Everyone Who Has Ever Said 'F***' On 'Saturday Night Live'

Prince made the first of his three appearances (not including anniversary specials or retrospectives) on SNL on February 21, 1981. He performed his song "Party Up," which contains the line "Fightin' war is such a f***in' bore" - and that's exactly what the artist sang during his SNL performance.

According to Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, the censor in the control room was asked to confirm that Prince had actually said "f***in'." He reportedly replied, "Nah. He said 'friggin'." So the use of the obscenity pretty much went ignored.

Oddly, this was the same episode that SNL cast member Charles Rocket, while portraying the character of J.R Ewing, dropped an F-bomb at the end of the show. 

It would be around 25 years before Prince made his next appearance on a regular episode of SNL (February 4, 2006).

Donald Trump had officially moved into the White House just weeks prior to Stewart's guest-hosting stint on the February 4, 2017, episode of SNL. The show and the actress were well aware that the new president was not a fan of hers and they were more than happy to address this fact.

Stewart's monologue opened by talking about how in 2012 Trump had been obsessed with tweeting about her on-and-off relationship with Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson. She was then joined onstage by SNL cast members Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon - the latter of whom is openly out - as Stewart touched on her own sexuality. At the end of her monologue, she accidently said, "coolest f***ing thing ever," to express how excited she was about the night's show. She immediately covered her mouth then rebounded to ruefully remark, "I'll never come back."

But she did. SNL invited Stewart back, and she made her return as a guest host on November 2, 2019.

Macdonald 's five-year (1993-1998) stint on SNL was highlighted by his work as the anchor on the "Weekend Update" segment. On the April 12, 1997, episode, he was in the midst of the "Weekend Update" when he flubbed a line while trying to do a story, then mumbled, "What the f*** was that."

Immediately recognizing what he had said, Macdonald wryly remarked to the audience, "My farewell performance," and ended the segment with, "Maybe we'll see you next week."

Although the comedian survived the immediate aftermath of him dropping an accidental F-bomb, he was later taken off the "Weekend Update" and was fired after the 1997-1998 season.

Kanye West's SNL appearance on September 29, 2018, got heavy media coverage for what didn't get aired -  the rapper gave a pro-Trump rant in front of the studio audience and the SNL cast members who had joined him on stage as the end credits rolled. As SNL had run over its time slot, NBC cut away from the show before West's rant got going, but comedian Chris Rock, who was in the audience, posted it on his Instagram.

But it turns out that West's actual performance was also controversial. Rolling Stone reported that the FCC received several complaints from viewers who stated that the artist (wearing a costume that made him look like a bottle of Perrier) had rapped the line "I'm a sick f***. I like a quick f***" while performing his duet with Lil Pump, "I Love It" - although they did change the original lyric of "You're such a f***in' Ho" to "you're such a freaky girl." Because West rapped the line with the F-bombs in it so quickly, it got past the censor.

Samuel L. Jackson appeared on the December 15, 2012, episode of SNL. In "What Up," a skit where he plays himself, he appeared to drop an F-bomb. Later that night, the actor tweeted that he didn't actually drop the F-bomb. Instead, he claimed that what he said was "Fuh."

On December 18, Jackson went on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he blamed Thompson for his use of obscenities, saying Thompson was supposed to have interrupted Jackson before he could get the words out. He told Kimmel, "I’m used to working with professionals who know their lines, even the ones that are written on cue cards in front of you.”

When SNL started its sixth season with a completely new cast, NBC and the show's new producer Jean Doumanian hoped that Rocket could become a breakout star. He was made the "Weekend Update" anchor and appeared in more sketches that most of the other male cast members. 

But Rocket's tenure on the show was brief. On February 21, 1981, SNL featured a parody  of the "Who Shot J.R.?" story arc from the hit show Dallas. Rocket portrayed J.R. Ewing in the skit, and right before SNL went off the air for the night, he was asked how it felt to get shot. Still in character, he replied, "Oh man, it's the first time I've been shot in my life. I'd like to know who the f*** did it." 

The actor told Doumanian that he hadn't meant to use the expletive. He and the producer apologized in person to numerous NBC executives, and Rocket even signed a formal written apology to the network. But he later admitted that he didn't take the situation seriously, even joking with Doumanian about the angry reactions they would get from the executives. 

NBC President Brandon Tartikoff, however, wasn't amused. He fired the actor, abruptly ending Rocket's run on SNL after just 12 episodes.