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35 Trivia Tidbits About ‘Saturday Night Live’

More cowbell!

35 Trivia Tidbits About ‘Saturday Night Live’

November 04, 2023

If you thought that the stuff that happened in front of Saturday Night Live cameras was insane, imagine all of the goings-on behind the scenes. Creative differences, fights between cast members and all sorts of zany antics that aren’t ready for prime time. Here, then, are 35 out-of-this-world facts about SNL that happened when the cameras were off…

35

Updating...

HANNIBAL BURESS ALMOST GOT ON WEEKEND UPDATE 2010 CRACKED.COM I WASN'T GETTING ANY SKETCHES ON THE AIR... so I PITCHED SOMETHING TO SETH MEYERS. IMAGINE GOING TO YOUR BOSS AND SAYING, 'HEY, I KNOW I HAVEN'T BEEN DOING MY JOB VERY WELL BUT HOW ABOUT I DO THIS OTHER JOB.' I ACTUALLY DID IT AT DRESS REHEARSAL, BUT IT GOT CUT. IT WAS PRETTY COOL TO DO. — Uproxx

34

BEWARE THE BULGES OF TWO WILD AND CRAZY GUYS MARTIN/ACKROYD CRACKED.COM STEVE HAD THIS CHARACTER, THE CONTINENTAL GUY, SAYS ACKROYD, AND I HAD THE 'SWINGING' CZECH WHO WAS TRYING TO TALK LIKE AN AMERICAN, TRYING TO HAVE THE ACCENT, THE CLOTHES. so WE TOOK HIS CONTINENTAL GUY AND MY CZECH GUY AND WE FUSED THEM INTO THE CZECH BROTHERS. — Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

33

HANS & FRANZ GOT BOMBED BY `LAST ACTION HERO' UNPRODUCED CRACKED.COM 'THE GIRLY-MAN DILEMMA' WOULD HAVE CO-STARRED. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AS HIMSELF. WHEN HIS 'LAST ACTION HERO' TANKED, ARNOLD GOT COLD FEET AND PULLED OUT, KILLING THE PROJECT. KEVIN NEALON DESERVED BETTER. — Vulture

32

MILTON BERLE Saturday APRIL 14, 1979 Night Live CRACKED.COM Lorne: I knew we were heading for disaster from minute one. Besides begging for a standing ovation during his monologue, Berle also used his dressing room to reveal himself to writer Alan Zweibel. He just takes out this this anaconda. It was enormous. — Ultimate Classic Rock

31

Schweddy Balls

GASTEYER'S SNL AUDITION INCLUDED DELICIOUS DISH GASTEYER/SHANNON CRACKED.co GASTEYER BASED THE SKETCH ON PUBLIC RADIO SHOWS 'THE SPLENDID TABLE' AND 'GOOD FOOD.' HER SECRET TO TALKING LIKE AN NPR HOST? JUST TAKE YOUR TIME BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO REALLY NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYONE INTERRUPTING YOU, EVER. HER PARENTS LOADED UP ON THE BEN & JERRY'S 'SCHWEDDY BALLS' EDITION. — NPR

30

JOHN GOODMAN GRAGKED.COM 13-time host (third place all-time!) but it was a hard no when he auditioned for the cast in 1980. — Screen Rant

29

FEAR OCTOBER 31, 1981 CRACKED.COM John Belushi not only convinced SNL to book his favorite band but to allow a mosh pit as well. A chaotic set led to $200,00 in damages, a destroyed green room, one busted camera, and a lifetime ban. Said one NBC tech: It's amazing no one was killed. — Far Out

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GILBERT GOTTFRIED ROASTER WITH THE MOST GRACKED.COM THE HIGHLIGHT OF GOTTFRIED'S 12-EPISODE SNL RUN WAS PLAYING A LIFELESS CORPSE. HE BECAME MORE ANIMATED AS IAGO IN 'ALADDIN' AND THE AFLAC DUCK. COMEDY NERDS GIVE HIM PROPS AS THE FUNNIEST DUDE IN 'THE ARISTOCRATS. — Vulture

27

Wayne’s World

WAYNE CAMPBELL MIKE MYERS CRACKED.COM Myers based Wayne on friends he grew up with in the suburbs of Toronto, believing there was a certain homogenous suburban adolescent heavy metal experience that most could relate to. Myers' buddies cruised around in the Red Rocket, not the Mirthmobile. — CBC/YouTube

26

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MAX BROOKS SAYS LORNE DID THE TWO BEST THINGS 2003 CRACKED.COM ONE WAS HIRING THE 'WORLD WAR Z' WRITER BECAUSE HE LIKED MY STUFF. THE SECOND WAS FIRING BROOKS. SNL IS A VERY COLLABORATIVE OUTFIT. IT IS VERY MUCH ABOUT THROWING JOKES BACK AND FORTH... AND THAT'S JUST NOT HOW I WORKED. MY FATHER (MEL) DOES. — Biz Journals

