It's been 10 years since Samuel L. Jackson was on an episode of Saturday Night Live, but it was definitely a memorable one. While appearing as a guest in a December 2012 episode hosted by Martin Short, Jackson said the F-word during a sketch, which is prohibited due to SNL being a live TV show. In the time since, Jackson has talked about what happened and blamed one SNL cast member for the incident. He also believes it's the reason he hasn't been invited back to the long-running show.
Read on to find out which cast member Jackson says is responsible and the current state of his-called "ban."
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Jackson appeared in an installment of the running sketch, "What Up with That," in which a talk show host character played by Kenan Thompson keeps interrupting his guests with a song. Thompson was supposed to interrupt Jackson before he said the full expletive on air, but, according to Jackson, the comedian wasn't quick enough. In the sketch—an edited version of which can be seen online—Thompson stays in character and says, "Come on, Sam. Come on now. That costs money."
"He was supposed to cut me off!" Jackson said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2012 (via E! News). "I'm used to working with professionals that know their lines. Even ones that are written on cue cards in front of you."
During his Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance, Jackson claimed that he only "said half of" the curse word. This was something that he had previously tweeted about, as well. Right after his SNL appearance, Jackson posted a photo of himself with a shocked expression and wrote, "I only said FUH not [expletive]! K was sposed to cut off da [expletive], blew it!!"
On Friday, March 25, Jackson was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he was interviewed by guest host Leslie Jones, a former SNL star. When his accidental on-air cursing was brought up, the Pulp Fiction actor said, "Kenan got me banned from Saturday Night Live." He continued, "He didn't cut me off soon enough, and I said that forbidden word on television. He was supposed to cut me off!"
Jones said, "I will scold him on that." Jackson added, "I hosted the show once, did one guest appearance…" then he gestured that he was cut off.
While Jackson may not have been invited back to the show since accidentally saying the forbidden word, he isn't actually banned. Entertainment Weekly reported that it has confirmed that there is no official ban against the actor. With Thompson is still in the SNL cast today, maybe the two actors will get to give their comic timing another shot.
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