushi pulled some strings to land underground punk rockers Fear a Halloween gig at Studio 8H. He had left “SNL” years prior, and seemed determined to make the producers regret trusting him. Shortly after Fear blasted into the crass “Beef Bologna,” Belushi himself started a violent mosh pit that damaged the set. The band further fanned the flames by punctuating the song with one of the ugliest remarks to New Yorkers: “It’s great to be in New Jersey!” Needless to say, Fear was banned from a show they were never meant for. Moreover, their performance has been scrubbed from syndication. Belushi was reportedly spared a ban through the last months of his life, although many legends still surround his final blowout on “SNL.”

#5: Rage Against the Machine... Directly (1996)

There was no accusing Rage Against the Machine of selling out when their “SNL” episode with Republican businessman Steve Forbes went down. The left-wing provocateurs intended to play “Bulls on Parade” with upside-down American flags over their amps, which were removed just before the cameras rolled. They were naturally suspicious when their second song was cut supposedly for time. Bassist Tim Commerford responded to the news by tearing up one of the flags, balling it up, and throwing it at Forbes’s family in his dressing room. The presidential candidate’s Secret Service detail responded by detaining the band. RATM was soon released, never allowed to return to “SNL” again. So much for the producers’ idea that political opposites would attract an audience.

#4: Louise Lasser Loses Her Nerve (1976)

It’s believed that Louise Lasser was the first host to be banned from “Saturday Night Live.” Her monologue eventually fell apart under nerves and supposedly off-script remarks. She then retreated to her dressing room, only to be comforted by Chevy Chase, of all people. It would be years before Lasser confirmed suspicions that this infamous breakdown was a staged tribute to her soap spoof “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.” Still, it’s rumored that Lorne Michaels tried to cut the bit, and that Lasser was difficult to work with. It’s harder to excuse her awkward performance throughout the rest of the critically panned episode. Whether Lasser was truly banned, as her episode was, the pressure from her life and career at the time are definite.

#3: Robert Blake’s Rehearsal (1982)

Long before the scandals and disgrace, prolific actor Robert Blake must have fancied himself above hosting “Saturday Night Live.” And he allegedly let the cast and crew know with his blatant lack of respect. The most notorious insult came during a writer’s room meeting that Blake filled with tension. It came to a head when he dismissed a Gary Kroeger sketch by crumpling up the script and throwing it right in the writer’s face. Blake ultimately put on a solid show, but was banned afterward. His notorious attitude would eventually destroy his career altogether, but he does have less flattering legacies than being one of the worst hosts “SNL” has ever had.

#2: The Passion of Sinéad O’Connor (1992)

In one of the most controversial moments in “SNL” history, musical guest Sinéad O'Connor did not perform a second song from her album “Am I Not Your Girl?”. She instead stared sang Bob Marley’s “War” a capella, reworking the lyrics to incorporate themes of sexual abuse. She then presented her late mother’s photo of Pope John Paul II, tore it apart, and exclaimed, [“Fight the real enemy!”] O’Connor had rehearsed with a photo of a child refugee to decry social plight. But she improvised this globally televised protest of the then-little-known epidemic of child abuse in the Catholic Church. Despite the eventual exposure of this crisis, O’Connor’s career was devastated by her stunt and permanent ban from NBC.

#1: Kanye West Campaigns (for Someone Else) (2018)

The always unpredictable Kanye West was courting political controversy when he returned to “SNL” in 2018. It wasn’t enough of a statement for him to wear a MAGA hat in solidarity with President Trump while closing the episode with “Ghost Town.” The broadcast cut off just as he started into a rant about Black Americans’ relationship with the Democratic Party. The audience booed, Kenan Thompson compared it to a hostage situation, and Michael Che derided West backstage. And yet, the Internet had more to say about this incident even before footage of it leaked. West did apologize to Che years later, but what may be “SNL’s” most notorious on-set outburst is just one of the rapper’s many scandals.

What live incidents on “SNL” are rerunning in your head? Break them down in the comments.