For 50 years, Saturday Night Live has entertained audiences with live comedy and music. Sometimes, the drama behind the scenes can be equally appealing. But according to Lorne Michaels, one longstanding SNL myth isn't based on the truth.
Michaels and some cast members have hinted that certain hosts aren't welcomed back to Studio 8H. So it stood to reason that the same went for musical guests who either pushed the envelope too far, didn't follow SNL rules, or just flat-out underperformed.
Not the case, says the Saturday Night Live boss. “I’ll read it sometimes in the Post, ‘So and so’s banned for life,' " Michaels said in the documentary Ladies & Gentlemen...50 Years of SNL Music. "And no, we’ve never banned anyone. We’re way too crass and opportunistic. If something’s hot, we’re going to go for it and have it on."
The two biggest examples often cited as musicians banned from Saturday Night Live are Sinead O'Connor and Ashlee Simpson. Both delivered memorable performances, albeit for different reasons. But according to Michaels, neither were banned from SNL.
O'Connor made waves in 1992 when she ripped a picture of the pope during her performance in response to the sex abuse scandal. While the artist faced intense backlash, none of it came from Michaels. In the documentary, the SNL boss claimed "there was a part of me that admired the bravery of what she'd done and also the absolute sincerity of it."
Ashlee Simpson invited controversy in 2004 when she attempted to lip-sync through her performances after losing her voice. When the wrong song played for her second performance, she did an awkward dance and ran off stage.
In response, Michaels said it was part of doing a live show and that mistakes happen. Rather than ban Simpson, Saturday Night Live invited her back in 2005. Simpson declined director Questlove's invitation to appear in the SNL music documentary.