25

Emily Litella

THE EVOLUTION OF EMILY LITELLA GILDA RADNER CRACKED.COM THE OH, THAT'S VERY DIFFERENT. NEVER MIND ENDING WAS CUTE FOR ABOUT A YEAR, SAYS WRITER ALAN ZWEIBEL. BUT HE AND GILDA WANTED TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. ON LITELLA'S NEXT APPEARANCE, JANE CURTIN ATTACKED, CALLING HER AN INSULT TO THE INTEGRITY OF FJOURNALISM. EMILY LITELLA'S ONE-WORD REPLY: BITCH. — Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

24

Saturday Night Live

NANCY KERRIGAN MARCH 12, 1994 CRACKED.co Time Magazine called Kerrigan's hosting gig a supremely awkward performance.! At least she didn't get kneecapped. — Time

23

Lisa Kudrow

LISA KUDROW CRACKED.COM The thing about my characters that I did at The Groundlings is they weren't the big crowdpleasers, said Kudrow. She was passed over for Julie Sweeney SO you can blame Kudrow for Pat. — Showbiz Cheat Sheet

22

Kanye West

KANYE WEST MAGAIN SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 CRACKED.COM Decked out in a MAGA hat, Kanye ended the season premiere with a pro-Trump rant that never made it to air. The ramble received boos from the studio audience and a hushed my god from Chris Rock on Instagram. — People

21

SNL

HARRY SHEARER EXCELLENT CRACKED.COM NO ONE HATES SNL LIKE SHEARER. AFTER LEAVING THE SHOW (A LIVING HELL) IN 1980, HE MADE 'THIS IS SPINAL TAP.' HE REJOINED THE CAST IN 1985, ONLY TO LEAVE ONCE MORE TO BECOME A DISGRUNTLED CAST MEMBER OF 'THE SIMPONS.' — Grantland

20

Kristen Wiig

GILLY KRISTEN WIIG CRACKED.COM One inspiration for Wiig's Gilly was a childhood perm she got for a wedding, accidentally tinted red by a bottle of Sun-In. Another was a weird, pulled-back smile that Wiig and SNL co-writers believed warranted its own character. — NBC

19

CONAN O'BRIEN ANGERED CENSORS WITH PENIS JOKES 1988 CRACKED.COM CONAN AND ROB SMIGEL WROTE 'NUDE BEACH,' A GOOFY SKETCH FOR TOM HANKS THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT PAST STANDARDS AND PRACTICES. IT SOMEHOW GOT ON THE AIR WITH MATTHEW BRODERICK. A FEW WEEKS LATER, SETTING AN ALL-TIME RECORD FOR THE NUMBER OF TIMES PENIS WAS UTTERED ON NATIONALTV. — Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

18

Nathan Thurm

DENY, DENY, DENY WAS THE KEY TO NATHAN THURM MARTIN SHORT CRACKED.COM THERE WAS A HEAD OF MAKEUP THAT YEAR, SAYS SHORT. YOU'D SAY, 'MARION, I LOOK A LITTLE PALE DON'T I?' AND SHE'D SAY, 'I KNOW THAT. YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT? I'M A MAKEUP ARTIST, I WOULD KNOW THAT. SHE ALSO CHAIN-SMOKED. SHORT PUT A WIRE IN HIS CIGARETTE so THE ASH WOULD NEVER FALL OFF. — The Wrap

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17

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LARRY DAVID CRACKED.com I walked up to and I went, this f---ing show stinks! It's a piece of s--t. I'm done! I quit! F... you! And that was it and then I left. — Vanity Fair

16

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PARIS HILTON FEBRUARY 5 5, 2005 CRACKED.COM Unbelievably dumb and SO proud of how dumb she is, according to Tina Fey. She's a piece of S-- — Insider

15

It's pretty gunked up down there.

MORGAN WALLEN DECEMBER 5, 2020 CRACKED.COM Country bro Wallen was uninvited to SNL after a viral video showed him partying without a mask. And because we can't figure this Covid thing out, he was re-invited two months later. — CNN

14

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KEL MITCHELL CRACKED.COM Keenan's Good Burger buddy did a song about Michael Jackson if he was allergic to trees! I did like a moonwalk move and flipped the table with someone's drink on it over, it was a MESS! — Cinema Blend

13

JENNY SLATE WROTE 'MARCEL THE SHELL' S 19 02 9 INTERNATIONAL is CRACKED.COM RUMOR WAS SNL DROPPED SLATE FOR HURLING AN F-BOMB. NOT TRUE: I JUST DIDN'T BELONG THERE, SAYS SLATE. SHE WENT ON TO KILL IT ON 'PARKS AND REC' AND THE WELL-RECEIVED INDIE 'OBVIOUS CHILD.' — Cinema Blend

