SNL at 50: The 12 Most Astonishing Moments in Saturday Night Live's History

      Let’s explore some of the most surprising moments from nearly 50 years of Saturday Night Live.

      **Richard Pryor Hosts**

      NBC – Credit: NBC

      Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live, fought vigorously with NBC executives to book the daring Richard Pryor as the host for the show’s seventh episode on December 13, 1975. The network was concerned that Pryor's language and behavior were too offensive and erratic, so Michaels consented to a five-second delay to allow for any profanity to be muted.

      While Pryor managed to avoid actual curse words, he did use a three-letter term starting with A. According to "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live" by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad, the censor overseeing the delay let both terms through, but they were edited out of the broadcast version shown on the West Coast.

      For contemporary viewers, the most shocking skit is probably "Word Association," in which Chevy Chase plays an employer who subjects Pryor to a word-association test during a janitorial job interview, ultimately leading to racial slurs.

      In 1975, it was more shocking to say the A-word in a comedy sketch than the N-word.

      **Paul Shaffer Says the F-Word**

      NBC – Credit: C/O

      Numerous F-words have made their way into Saturday Night Live, but Paul Shaffer (above left) was the first to utter one, albeit unintentionally. This occurred on March 15, 1980, during Season 5, Episode 14.

      The beloved musician, who rose through the ranks alongside stars like Gilda Radner, was given a speaking role in a 1980 sketch that featured extensive use of the word “flogging.” At one point, he made a mistake.

      Shaffer recalled in his memoir that Lorne Michaels approached him afterward, saying, “You broke down the last barrier.”

      Shaffer recovered well; he later spent years as David Letterman's Late Night band leader and comedic counterpart.

      **Charles Rocket Says the F-Word**

      NBC – Credit: NBC

      Charles Rocket was part of the cast during a challenging season that followed the departure of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players, as well as Lorne Michaels (who returned midway through the '80s). In a sketch aired on February 21, 1981, focusing on the famous Dallas storyline “Who Shot J.R.?,” Rocket exclaimed, “It’s the first time I’ve ever been shot in my life. I’d like to know who the f— did it.”

      Witness the reactions immediately after he spoke that line, above.

      According to "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live," SNL's director commented on the expletive, saying, “Well, that’s the end of live television.” (Fortunately, it wasn't.)

      The book states that producer Jean Doumanian, who had succeeded Michaels, supported Rocket and told NBC executives that if they terminated Rocket, they would also have to let her go.

      Soon, both were dismissed, though the F-word wasn’t the sole reason — the show was commercially struggling to rebuild.

      **Side Note**

      NBC – Credit: C/O

      Rocket's utterance of the F-word overshadowed the fact that Prince also used it during the same episode while performing his song “Party Up.”

      “Fightin’ war is such a f—ing bore,” he sang.

      His usage slipped past the censors as he said it so swiftly.

      **Sam Kinison Gets Censored**

      NBC – Credit: C/O

      During a stand-up routine, Sam Kinison's performance included two jokes on the West Coast feed — one about Jesus and another regarding crack cocaine.

      UPI reported that it was only the second instance of material being removed from the show, then in its 12th season (the first being the Richard Pryor episode).

      “Sam broke the rules and that was why the censor reacted the way he did,” remarked SNL producer Lorne Michaels.

      Later, the show welcomed Kinison back as a host. He humorously noted during his monologue, “NBC censors, I don’t know, I guess they’re on vacation.”

      **The Beach Sketch**

      NBC – Credit: C/O

      The episode aired on October 15, 1988, and was hosted by Matthew Broderick (above). It featured a sketch where men at a nude beach spent considerable time discussing each other’s anatomy.

      Conan O’Brien later disclosed that Robert Smigel was the lead writer for the sketch, which took advantage of newly relaxed broadcast standards permitting SNL to say “penis.”

      The NBC switchboards were inundated with calls. Weeks later, family-friendly host Mary Tyler Moore humorously squirmed through a monologue explaining that a family organization had called for a boycott of the show because it had “used a bad word 28 times.”

      She concluded the mon