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Some celebrities just don’t fit the Saturday Night Live vibe, and the show’s producers have had to ban some notorious guests and performers over the years. From shocking antics to controversial statements, these personalities crossed the line and found themselves unwelcome on the iconic late-night sketch show. Join us as we explore some of the most infamous bans in SNL history!
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00:00Until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at every performer banned from Saturday Night Live.
00:12Most of you probably know me from my action adventure films, Above the Law, Hard to Kill, Mark for Death,
00:18stuff like that.
00:19For this list, we'll be looking at the most notable hosts, cast members, guests, and musicians who were,
00:24at one point or another, thought to be barred from the sketch comedy series, either temporarily or permanently.
00:31The Replacements.
00:32In 1986, this alternative rock band was tasked with filling a last-minute slot as the musical guest on Saturday
00:38Night Live,
00:39replacing the R&B pop group, The Pointer Sisters. So, in this scenario, The Replacements were literally The Replacements.
00:51While they had allegedly performed well in their dress rehearsal, a few too many drinks before their taping made all
00:56the difference.
00:56When it was time to go live, the band played off-key and yelled out swear words.
01:01I'm going to turn out...
01:09Their poor behavior and showmanship meant that they'd never see the 30 Rock soundstage as a band ever again.
01:15Louise Lasser.
01:16You may never forget your first difficult co-star.
01:19On season one of Saturday Night Live, Louise Lasser of Marty Hartman, Marty Hartman,
01:24apparently made history as the first person to be banned from the show.
01:27It says, uh, my good friend, Jack Nicholson, when it should be my new friend, and it's not Jack Nicholson.
01:35I don't know Jack Nicholson.
01:37She's claimed this isn't true, but the rumor still persists.
01:40During her opening monologue, she was hard to understand and had an in-character nervous breakdown that seemed a little
01:46out of character.
01:51Louise, Louise, we're on the air.
01:56As the story goes, it was hard to convince her to participate in many of the sketches that were written
02:00for her.
02:01We may never know exactly what went down behind the scenes, but that was the last we saw of Lasser
02:05on SNL.
02:06Thank you, everyone.
02:07Really, thank you.
02:08System of a Down.
02:09Who would have thought that politically charged heavy metal and network television don't mix?
02:14What are you excited for?
02:15Well, executive producer Lorne Michaels decided to give the band's system of a Down a chance regardless, with some restrictions.
02:23They were given the green light to perform their song BYOB, even with its strong messaging.
02:28Our protection!
02:29Can you feed us the lies from the devil's law?
02:32The band was asked not to curse during their set, but they refused to censor themselves.
02:36While the production team was able to bleep out the expected profanities,
02:39the band's guitarist, Darren Malakian, decided to throw in one last F-bomb.
02:46Needless to say, there was no coming back from that.
02:49Cypress Hill.
02:50Now, this is how you go down in a blaze of glory.
02:53Typically, a band being asked to perform on Saturday Night Live would be revered as a major opportunity to gain
02:58recognition from the show's massive audience.
03:00What you looking at, Essie?
03:02Huh?
03:03Don't you know I'm loco?
03:06Instead of keeping their act prim and proper to please the network executives,
03:10hip-hop trio Cypress Hill did one thing they were asked not to do.
03:14Smoke.
03:14No, we don't mean off in the green room.
03:17The band's DJ mugs lit up right on stage during their set.
03:21But even though they're unlikely to ever return to SNL, their performance certainly went down in history.
03:26We ain't going out like that!
03:28We ain't going out like that!
03:30Shane Gillis.
03:31This comedian didn't even need to step foot on the stage before being asked to leave it.
03:36Leading to the show's 45th season, the cast was set to grow by three, adding Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, and
03:42Shane Gillis as featured players.
03:43However, Gillis was quickly fired after racist and homophobic remarks were uncovered from his podcast.
03:49Reaction was immediate and unfavorable.
