The 12 Most Astonishing Moments in the 50-Year History of Saturday Night Live

      Let's explore the most astonishing moments in the 51-year history of Saturday Night Live.

      From boundary-pushing sketches to unexpected instances and orchestrated protests, these are the most outrageous occurrences that took place live from New York on Saturday nights.

      Here we go.

      **Richard Pryor Hosts**

      Saturday Night Live's creator, Lorne Michaels, battled with NBC executives to secure the controversial Richard Pryor as the host for the show's seventh episode on December 13, 1975. The network was concerned about Pryor's tendency to be explicit and unpredictable, leading Michaels to agree to a five-second delay for censorship purposes.

      Pryor managed to avoid any curse words but did use a three-letter word starting with A. According to "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live" by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad, the censor operating the delay failed to catch both instances, but they were removed from the recorded version shown on the West Coast.

      To contemporary audiences, the most shocking sketch is probably "Word Association," where Chevy Chase interviews Pryor for a janitorial position, which devolves into racial slurs. Indeed, in 1975, using the N-word in a comedy sketch was less shocking than the A-word. It's a sketch SNL would never attempt today.

      **Paul Shaffer Says the F-Word**

      Numerous F-words have made their way into Saturday Night Live, but Paul Shaffer holds the distinction of having accidentally said the first one. This incident occurred on March 15, 1980, in Season 5, Episode 14.

      Shaffer, the beloved musician who rose through the ranks alongside talents like Gilda Radner, was featured in a sketch that repetitively used the word "flogging." At one point, he misspoke.

      In his memoir, he recounted that SNL creator Lorne Michaels approached him afterward, saying, "You broke down the last barrier."

      Shaffer managed to continue his career, later serving as band leader and comedic partner to David Letterman.

      **Charles Rocket Says the F-Word**

      Charles Rocket was part of the cast during a tumultuous season following the departure of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players and Lorne Michaels (who would make a welcome return in the mid-'80s). During a sketch on February 21, 1981, based on the iconic Dallas plot "Who Shot J.R.?", Rocket delivered the line, "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 utterance are notable.

      According to "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live," the SNL director remarked, "Well, that’s the end of live television." Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

      The book also mentions that producer Jean Doumanian, who had taken over for Michaels, supported Rocket and stated to NBC executives that firing Rocket would mean firing her as well.

      Ultimately, both were removed from the show, not solely due to the F-word, as the program was struggling financially during its attempts to recover.

      **Side Note**

      Rocket's F-word usage detracted attention from the fact that Prince also slipped in an F-word during his performance of "Party Up."

      "Fightin’ war is such a f---ing bore," he sang.

      The censors missed it because he delivered the line so quickly.

      **Sam Kinison Gets Censored**

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

      At the time, UPI reported that this was only the second instance of material being cut from a later airing in the show’s then 12-season history (the first being Richard Pryor's episode).

      "Sam broke the rules, and that’s why the censor reacted the way he did," said SNL producer Lorne Michaels.

      The show later invited Kinison back to host. During his monologue, he quipped, "NBC censors, I don’t know, I guess they’re on vacation."

      **The Beach Sketch**

      The episode on October 15, 1988, hosted by Matthew Broderick, featured a sketch in which men at a nude beach spent several minutes commenting on one another's anatomy.

      Conan O’Brien later revealed that lead writer Robert Smigel was behind the sketch, which capitalized on newly relaxed broadcast standards allowing the use of the word "penis."

      The NBC switchboards became overwhelmed with calls. Weeks later, family-friendly host Mary Tyler Moore humorously squirmed through a monologue explaining that a family group had called for a boycott because the show "used a bad word 28 times."

      She concluded her monologue by announcing the musical guest: "Elvis Costello’s penis is here tonight!"

      **Sinead O’Connor**

      In an unforgettable moment during the October 3,