Exposing Saturday Night Live’s Controversial Side

Published on 05/09/2023
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Adrien Brody

Adrien Brody ad-libbed an introduction for Jamaican singer Sean Paul while sporting dreadlocks and speaking in a faux-Jamaican accent when hosting an episode in 2003. Producer Lorne Michaels slammed the door in Brody’s face, banishing him for the unintended racist joke.

Adrien Brody

Adrien Brody

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Rage Against The Machine

Rage Against the Machine wasn’t even able to complete an episode before being banned. They were ejected from SNL’s Rockefeller Center studios in 1996 after only performing one of their two scheduled songs. Why? They performed the first song in front of an upside-down American flag. To be fair to the band, as seen in the above Woodstock 1994 photo, the use of the American flag as part of their stage presentation was well-established by the time SNL booked them.

Rage Against The Machine

Rage Against The Machine

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