03:51Lorne Michaels' reps stated that the team wasn't aware of these comments at the time of his hiring, and that
03:56they should have investigated the clip sooner.
03:58Gillis has since been welcomed back multiple times to Studio 8H, so it looks like any remaining negative feelings have
04:04dissipated.
04:04Jay, you look freaking hot, man. You been doing my Pilates?
04:07Excuse me?
04:08Oh, sorry. I'm just having a tough time adjusting to my new medication, so.
04:13Milton Berle. Move over, Berle. You're hogging the spotlight.
04:16On Season 4 of Saturday Night Live, Milton Berle was invited to host the show, despite Lorne Michaels' hesitation.
04:22Coming from a background in vaudeville performance, and having once been the host of his own series, it was understood
04:27that Berle would have his way of doing things.
04:29It's a good audience. I'm really thrilled.
04:30But when it came to showtime, he doubled down on his difficult nature and completely disobeyed any instruction given to
04:37him.
04:37All of the little bits and gags that he threw into the show were unscripted.
04:40Can anybody expect this here?
04:41No, no, no, no. That chair's reserved for the show.
04:45Giving the rest of the cast a hard time anticipating his next move.
04:49You gotta believe me, there's nothing more thrilling than coming out and doing just one performance in front of a
04:54live, electric, in-person audience, and to do a show live.
04:58Robert Blake. One important rule for hosting Saturday Night Live? Don't disrespect the writers.
05:03Well, I'm doing alright. You know, for a guy who's got to work in Hollywood, I'm doing alright.
05:07Yeah.
05:08During a rehearsal of his episode, Blake was given a script for one of the sketches he would be featured
05:11in so he could give it a read.
05:13After looking it over, he reportedly threw it right into writer and actor Gary Kroger's face, and called him a
05:18few names while he was at it.
05:20Even still, he went through with appearing on the episode.
05:22I've been gone for a long time. I hope I stay around for a while.
05:25But nobody wants to work with anyone with such a temper, and Blake's antics are said to have gotten him
05:30banned from the show.
05:31Charles Grodin.
05:32This Starz episode of SNL gave the audience a peek behind the curtain, and it wasn't so pretty.
05:37This Chuck Grodin guy is really making me nervous.
05:40I mean, he's barely here all week, and I mean, he missed dress rehearsal. That's inexcusable. Dress rehearsal.
05:47Charles Grodin's hosting gig was quite unusual, as the cast calls him out in the opening scene for missing his
05:52dress rehearsals, and they admit that he doesn't really fit in.
05:55Studio audience?
05:57I didn't know there was an audience.
05:59Well, maybe if you'd been to dress rehearsal, you'd know that there was an audience out there.
06:02The rest of the episode is similarly odd, with Grodin interjecting in sketches and performances seemingly out of character.
06:09I could be cut?
06:10Yeah.
06:10I'm the host.
06:11Yeah.
06:12I thought it was going fairly well.
06:15He even joins the musical guest, Paul Simon, dressed as Art Garfungal.
06:18While many were convinced that this was a genuine performance by Grodin, it was later shared that these behaviors were
06:23apparently encouraged as part of his comedic persona.
06:27He even said he declined an invitation to come back. Regardless, Grodin never returned to SNL.
06:32Elvis Costello.
06:33Always stick to the script, or the set list.
06:35Elvis Costello, a singer and songwriter known for making statements through his music, was a last-minute slot filler after
06:41rock band The Sex Pistols dropped out, and he kept the SNL crew on their toes.
06:46After starting to perform the scheduled song Less Than Zero, he promptly stopped his band and instructed them to start
06:51playing Radio Radio instead.
06:55I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen. There's no reason to do this song here.
06:59Radio Radio.
06:59He felt he needed to rebel against his record label's wishes and temporarily got himself in trouble with Saturday Night
07:04Live in the process.
07:06All's well that ends well, though, as he later returned to Studio 8H.
07:15Frank Zappa.
