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SNL50: A Hilarious Look Back at Its Most Cringe-Worthy and Offensive Moments!

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On the SNL50 special, Saturday Night Live took a trip down memory lane by revisiting its most memorable sketches. However, the show didn’t shy away from spotlighting certain skits and guest performances that haven’t aged as gracefully over time.

At the conclusion of the 50th anniversary special, a previously recorded clip featuring Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs from an old SNL episode was shown. This came as a surprise when reflecting on it later, as the rapper is currently in jail, awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. However, he has strongly contested these allegations.

In his comedy routine, the 55-year-old hip-hop titan also referenced the infamous singer and convicted sex offender R. Kelly. This reference prompted the show to replay a 2013 segment where R. Kelly teamed up with Lady Gaga for a musical performance.

Tom Hanks utilized every ounce of seriousness he had, leading viewers to anticipate a tribute honoring the deceased, but instead… (the segment turned out to be something different)

In reflecting on the remarkable milestones reached over the past half-century, it is equally important that we pay tribute to the many members of our SNL family who were tragically taken away from us before their time. He spoke these words with a heavy heart.

I’m referring to the SNL characters and skits that have become quite outdated. Despite the fact that some of their stereotypes, accents, and, for lack of a better term, cultural wigs, were clearly insensitive, they still made us laugh.

He went on to say, “If there’s someone who deserves to be remembered for cancellation, isn’t it you, my audience? It’s a point worth considering. Moving forward, let’s remember someone else now.

In the categorization labeled as “potentially challenging guests,” Diddy’s visit was traced back to a 2010 episode, where Robert De Niro, the host of SNL50 at that time, was featured.

In the skit being discussed, Robert De Niro, in a surprising twist, donned women’s clothing to portray the mother of Andy Samberg’s character. The scene then showed Sean “Diddy” Combs attempting to record in the studio, but his focus shifted when he became smitten with De Niro’s character. This affectionate interaction ended with Robert De Niro, famous for his role in Raging Bull, dancing suggestively with Diddy.

The clip smoothly transitioned to Diddy’s amusingly ill-timed remarks: ‘Judge not a book by its cover. My friend here resembles R. Kelly —’

Then the show cut to R. Kelly grinning next to Lady Gaga at the end of a 2013 episode.

It wasn’t just these individuals who caused issues; comedian John Mulaney had previously quipped that Saturday Night Live had hosted “two suspected killers,” a remark believed to be about O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake.

Tom was skewering himself, as he was featured among the offensive ‘ethnic stereotypes.’ 

In a humorous portrayal, Rob Schneider donned the role of a Mexican character adorned with a caricatured mustache, sombrero, and poncho, discussing NAFTA. Simultaneously, Dana Carvey took on the part of an overtly amorous Italian waiter.

The drawing served a dual purpose, acting both as a depiction of a sexual assault scenario, and portraying a moment where the character attempted to kiss the late Kirstie Alley.

Adrien Brody, an Academy Award nominee, played a memorable role that he showcased when introducing Sean Paul. This character was highlighted once more, and it was referred to as ‘Wow’ in a casual way.

In some of the drawings, performers were depicted with darkened skin or in blackface; however, Saturday Night Live chose to pixelate those images instead.

In a less formal and more understandable way, the show didn’t take racial slurs seriously in the past, as demonstrated by an iconic scene where Chevy Chase and guest Richard Pryor exchanged offensive terms.

Following a series of increasingly intense insults, Pryor retorted with the term “honky.” This was then met by the use of a racial slur by the individual from the Vacation movie.

Or simpler:

Pryor and another person exchanged harsh words, with Pryor saying “honky” and the other person using the N-word in response.

Both versions convey the intended meaning while avoiding offensive language.

‘Dead honky!’ shot back the late comedian. 

Some drawings turned out to be newer than some viewers might assume, such as an episode from the year 2000 where guest host Lucy Liu made a humorous remark about her mother preparing a dog meal, which was a reference to stereotypes about Asian people.

In addition, Saturday Night Live acknowledged potential insensitivity in some jokes that touched on the subject of child sexual abuse, such as one sketch where Mike Myers was shown in a bath tub alongside a young Macaulay Culkin.

The program didn’t shy away from making blatantly sexist humor either, such as a Weekend Update sketch where the late Norm Macdonald joked about an unpopular comment on female drivers. He then added another joke suggesting that no women were actually responsible for writing for SNL.

In a skit on the show, Ben Affleck highlighted an instance of discriminatory portrayal towards individuals with developmental disabilities. This sketch featured him criticizing Fred Armisen, who was acting as a character who wasn’t fond of Chasing Amy, but had a developmental delay.

The history of the show featuring awkward portrayals of LGBTQ+ characters was emphasized through various video snippets, one of which being a brief excerpt from the animated series, Ambiguously Gay Duo.

It was evident that Saturday Night Live (SNL) wasn’t implying that all things which current viewers find uncomfortable are inherently offensive.

In this situation, a scene featuring Will Ferrell mocking an endearing dog was labeled as ‘cruelty to animals.’ However, for it to truly qualify as such, the dog would need to comprehend fluent English.

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2025-02-17 11:04

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