The Show Finally Confronts Its Most Problematic Moments—And It’s About Time
After 50 years of making America laugh (and occasionally cringe), Saturday Night Live took a moment during its anniversary special to acknowledge the sketches and characters that aged like milk in the sun. And they didn’t hold back.
Legendary host Tom Hanks led the segment with a tongue-in-cheek eulogy for the show’s most “canceled” moments, complete with a dramatic “In Memoriam” montage. “As we celebrate the achievements of the past 50 years, we must also take a moment to honor those we’ve lost—countless members of the SNL family taken from us too soon,” Hanks said with a solemn nod. “I’m speaking, of course, about SNL characters and sketches that have aged horribly.”
What followed was a blistering takedown of SNL’s own missteps, categorized by offense. And let’s just say… yikes.
The “Wait, We Laughed at That?” Hall of Shame
The montage opened with a gut-punch of old clips, each labeled with a now-cringeworthy category:
- “Ethnic Stereotypes” – John Belushi’s Samurai Futaba, Rob Schneider’s nameless “Mexican Stereotype,” and Fred Armisen’s borderline-offensive portrayal of Latin and Middle Eastern characters.
- “Underage Sexual Harassment” – That infamous 2004 Harry Potter sketch where 17-year-old Lindsay Lohan’s cleavage was ogled by grown men. (Uh, what?)
- “Sexual Harassment” – Tracy Morgan’s Astronaut Jones telling Britney Spears to strip out of her spacesuit.
- “Body Shaming” – Chris Farley’s debated Chippendales audition with Patrick Swayze.
- “Gay Panic” – Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan’s The Lovers, featuring excessive freakouts at the mere thought of two men touching.
- “Slut Shaming” – Dan Aykroyd’s infamous Weekend Update insult to Jane Curtin: “You ignorant slut.”
- “Questionable Makeup” – A rapid-fire blur of SNL stars in makeup playing races they definitely shouldn’t have.
- “Racial Slurs” – A shocking revisit to the Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor “Word Association” sketch, featuring a hard-hitting N-word moment that had jaws on the floor (even back then).
The Guest List From Hell
And it wasn’t just sketches. The montage also put the spotlight on SNL’s most problematic guest hosts and musical performers, making sure we all remembered these “oh no” moments:
- O.J. Simpson – Because letting an accused (and later acquitted) murderer host SNL was a choice.
- Robert Blake – See above.
- Jared Fogle – Yes, the disgraced former Subway spokesperson was once an SNL guest. Gross.
- R. Kelly – The montage reminded us all of his 2013 performance with Lady Gaga (Do What U Want), which, in hindsight, is deeply disturbing.
- Sean “Diddy” Combs – Currently awaiting trial for sex trafficking allegations, yet once welcomed on the SNL stage with open arms.
“You Laughed Too!” – SNL’s Savage Clapback to the Audience
Perhaps the most brutal moment? SNL didn’t just take accountability—they turned the mirror on the audience, too. “Let’s be real, you all laughed at this,” Hanks joked. “So if anyone should be canceled, shouldn’t it be you, the audience? Something to think about.”
The segment wrapped up with a slow piano rendition of the SNL theme song, playing over images of now-unacceptable characters fading into the black abyss. It was equal parts hilarious and horrifying—a perfect encapsulation of SNL’s complicated legacy.
Will This Change Anything?
It’s rare for a show like SNL to call itself out so directly, and this moment proves the series is at least aware of its own checkered past. But will this self-roast lead to actual change? Or is it just a clever PR move?
Either way, the message was clear: Saturday Night Live has spent 50 years pushing boundaries—and sometimes stepping way over them. But at least now, they’re willing to laugh at themselves for it.
And in true SNL fashion, they made sure we laughed along too.
