Throughout the 50 seasons of Saturday Night Live, several music acts have been reported to be banned from ever appearing again following controversial performances on the iconic sketch-comedy show. However, SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels insists that SNL has “never banned anyone” in its half-century history.
Michaels’ revelation comes courtesy of the new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, which premiered Monday night (January 27th) on NBC and is now streaming on Peacock.
“I’ll read it sometimes in the Post, ‘So and so’s banned for life,’” says Michaels in the doc. “We’ve never banned anyone. We’re way too crass and opportunistic. If something’s hot, we’re going to go for it and have it on.”
For decades, it’s been assumed that music acts like Sinéad O’Connor, Rage Against the Machine, Fear, Elvis Costello, and even the legendary David Bowie were banned from ever playing Saturday Night Live again.
O’Connor, of course, famously tore up a photo of the Pope during her performance in October 1992. RATM, meanwhile, were locked down by the Secret Service after attempting to perform with upside-down American flags in 1996, as detailed by Tom Morello in the new documentary.
Costello and Bowie both changed songs at the last second, and Fear brought a full on mosh pit to their 1981 performance, thanks in large part to rebellious SNL legend John Belushi.
While it’s true that a few of those acts — along with others like System of a Down (screaming “f*ck” during their performance) and Cypress Hill (lighting up a joint and trashing instruments) — haven’t been invited back, if we take Michaels at his word, they haven’t been outright banned.
Michaels’ statement is one of a number of revelations that come to light in Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, which was was co-directed by Questlove and Oz Rodriguez. As mentioned, the doc is currently streaming on Peacock.