12

MORE COWBELL WILL FERRELL CRACKED.COM Classic rock fan Chris Parnell wrote the sketch, which bombed in dress rehearsal. Before air, Ferrell asked wardrobe for a shirt one size smaller and the bit went from huh? to hilarious. Blue Oyster Cult nixed the movie since the band can no longer perform without the audience shouting MORE COWBELL! — Medium

11

TARGET LADY WAS BASED ON AN ACTUAL... TARGET LADY KRISTEN WIIG Fan Fan ox CRACKED.COM WIIG CREATED THE CHARACTER FOR THE GROUNDLINGS. SHE DIDN'T LEAVE WHILE SHE WAS CHECKING ME OUT BUT IT WAS JUST HER VOICE, SAYS WIIG. THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING EGGY ABOUT IT. LIKE SHE HAD EGGS IN HER THROAT. NO WORD ON WHETHER SHE ATE HALF AN ALMOND FOR ENERGY. — Bravo

10

PETE DAVIDSON CRACKED.COM I don't know if I'm the joke or I'm in on the joke. They think I'm -ing dumb. I'm literally painted out to be this big dumb idiot. — EW

9

ADRIEN BRODY MAY 10, 2003 CRACKED.COM Brody went completely off-script introducing musical act Sean Paul, appearing in fake dreadlocks and affecting an offensively bad Jamaican accent. Buh-bye, Brody. — Far Out Magazine

8

The Ambiguously Gay Movie

AMBIGUOUSLY GAY DUO WOULD HAVE BEEN LIVE-ACTION UNPRODUCED G CRACKED.COM SCREENWRITERS BOB SMIGEL AND STEPHEN COLBERT HAD NO INTEREST IN A MOVIE UNTIL THEY IMAGINED IT WITH REAL ACTORS. A FILM WITH VOICE ACTORS STEVE CARELL AND COLBERT DIDN'T HAPPEN, BUT A LIVE SKETCH WITH JON HAMM AND JIMMY FALLON AIRED ON SNL. — AV Club

7

GEENA DAVIS CRACKED.COM Geena Davis met with us in the lobby of the Century Plaza Hotel, remembers Harry Shearer, and it was all quite awkward and uncomfortable for everybody involved. Especially considering she didn't get the job. — Vulture

6

THE REPLACEMENTS JANUARY 18, 1986 SATURDAY CRACKED.COM They were literally Replacements (for the Pointer Sisters), performing drunk, on drugs, and out of tune. Blame pre-show boozing with host Harry Dean Stanton. — Variety

5

Joan Cusack

JOAN CUSACK WAY MORE OSCAR NOMS THAN JOHN CRACKED.COM CUSACK LASTED ONE SEASON ON SNL BEFORE COLLECTING OSCAR NOMINATIONS FOR 'WORKING GIRL' AND 'IN & OUT.' DECADES LATER, ABBY ELLIOTT (ALSO UNDERAPPRECIATED) BROUGHT HER CUSACK IMPRESSION TO THE SHOW. — Vulture

4

Stefon

A STEFON BILL HADER CRACKED.COM One inspiration for writer John Mulaney was an email from a club promoter. Part of the pitch? Rooms full of broken glass. Hader was also inspired by a whispery local barista who lived on the Lower-Lower East Side. — The New Yorker/YouTube

3

BOBODENKIRK WAS NOT A LORNE MICHAELS FAN 1990 CRACKED.COM I BASICALLY HAD A HUGE CHIP ON MY SHOULDER, REMEMBERS ODENKIRK. MIX THAT IN WITH LORNE'S TRADITIONAL INTIMIDATION AND IT'S NOT GOOD. I DIDN'T RESPOND TO THE WAY HE LIKES TO APPROACH YOUNG PERFORMERS AND SET HIMSELF UP AS SOME KIND OF VERY DISTANT, STRANGE COMEDY GOD. — Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

2

The Superfans

THE SUPERFANS HAD POLISH SAUSAGE LODGED IN ITS HEART UNPRODUCED B CHICAGO g CRACKED.COM CHRIS FARLEY'S MOVIE CAREER TOOK OFF JUST AS THE SUPERFANS MOVIE WAS BEING DEVELOPED. WHEN IT NO LONGER MADE SENSE FOR FARLEY TO DO AN ENSEMBLE PIECE, DA MOVIE WAS DOOMED POUR ONE OUT FOR THE INEVITABLE DITKA CAMEO. — The Ringer

1

CHEVY CHASE 15, Night FEBRUARY 1997 CRACKED.COM A fistfight with Bill Murray wasn't enough to get Chase banned as a host. That would be his 1987 stint when, according to Will Ferrell, he asked a female writer if maybe you could give me a handjob later. — Uproxx

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Saturday Night Live

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