In 1986, ‘Saturday Night Live’ censored a comedian live on air. Viewers responded by mailing Lorne Michaels envelopes full of shit
NBC briefly censored Sam Kinison during a five-minute Saturday Night Live set in October 1986, cutting away from jokes about drugs and televangelists. The edits prompted confusion and anger among viewers, and the incident highlighted the restrictions comedians faced on network television.
NBC said drug references had to be negative, while Kinison had been asked to remove the religious joke at dress rehearsal but kept it in. SNL producer Lorne Michaels defended the network’s decision; Kinison’s fans responded by mailing human faeces to the show’s headquarters. The following month, Kinison hosted SNL for the first and only time.
In short
- NBC cut away from Sam Kinison’s 1986 SNL set.
- The edits covered drug references and a joke about televangelists.
- Angry fans mailed faeces to the show’s headquarters.