07:16Not everyone is cut out for the hosting gig.
07:18Frank Zappa wasn't a total newbie at Saturday Night Live, as he had been a musical guest back in Season
07:232 of the show.
07:24But when he returned a couple of seasons later to both host and perform, he just couldn't deliver.
07:28It's an awesome responsibility being selected out of millions of people to become the banner of NBC's new look.
07:36God, I hope I'm good.
07:37No edgy rebellion to make a statement, he reportedly simply didn't have the energy and attitude for the job.
07:42This is a collection, an unauthorized collection of my latest sound patterns.
07:48Aye, Beldar, approve.
07:49Zappa also apparently wasn't keen on making connections with the cast or crew while he was on set, which made
07:54for an awkward show altogether.
07:56Love your nails.
07:58You must be a Libra.
08:00It's been said that he was subsequently blacklisted from appearing on the show as a result.
08:04Fear.
08:05Have no fear.
08:06Actually, maybe have a little bit of fear?
08:09California punk rock group Fear was brought onto Saturday Night Live to perform on their Halloween special episode.
08:15South Park!
08:16South Street, Philadelphia!
08:18Up on Avenue, Steve!
08:20As a true hardcore punk group, live network television standards weren't exactly up their alley.
08:25But former cast member John Belushi was a fan and vouched for them to be in the episode.
08:30This ended up being a horrible decision as the group notably started a violent, angry mosh pit during their set.
08:36You're so lying!
08:38You're like sack of bull!
08:39Their antics reportedly ended up costing SNL tens and potentially even hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages all across
08:46the studio.
08:47With that kind of price tag, it's easy to see why they were never invited back.
08:51Adrian Brody.
08:52Always leave the impressions to the professionals.
08:54More importantly, leave them to the culturally appropriate professionals.
08:58I'm so excited to be here tonight, you know?
09:00Yeah!
09:01You're hot!
09:02Ah, you're hot!
09:03Actor Adrian Brody made the age-old mistake that we've seen several of the hosts on this list make, seemingly
09:09going off script.
09:10Guys, guys, please, please.
09:12I only get one chance here.
09:13With the musical act of the episode being reggae artist Sean Paul, Brody thought it would be funny to introduce
09:18him with a Jamaican accent while wearing fake locks in his hair.
09:21Obviously, he thought wrong.
09:23It wasn't funny at all.
09:24It was actually offensive and uncalled for, and he reportedly earned himself an SNL ban, though he claims to know
09:30nothing about that.
09:31Martin Lawrence.
09:32Let's keep it family-friendly.
09:34It's not shocking that some comedians struggle to clean up their act to perform on live TV, but their failure
09:39to do so still causes lots of trouble.
09:41But damn it, now's my chance.
09:44Ain't no stopping me now, I tell you.
09:45Actor and comic Martin Lawrence went way too far during his opening monologue, making extremely graphic jokes about women and
09:51their cleanliness.
09:52But I'm meeting a lot of women out there, and you got some beautiful women, but you got some out
09:57there that I gotta say something.
10:00Some of his statements were deemed so outrageous that they were later wiped from the episode altogether.
10:04If you're not clean in your proper areas, I can't, you know, kiss all over the places I wanna kiss.
10:11As you may have already guessed, these parts of Lawrence's speech are thought to have been improvised, and he got
10:16banned from NBC altogether for a time.
10:19Rage Against the Machine.
10:20These guys were set on sticking it to the man, even if it cost them future SNL gigs.
10:25Rock band Rage Against the Machine is yet another group that famously puts out politically charged music.
10:30So when the Saturday Night Live producers stacked them next to politician Steve Forbes for their episode, they were determined
10:36to take a stand.
10:37Yeah, if I perform, go, get them in the phone.
10:41Prior to their set, they hung the American flag upside down from their amps.
10:45Crew members came out and ripped them down almost instantly, and the band was reportedly asked to leave the studio
10:50once they were finished performing.
