And it's not what you might think...

Tom Hanks introduced a touching ‘in memorium’ section in last night’s tribute to 50 years of Saturday Night Live.

He said: ‘As we celebrate the achievements of the past 50 years, we must also take a moment to remember those who we’ve lost. Countless members of the SNL family taken from us way too soon. 

‘I’m speaking, of course, about SNL characters and sketches that have aged horribly.

‘Even though these accents and characters and … let’s just call them ethnic wigs … were unquestionably in poor taste, you all laughed at them. So, if anyone should be cancelled, shouldn’t it be you, the audience? Something to think about."

The montage started with John Belushi’s samurai and  included  Adrien Brody in  dreadlocks, Mike Myers in a bath with a young Macaulay Culkin and ‘problematic guests’ including OJ Simpson, R Kelly and Diddy.

And it ended with one of the most memorable clips from the  first season in 1975,  with Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor exchanging racial insults:

Published: 17 Feb 2025