John Mulaney, a popular host and a former longtime writer on “Saturday Night Live,” joined Steve Martin for a notable kick-off to the 50th anniversary special for the hit sketch show, but one of his comments raised some eyebrows.
“As I look around, I see some of the most difficult people I have ever met in my entire life,” Mulaney said as he took the stage. “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.”
While it’s not clear who Mulaney was referencing with the comment, he was likely alluding to the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, who hosted the show in 1978, and actor Robert Blake, who hosted the show in 1982 and was found liable for murdering his second wife in civil court in 2005.
Another notable actor, Alec Baldwin, was charged with involuntary manslaughter over a shooting on the set of his movie “Rust,” but the case was ultimately dismissed.
“Each week, a new celebrity host comes in with their own dynamic, and they throw everything off. But not you, Steve, because you have no dynamic,” Mulaney told Martin in the monologue.
Murder was already a theme for the monologue, which also featured Martin Short, a former cast member who co-stars with Martin on the hit show “Only Murders in the Building.”
The pop culture juggernaut has launched the careers of generations of comedians, from Bill Murray to Eddie Murphy and Tina Fey to Kristen Wiig.
Many of them were on hand for “SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration,” airing live from New York, of course.
The three-hour extravaganza comes after months of celebrations of “Saturday Night Live,” which premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with an original cast that included John Belushi, Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner.
Adam Sandler is celebrating 50 years of “SNL.” On the red carpet in New York City ahead of “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” the comedian chatted with Access Hollywood’s Emily Orozco about the special night and looked back at his time on the show.
It’s become appointment television over the years as the show has skewered presidents, politics and pop culture and been a platform for the biggest musical stars of the moment. As streaming has altered television viewing, “SNL” sketches, host monologues and short comedy films remain popular on social media and routinely rack up millions of views on YouTube.
While NBC has revealed some of the stars expected to appear, many of the special’s moments, cameos and music performances remain a surprise.
On Sunday, NBC announced more guest appearances including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Leslie Jones, Billy Crystal, Cher, Mike Myers and Alec Baldwin, who holds the title of the person who’s hosted “SNL” the most times.
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