Posted in: NBC, Preview, TV | Tagged: Kenan Thompson, Leslie Jones, nbc, samuel l jackson, saturday night live, snl

Saturday Night Live: Jackson Blames Thompson for Non-Existent SNL Ban

With NBC's Saturday Night Live on break until next weekend (more on that in a minute), it's customary for us to use this time to see what's going on out in the great SNL universe. And this time around, we have none other than Secret Invasion star Samuel L. Jackson checking in to address an issue ten years in the making- because that's how long it's been since the actor last hosted the long-running late-night sketch comedy/music series. And while checking in with guest host & SNL alum Leslie Jones on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jackson (jokingly) pointed an accusatory finger at Kenan Thompson for being the reason why he's been "banned" (though EW confirmed with SNL that no such band actually exists). "Kenan got me banned from 'Saturday Night Live.' He didn't cut me off soon enough and I said the forbidden word on television," Jackson explained. "He was supposed to cut me off!" The recurring sketch in question was "What's Up With That?", airing during the Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)-hosted December 2021 episode. Thompson's Diondre Cole is a host who routinely interrupts his guests to break into song (with bonus points to Jason Sudeikis for his "'Running Man' Man"), with Jackson, Carrie Brownstein, Bill Hader's Lindsey Buckingham, and Short's Jackie Rogers Jr. guests on the Christmas special. At one point, Jackson began to drop the F-bomb with the expectation that he would be interrupted. But guess what? He wasn't. So that F-bomb got dropped on live television.

On April 2nd, we have Jerrod Carmichael (Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel) hosting with musical guest Gunna. Then on April 9th, we have Jake Gyllenhaal (Ambulance) hosting with musical guest Camila Cabello. And finally, we have Lizzo (Watch Out for the Big Grrrls) doing double-duty as host & musical guest on April 16th. Now here's a look back at the 2012 sketch in question, followed by Jackson discussing the sketch with Jones on Ellen:

During a tour behind-the-scenes of SNL's show night with CBS Mornings host Gayle King for his Kennedy Center honor before the end of the year, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels revealed that he had been thinking of retiring and thought it was a "really good time to leave." But first and foremost, his commitment is to see the show make it to that milestone. "I think I'm committed to doing this show until its 50th anniversary, which is in three years. I'd like to see that through, and I have a feeling that'd be a really good time to leave," Michaels explained. "I won't want the show ever to be bad. I care too deeply about it. It's been my life's work. So I'm going to do everything I can to see it carry on and carry on well," he continued. And while Michaels was loathed to discuss details on something that wouldn't happen for three more years, he did admit when it comes to who would take on the role next that they had "a sense of where we're headed with that."

NBC's Saturday Night Live Season 47 cast includes Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Melissa Villaseñor, and Bowen Yang; feature players include the returning Andrew Dismukes and Punkie Johnson, as well as new players Aristotle Athari (Future Man, All Rise), James Austin Johnson (Silicon Valley), and Sarah Sherman (The Eric Andre Show).

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