Was Louise Lasser the first-ever celebrity to be banned from Saturday Night Live?
Since Saturday Night Live first aired in 1975, it has become one of the longest-running television shows in the US, spawning close to 1000 episodes. Created by Lorne Michaels, the show is celebrated for its comedy sketches that parody current affairs, often featuring a prominent celebrity cast.
SNL has also given rise to several popular films over the years, such as Wayne’s World and The Blues Brothers, which originated as sketches on the show. With that, the show also helped launch the careers of some of Hollywood’s most prominent comedy actors, from Adam Sandler to Eddie Murphy and Tina Fey.
However, due to the SNL’s decades-long run, there has been no shortage of controversies. Many intentional and accidental live mishaps have caused a widespread uproar, such as the incident where Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor ripped up an image of Pope John Paul II while singing. This caused monumental outrage, with protests outside 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where SNL is filmed. Copies of O’Connor’s music were steamrolled, and she was banned from the show.
However, O’Connor is just one of many guests to have caused significant controversy. From Rage Against the Machine to Adrien Brody, multiple guests have even been banned from ever returning to the show. Although the most prominent controversies occurred during the 1990s and 2000s, SNL’s first major incident arrived in 1976.
Louise Lasser became the centre of a rumour that she was banned from SNL after hosting the penultimate episode of series one. The actor had recently begun starring in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, playing the titular character known for being rather neurotic. Despite her success, her personal life was scrutinised when police questioned her over two unpaid traffic tickets, leading them to discover cocaine in her bag. She was arrested at a charity boutique but refused to leave without a $150 dollhouse.
Regardless, the incident was incorporated into a Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman episode and Lasser was invited to host SNL. Her opening monologue saw Lasser discuss her beloved character, explaining that she was experiencing a mental breakdown. She started talking about how scared she was (in between forgetting her lines) before running off stage, tricking the audience by blurring the line between fiction and reality.
However, many instances during the show and behind the scenes suggested that Lasser’s act wasn’t as fictional as audiences were led to believe. Apparently, she had refused to perform with anyone apart from Chevy Chase, meaning she completed a large section of the show opposite a dog. Before the episode even began, she locked herself in her dressing room, with other cast members having to perform specific roles written for her until she eventually agreed.
During a 2013 interview with The Toast, Lasser explained that she faked the breakdown on purpose, although she really was struggling with SNL. “They wrote sketches for me and I didn’t want to do them, because they were salacious — you know how Saturday Night Live is,” she said. Lasser was uncomfortable about performing a scene where she would have to talk about sex, pretending to be a teenager. She continued: “I just couldn’t imagine performing it in front of my parents. And no matter what they won’t drop the sketch. … So at the last minute my manager said they’re not going to cut it.”
Regarding the episode, Lasser said: “[Michaels] struck it because my manager said strike it. He didn’t like the whole episode. He didn’t like me sitting there talking about it, cross-legged, on the floor, talking about getting arrested”. She states that she wasn’t officially “banned” from the show, as some people have suggested, although she did not want to return. It appears that the first person to be officially banned was actually Frank Zappa in 1978 for simply being a bad host, annoying producers by shoving his face into the camera.
Watch a clip from the episode below.
