The Best, Worst, and Funniest Moments From SNL‘s 50th Anniversary Special
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During Steve Martin’s monologue during the SNL 50th anniversary special, John Mulaney joined his idol and dropped a shocking fact that audiences weren’t sure was a joke or true: two Saturday Night Live hosts committed murder. With the SNL50 special dropping joke after joke and deep cut after deep cut, plenty of viewers assumed there might have been one or two references that went over their heads. Still, a joke about two hosts having committed murder is hard to miss.
The moment was played as a laugh. “We writers really appreciated that tribute, but I believe the heart and soul of this show is the celebrity hosts, many of whom are in this room tonight. As I look around, I see some of the most difficult people I have ever met in my entire life,” Mulaney joked before finishing, “Over the course of 50 years, 894 people have hosted Saturday Night Live, and it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder.”
Mulaney wasn’t joking: two former Saturday Night Live hosts actually have committed murder – allegedly, according to their accusers. Of course, O.J. Simpson was arrested in 1994 and charged with the murders of his estranged wife, Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. The trial, which unfolded from January through October 1995, was one of the most salacious and widely covered in American history. Simpson was ultimately acquitted of both murders, a decision that’s still controversial today.
For his part, Robert Blake was charged with the murder of Bonnie Lee Bakley in 2002, and his bodyguard, Earle Caldwell, was charged with conspiracy. On May 4, 2001, Bakley was shot in the head and killed in Blake’s car after they had dinner together. Stuntmen Ronald “Duffy” Hambleton and Gary McLarty both agreed to testify, saying Blake had hired them to kill Bakley. Blake’s trial began in December 2004, but was ultimately found not guilty in March 2005 after it was determined the evidence, while considerable, wasn’t enough to convict. As with Simpson, public opinion on Blake’s acquittal was divisive.
With SNL having almost 900 hosts in its lifetime, it’s almost shocking that the number of hosts charged with murder isn’t higher. However, while most Saturday Night Live guest hosts have been fantastic, there have been a few problem hosts throughout the years.
Even if they didn’t commit murder, these hosts became infamous, whether for how bad they were at hosting, how difficult they were to work with, or simply for how radioactive they became as people. A few of those problematic or failed guests on most people’s lists include Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Justin Bieber, Steven Seagal, and Milton Burle, who was actually banned from SNL after his last performance.
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Didn’t know Robert Blake had hosted. We were thinking that Alec Baldwin was the other host.
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