SNL50 Referenced Saturday Night Lives Strangest Hosting Controversy
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Once someone becomes a part of the Saturday Night Live family, it takes a lot to get excommunicated.The most infamous example of a creative not being invited back to NBCs long-running comedic institution is, of course, Sinad OConnor. In a 1992 episode of SNL, the Irish singer, songwriter, and activist concluded a cover of Bob Marleys War by tearing a photograph of then-Pope John Paul II to pieces. Though OConnors stated intention of protesting the Catholic Churchs history ofphysical, sexual and emotional abuse of young parishioners was well reasoned, it was perhaps too ahead of its time. She would go on to be condemned by many organizations and was ultimately banned from ever returning to SNL.Following OConnors death in 2023, SNL began to soften its stance towards her controversial performance. The ultimate mea culpa arrived on February 16, 2025, during the shows sprawling, three-hour-long broadcast SNL50: The Anniversary Special, in which Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered OConnors classic Nothing Compares 2 U. While that was perhaps the biggest moment of reconciliation in SNL50, there was another, far stranger, example of a banished performer getting a shout near the end of the special.Adrien Brody was on top of the world back in May 2003 when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first and only time. Having just won a Best Actor Oscar for his remarkable turn in The Pianist two months prior, Brody was ready and game for anything SNL could throw his way. Unfortunately, he was too ready and too game as the committed SNL creator Lorne Michaels cardinal sin: he went off script.When the time came to introduce musical guest Sean Paul usually a simple, perfunctory task for the host Brody elected to spice things up a bit. He took the stage in a dreadlocked wig and vamped extensively in an offensive Jamaican patois aboutpeople named Sean? And said respeck mah neck a couple of times? It was at least a little bit racist, a lot of bit incomprehensible, and most damningly for the live show, completely unplanned.In recent interviews to promote The Brutalist (for which he will likely win another Oscar), Brody has pushed back against the characterization that he was banned from SNL, telling Vulture that I think Lorne wasnt happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to. Ban or no ban, Brody joined the ranks of folks like OConnor who were pointedly never invited back to Studio 8H.Of course, important dates like anniversaries have a way of healing old wounds. Because, while Brody didnt receive as touching a shoutout as OConnor did in SNL50, his inexplicable Rastaman improv did make an appearance in a hilarious compilation. Introduced by Tom Hanks, SNL50: The Anniversary Special took some time out for a special In Memorium segment of canceled SNL characters and moments that were no longer appropriate for the modern world.The reasoning for many of these canceled artifacts were clear from ethnic stereotypes to body shaming to sexual harassment. Adrien Brodys rasta moment, however, was accompanied by a simple woah. All these years later, there seems no better way to describe whatever it was that was than woah.
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