The 12 Most Incredible Moments from 50 Years of Saturday Night Live

      Let’s explore some of the most surprising moments from SNL as it approaches its 51st season.

      Richard Pryor as Host

      NBC – Credit: NBC

      Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live, strongly advocated for booking the bold Richard Pryor to host the show’s seventh episode on December 13, 1975. The network was concerned that Pryor might be too profane and unpredictable, leading Michaels to agree to a five-second delay to censor any profanity.

      While Pryor avoided more explicit four-letter words, he did use a three-letter word beginning with A. According to "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live" by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad, the censor managing the delay misspoke and allowed both instances to air, although they were removed from the West Coast broadcast version.

      To contemporary viewers, however, the sketch “Word Association,” featuring Chevy Chase as an employer engaging Pryor in a word-association test during a janitorial job interview, is likely the most shocking. The dialogue eventually spirals into racial epithets.

      Indeed, in 1975, using the N-word in a comedic context was less shocking than using the A-word.

      Paul Shaffer Utters the F-Word

      NBC – Credit: C/O

      Numerous F-words have made their way into Saturday Night Live, but Paul Shaffer has the distinction of unintentionally being the first to do so. This mishap occurred on March 15, 1980, during Season 5, Episode 14.

      Shaffer, well-loved as a musician and a peer of greats like Gilda Radner, had a speaking role in a sketch that included the word “flogging” repeatedly, but he misspoke during one of his lines.

      In his memoir, he recalled how Lorne Michaels approached him afterward, saying, “You broke down the last barrier.”

      Shaffer bounced back professionally, later serving as David Letterman’s band leader and comedic sidekick.

      Charles Rocket Says the F-Word

      NBC – Credit: NBC

      Charles Rocket was part of the cast during a particularly turbulent season following the departure of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players and Lorne Michaels (who would eventually return in the mid-’80s). During a February 21, 1981 sketch based on the famous “Who Shot J.R.?” storyline from Dallas, Rocket said, “It’s the first time I’ve ever been shot in my life. I’d like to know who the f— did it.”

      The reactions immediately following his statement were notable.

      As detailed in "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live," SNL’s director remarked, “Well, that’s the end of live television,” although thankfully, it wasn’t.

      Producer Jean Doumanian, who had replaced Michaels, supported Rocket, even telling NBC executives that firing him would mean firing her as well.

      Both were eventually let go, though not only because of the F-word, as the show was struggling financially while trying to recover.

      Additional Detail

      NBC – Credit: C/O

      Rocket’s F-word slip overshadowed the fact that Prince also used the F-word during the same episode while performing "Party Up."

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

      His quick delivery meant he slipped past the censors unnoticed.

      Sam Kinison Faces Censorship

      NBC – Credit: C/O

      When Sam Kinison performed a stand-up set, a West Coast feed included two of his jokes — one regarding Jesus and another about crack cocaine.

      At the time, UPI reported this was only the second instance in the show's 12 seasons where material was removed for later broadcasts, following the Richard Pryor episode.

      “Sam broke the rules, which is why the censor reacted,” stated producer Lorne Michaels.

      Kinison was later invited back to host, humorously noting, “NBC censors, I don’t know, I guess they’re on vacation,” during his monologue.

      The Beach Sketch

      NBC – Credit: C/O

      The October 15, 1988 episode, hosted by Matthew Broderick, included a sketch where men at a clothing-optional beach spent several minutes commenting on one another's anatomy.

      Conan O’Brien later shared that Robert Smigel was the main writer for this sketch, which took advantage of recently relaxed broadcasting standards that permitted the use of the word “penis.”

      The NBC switchboards were soon inundated with calls. Weeks later, family-friendly host Mary Tyler Moore humorously addressed a boycott from a family group over the show's “28 bad word” incidents in her monologue, concluding with, “Elvis Costello’s penis is here tonight!”

      Sinead O’Connor's Protest

      NBC – Credit: NBC

      Following a powerful a capella rendition of Bob Marley’s “War” on the October 3, 1992 episode, Irish singer