Banned SNL Hosts By Best of SNL [9 more lists]

As these banned SNL hosts and guests proved the hard way, on live television, anything can happen. These fine actors, comedians and musicians each did something so profane, outrageous or just plain rude that they were banned from the sketch comedy institution of Saturday Night Live for life.

It's probably a surprise that in over 40 years of the show being on the air, only a little over a dozen of the hundreds of performers and guests have been banned. From the infamous incident with the photo of the Pope from singer Sinéad O'Connor to actors like Steven Seagal acting like "the biggest jerk" ever, these stars are all part of an elite group banned from Saturday Night Live.

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1

Sinéad O'Connor

After performing the Bob Marley song "War," singer Sinéad O'Connor created one of the most notorious SNL moments of all time. The bald beauty started her own protest against the Catholic Church by changing lyrics in the song to talk about child abuse and tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II at the end of the song. As she told the solemn crowd to "fight the real enemy," the camera panned away. Sinéad O'Connor was never invited back after the infamous incident, which was edited out on repeats of the show.
2

Steven Seagal

After appearing as the host for the April 20, 1991, episode, Steven Seagal went from a top action star to what SNL producer Lorne Michaels called the biggest jerk to ever be on the show. Seagal allegedly didn't play nice with the cast and crew, angering Michaels. Seagal nearly was axed in favor of a host-less show and unsurprisingly, was never invited back.
3

Andy Kaufman

A SNL semi-regular at the time, notable comedian Andy Kaufman was banned from the show on November 20, 1982, not by the producers, but by the fans. NBC had received numerous complaints about the quirky funnyman, leading the network to allow fans to vote via 1-900 number if Kaufman should be allowed to remain on the show or be banned for life. Fans spoke and Kaufman never returned to the Saturday Night Live again.
4

Adrien Brody

After scrapping "good" ideas for sketches all week in writer's meetings, actor Adrien Brody went off-script when he hosted Saturday Night Live on May 10, 2003. The Oscar winner donned dreadlocks and a pretty bad accent when introducing Jamaican performer Sean Paul, drawing the dirty looks and permanent ban from show producer Lorne Michaels.
5

Chevy Chase

Though a former popular original cast member, acclaimed actor Chevy Chase received a soft ban on Saturday Night Live back on February 15, 1997. Chase had trouble getting along with the cast members during his numerous hosting gigs and ultimately was banned from returning to host. Despite the ban, Chase returned to his old anchor desk on Weekend Update even after the ban in 2007.
6

Rage Against The Machine

Appearing on the April 13, 1996, episode hosted by billionaire Steve Forbes, the rock band Rage Against the Machine made their own political statement alongside the then-Republican presidential hopeful. Before performing their hit "Bulls on Parade," the rockers hung upside down American flags from their gear. Crew members stepped in to remove both the flags and the band from the stage, prohibiting them from performing a second song during the show and banning then for life.
7

Martin Lawrence

After first pointing out the racial makeup of the in-studio audience, stand-up comedian Martin Lawrence tested the patience of the censors, producers and women around the globe when he went on a rant during his February 19, 1994, monologue. Lawrence shared his views on 90s women, specifically his feelings on their declining feminine hygiene habits. The bit was later removed from repeats of the episode as was Lawrence from the series.
8

Cypress Hill

As any cast member or guest will tell you, Saturday Night Live and show producer Lorne Michaels have a zero tolerance policy for the use of alcohol and drugs on set. Apparently this was not told to rap group Cypress Hill before their October 2, 1993, musical appearance, either that or DJ Muggs didn't care when he lit up a marijuana joint during their song "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That." Cypress Hill did go out like that, and never returned to the Saturday Night Live stage.
9

The Replacements

Similar to Cypress Hill, the punk rock band The Replacements failed to adhere to the strict drugs and alcohol policy when they appeared on Saturday Night Live as a musical guest on January 18, 1986. Band members were quite a bit tipsy when they sang, but the tipping point came when singer Paul Westerberg cursed on live television. The band was banned from the show, however in 1993 tensions cooled and Westerberg returned as a solo musical guest.
10

Robert Blake

Decades before he was accused of murdering his wife, actor Robert Blake was accused of being a complete grouch behind the scenes on Saturday Night Live. He allegedly butted heads with the cast, producers and writers prior to his November 13, 1982, hosting gig, even throwing a script in the face of cast member and writer Gary Kroeger. Blake fulfilled his obligation to host that episode in season eight, but never returned to the SNL stage.
11

Milton Berle

Comedian and actor Milton Berle is undoubtably a legend, but that ego also jumped the shark when he hosted Saturday Night Live on April 14, 1979. Berle took control of the whole show, spending his time upstaging the cast members and writers. Described as a "a comedy train accident in slow motion on a loop," Berle also went off-script during the telecast, leading to his ban from ever hosting the show again.
12

Frank Zappa

Appearing as both the guest host and musical guest for the October 21, 1978, episode, Frank Zappa made few friends in his last SNL appearance before his ban. Zappa allegedly didn't mesh with the cast and crew in the preparation week, then mugged for the camera and made it obvious that he was reading cue cards during the broadcast. Not only was Zappa banned from the SNL stage after the stunt, but most of the cast refused to interact with the performer in the "goodnight" segment to end the show.
13

Elvis Costello

Singer Elvis Costello spent over two decades on the SNL banned list after going rogue during a December 17, 1977, appearance as a musical guest. Performing with The Attractions, Costello stopped the band moments into their song "Less Than Zero" to start playing "Radio Radio," which was critical of mainstream broadcasting, instead. Though he was barred from most television for years after the stunt, Costello eventually returned to Saturday Night Live in 1999, interestingly enough where he interrupted the Beastie Boys and performed "Radio Radio" again.
14

Charles Grodin

Before he was a political television commentator, Charles Grodin was a comedian and actor who pissed off more than a few people during his October 29, 1977, hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. Grodin ad-libbed much of his performance, and not well, leading up to an incident during a sketch where Grodin broke character and caused a stir.
15

Louise Lasser

As the first person ever banned from Saturday Night Live, actress Louise Lasser was described as incoherent during her hosting appearance in the first season of the show on July 24, 1976. As if showing up to host completely lit was not bad enough, according to production assistant Neil Levy, Lasser was also found crawling through the SNL offices looking for drugs.

Showing items 1 - 5 of 15

Andy Kaufman

Adrien Brody

Rage Against The Machine

Martin Lawrence

Cypress Hill