One bad joke got Adrien Brody banned from 'Saturday Night Live'—and it's hard not to see why
It seems like Adrien Brody can't stay within his lines! In May 2003, The Grand Budapest Hotel star hosted an episode of the Emmy-winning 'Saturday Night Live'. During the May 10 episode, Brody went off-script while introducing 'No Lie' hitmaker Sean Paul, using a terrible Jamaican accent. He also wore dreadlocks as a nod to the musician's roots. According to a report by Ranker, Brody was permanently banned from the NBC show following the incident.
In an interview with Vulture magazine, the Oscar winner addressed rumors about being banned from 'SNL', saying, "But I also have never been invited back on, so I don’t know what to tell you." In addition to this, Brody also confessed that 'SNL' creator Lorne Michaels wasn't happy with his improvisation. “I think [Lorne Michaels] wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to. I thought that was a safe space to do that, weirdly," he further added.
During his 40-second introduction for Paul, Brody was simply supposed to say, "Ladies and gentlemen, Sean Paul," as per the original script. However, Brody went off-script, using stereotypical Jamaican phrases on national television. He began with, "Ya mon," meaning "Yes" or "Of course" in English, and mentioned Rastafari while joking about Paul’s family, playfully noting that all their names were variations of "Sean." He also told the studio audience to have "a great show," a common phrase among 'SNL' hosts. Before his hosting gig, Brody had several ideas, including a whimsical introduction for Paul. In the same interview, he recalled the 'SNL' team’s reaction, saying, “They were all literally agape from me pitching." Ultimately, he stepped on stage in costume and followed through with his plan.
For the unversed, Brody is not the only celebrity who made headlines after his hosting stint on 'SNL.' Nearly a decade ago, Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor appeared as a musical guest on the late-night comedy show. During her time on the show, O'Connor made headlines by tearing up a photograph of Pope John Paul II, the former head of the Catholic Church. While performing a cappella version of Bob Marley's War, she altered the lyrics to include "child abuse," then held up the Pope's picture and ripped it to pieces. She ended the moment by staring into the camera and declaring, "Fight the real enemy."
As per Irish Times, the late Pope John Paul II was accused of covering up alleged child abuse carried out by priests during his time as archbishop of Krakow, before his move to Rome as pontiff in 1978. After the event, O'Connor reportedly faced immense backlash from the viewers. However, the 'Nothing Compares 2 U' crooner stood behind her actions. While chatting with the New York Times in 2021, O'Connor shared that she had zero regrets about her actions but she was overwhelmed by the backlash. "I'm not sorry I did it. It was brilliant. But it was very traumatizing. It was open season on treating me like a crazy b***h," O'Connor said, as per Time magazine.
