The controversial opening monologues of these seven hosts angered NBC and TV censors.

"Saturday Night Live," tends to push the boundaries when it comes comedy and sketches, but the show tries not to get into direct controversy.

There have been 48 seasons of the show, and a few guests have made opening monologues that crossed that line for viewers.

Learn the truth about seven of these controversial monologues

1. Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle is well-known for his controversial comedy. He didn't hesitate to use his "SNL” monologue in 2020. Dave Chappelle's 16-minute stand-up opener explored topics such as the pandemic, gun violence, and other controversial topics. He said that he had to thank God for COVID as it prevented "murderous whites from causing mass shootings." He also compared Donald Trump’s battle with COVID to Freddie Mercury’s AIDS struggle, stating that neither diagnosis should have been surprising.

Although his monologue received mixed reviews, he once more pushed the boundaries when he took to the stage in 2022. His stand-up focused on anti-semitism's recent rise and Kanye West’s controversial remarks about the Jewish community. While he did not denounce antisemitism, some viewers found his jokes about Jewish culture to be offensive. Some even suggested that it was de-sensitizing people from anti-Semitism.

2. Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson's monologue on "SNL" caused controversy because of a joke that he made about the COVID lockdown, and vaccine. Woody told viewers that he had recited the "craziest script" from the time before the pandemic.

"The movie goes like the following: The biggest drug cartels get together and buy all the media and force everyone in the world to stay in their homes. People can only escape if they continue taking the cartel's drug and take them over and over again," Woody stated about the supposed script. I threw away the script. Who is going to believe such a crazy idea? Forced to use drugs "I do it voluntarily all the time."

3. Louis C.K.

Louis C.K. was the host of "SNL" in 2015. Louis C.K. took to the "SNL” stage in 2015. He received a lot of backlash for his opening monologue, where he called himself "mildly racism" and made fun of child molestation. He thought back to his childhood and was offended by the fact that a child molester in his town didn't like him. Then he went on to ask why child molesters still commit these crimes. He even said that they must be so horrified at the high risk of doing this terrible act -- even though he was aware he had made a joke.

He said, "From their point-of-view, it must have been amazing for them to take so much risk," before adding, "It is my last show probably."

4. Bill Burr

Bill Burr's "SNL" debut was in 2020. He chose to discuss a variety of controversial topics during his monologue. After calling out cancel culture as absurd, he went on to criticize white women who "hijacked" the woke movement. He said that while the woke movement was supposed be about unjust treatment of peoples of color, he has "never heard so many complaining in my life by white women" -- even calling them "bitches."

He was also criticized for saying that Pride month gets June in the LGBTQ community, while Black history month is February. He argued that Black people were "enslaved" and only get "28 days of rain," so he suggested that Black history month should move to July.

5. Sam Kinison

In 1986, Sam Kinison appeared on "SNL", and much of his monologue was censored. Sam Kinison's remarks about legalizing marijuana were not allowed to air. Instead, the opening segment of the video was edited in an awkward way to avoid any remarks. This included cutting the audio and the picture for approximately 13 seconds.

Lorne Michaels, a Lorne Michaels spokesperson for AP, stated that network TV requires you to follow the rules. Sam did not. They didn't find his drug references to be negative enough. NBC has a policy now that drug references must be negative. My reaction was mixed, because Sam had not made the joke at dressing so the censors weren't prepared.

6. Chris Rock

In 2014, Chris Rock hosted "SNL," and viewers didn't like his jokes about the Boston Marathon bombings of the previous year. He also joked about 9/11 and how the Freedom Tower was built to remember those who lost their lives in the tragedy. He joked about Target being the tower's corporate sponsor and said he wouldn't go in even if Scarlett Johansson was naked on the 89th.

7. Martin Lawrence

Martin Lawrence was temporarily banned by NBC in 1994 for his controversial opening monologue. He joked about what the censors warned him to avoid before launching into a bizarre, graphic rant on feminine hygiene.

"I don’t care...I’m not banned from ‘SNL.’ I was banned from NBC for a moment. They realized that the way it was going down wasn't as they expected and sent me an apology letter," Martin said later on the "Breakfast Club."

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Title: Saturday Night Live Monologues: 7 Of The Most Controversial
Sourced From: www.toofab.com/2023/04/02/most-controversial-saturday-night-live-monologues/
Published Date: Sun, 02 Apr 2023 14:00:34 +0000

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