10:52All time for me!
10:57This actor was once titled The Worst Host Ever by Lorne Michaels, which tells you everything you need to know
11:03about his apparent band.
11:04It's great to be here in New York, and it's great to be opening up Saturday Night Live.
11:08But how did he do it?
11:10The short answer is, he wasn't funny.
11:12A drama and action film star, Seagal was a hot celebrity at the time he hosted in 1991, but that
11:17didn't change the fact that he had almost no comedic instincts whatsoever.
11:31He also had very little chemistry with the cast members and was said to have been critical of their talents
11:36as well.
11:36A great host needs to be willing to contribute some kind of material to the show, or at least deliver
11:41on what's written for them.
11:42And perhaps the most interesting, a picture of you listening to the President of the United States on speakerphone as
11:49he reveals his part in the conspiracy.
11:52Kanye West.
11:53There are few performers out there more polarizing than rapper Kanye West.
11:57Having performed on Saturday Night Live seven times as the musical guest, it looks as though he's a longtime friend
12:03of the show.
12:03But during a 2018 appearance, he decided to make an unprompted speech about his support of Donald Trump.
12:08I'm gonna lay down my garden on Sunday, hey, hey, hey.
12:15This ruffled many feathers, but ultimately isn't the reason why he hasn't been back.
12:19The artist has since made a slew of aggressive comments towards Pete Davidson, a.k.a. his ex Kim Kardashian's
12:25then-boyfriend.
12:26Though the claims weren't fully verified, there were rumors that this prompted a ban.
12:29Davidson has since left the SNL cast, but no word on whether West will ever be back.
12:34I made this. Make Kanye 2006 again.
12:38Andy Kaufman.
12:39This one may have been a bit uncalled for.
12:41Comedy legend Andy Kaufman was known for his odd sense of humor and out-there performances.
12:46Some folks just weren't fans of his work.
12:48You want to see me dance?
12:52His bits were always unique to him and his comedic sensibilities, but unfortunately the reviews weren't always kind.
12:58This led to Saturday Night Live launching an on-air campaign.
13:01Should Andy stay or should he go?
13:02We're going to let you folks at home be the ones to decide whether Andy will ever be seen on
13:07this show again.
13:08To the shock and dismay of many, the people chose to vote him off the show, and so he never
13:13returned to perform on the series again.
13:15Sinead O'Connor.
13:16What have we learned about being a good SNL guest so far?
13:19Be nice to the cast and crew.
13:21Read from the script.
13:22And no politics.
13:24O'Connor came onto the show to perform her own version of Bob Marley's song War.
13:27I've got to say war.
13:30But she made it clear who the target of her performance was, the Catholic Church and Pope John Paul II.
13:36She brought the Pope's photo on stage and ricked it up during the song as a statement against child mistreatment.
13:42Fight the real enemy.
13:44This was obviously not a move approved by the Saturday Night Live team, who were flabbergasted.
13:50Her appearance wasn't well received and it marked the end of her time at Studio 8H.
13:53Still, there's no denying she sent a message.
13:56Chevy Chase.
13:58As a cast member on Saturday Night Live, you have to behave pretty outrageously to be banned from returning.
14:04Chevy Chase, who was part of the series from its very first season, is notorious for being a difficult co
14:09-star.
14:09Although he could be charismatic in front of the cameras, behind the scenes he was an absolute menace.
14:14Good evening, I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not.
14:17As such, legend has it he's been barred from appearing on the show in a meaningful capacity.
14:21He has had a few guest stints in the years since, though, and Lorne Michaels once denied the show was
14:26on the outs with him.
14:27Really great to be back here on Saturday Night Live.
14:29I haven't been here in, oh, I don't know, days.
14:32Still, Chase has been known to harass his fellow cast members and colleagues, leaving very few to be sad about
14:37his apparent split from the show.
14:39Would you lift the SNL ban on any of these celebrities?
14:42If so, let us know who in the comments.
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