10 Times the SNL Cast Apologized for Their Jokes

10 Times SNL Cast Members Apologized for Their Jokes

Welcome to MsMojo, and today were taking an apology tour through the most notable moments Saturday Night Live cast members expressed regret over jokes they made, whether on the show or off.

Shane Gillis

Although he hadnt technically performed on the show, Shane Gillis was officially a cast member when he came under fire for remarks he had made in the past. Just before the 45th season, Gillis was announced as a new addition, alongside Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman. However, on the same day, clips resurfaced of Gillis using homophobic slurs and making racist jokes about Chinatown in Manhattan. The backlash was especially intense given that he was hired alongside Bowen Yang, the shows first Chinese-American cast member, who is also gay. As the heat mounted, Gillis apologized for his past comments, but that wasnt enough to prevent him from being fired before the season even premiered.

Bill Murray

Youd think if an SNL cast member were apologizing for their material, it must have been something edgy or offensive. But that wasnt the case with Bill Murray. In season two, Murray appeared in a sketch to say sorry for not being funny. Hed joined the show earlier that season, stepping into the big shoes of fan-favorite Chevy Chase. But as the newbie still trying to find his groove, he was often stuck with the forgettable supporting roles. So, in this sketch, Murray promised the audience that he was indeed a funny guy. He might just need some help from them sometimes. Thankfully, he didnt have to beg for long. By the next season, Murray found his rhythm, kicking off his legendary comedy career.

Tina Fey

Tina Fey isnt one for big apologies, but she can acknowledge when shes made a mistake. We all remember the 2017 alt-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. You know, the one with tiki torches and racist chants that apparently included some very fine people? Well, in the aftermath, Fey returned to Weekend Update in her capacity as a University of Virginia alum to weigh in. Ultimately, her advice to those considering counter-protests was to stay home and eat cake instead. The response was mixed. Many felt her comments were tone-deaf and out of touch, and to her credit, Fey agreed. On David Lettermans My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, she expressed regret over how she wrapped the segment and promised to do better.

Bill Hader

When it comes to LGBTQ+-themed sketches, SNL hasnt always stuck the landing. One notable misstep was the season 36 sketch Once Daily Estro-maxx, a faux commercial featuring Bill Hader as a transgender person in the middle of transitioning, who supposedly gets all their hormones from a single daily pill. When it first aired, GLAAD condemned the sketch as dehumanizing and called on NBC to apologize and pull it from their website. While the network never responded publicly, Hader sort of did. In a 2014 interview with Pride Source, he admitted that the backlash was fair, stating that while the sketch wasnt intended to be harmful to anyone, he still regretted taking part in it.

Sarah Sherman

In April 2025, SNL aired a sketch parodying the third season of The White Lotus, which was set in Thailand and starred English actress Aimee Lou Wood. Wood played Chelsea, a young woman vacationing at the wellness resort with her much older boyfriend, Rick. In the spoof, Sarah Sherman impersonated the actress, but the portrayal wasnt particularly flattering. Wood took to her Instagram to call out the show, labeling the sketch mean for taking a cheap shot at her. Many viewers shared her sentiment, and apparently, so did Sherman. She reportedly apologized privately to Wood and sent her flowers as a gesture of goodwill. Later, in a Vanity Fair interview, Sherman admitted she felt terrible after seeing Woods reaction to the sketch.

Seth Meyers

SNL and politics have long gone hand in hand. The sketch show made a name for itself with its depiction of public figures, but not every impression has been a hit. Case in point: David Paterson. Fred Armisens portrayal of the former New York governor painted him as a clueless blind man who stumbled into office. In the season 36 premiere, Paterson came on Weekend Update to clap back. He got in quite a few digs at the show, then took the cast to task for turning his disability into a punchline. Eventually, Paterson managed to get an apology from Meyers, as well as guest host and former cast member Amy Poehler, who promised to be more respectful toward people with disabilities.

Michael Che

With their infamous joke swap segment, Weekend Update co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che are always finding new ways to land each other in hot water. That seemed to finally happen in December 2024, after Che slipped in a joke about Josts wife Scarlett Johansson, which she didnt find funny. Che got the opportunity to revisit that material at the season 50 finale, which just so happened to be hosted by Johansson. Reading lines clearly written by Jost, Che was forced to tender an apology to Johansson, blaming the tasteless jokes on nothing more than his jealousy of her husband. Jost also managed to work in an apology to himself, compelling Che to publicly credit him for discovering his career.

Pete Davidson

The 2018 midterm elections brought along a flurry of SNL political-themed sketches, including a Weekend Update segment where Pete Davidson gave his first impressions of various candidates. Davidson would ultimately spark controversy due to his comments about Dan Crenshaw, a candidate from Texas and former Navy SEAL who lost his right eye while serving in Afghanistan. The following week, after Crenshaw won his seat, he was invited onto the show, where Davidson offered a public apology for his poor choice of words. Although Crenshaw did accept his apology, he didnt let up on the opportunity to deliver a few pointed jokes of his own.

Mike Myers

Shortly after Bill Clinton won the 1992 U.S. presidential election, cast members Mike Myers and Dana Carvey did a Waynes World sketch where they ranked the top 10 things they loved about him. But if you watch a rerun today, youll notice that number two his daughter Chelsea is completely edited out. Thats because the sketch originally featured Myers and Carvey calling Vice President Al Gores daughters babe-a-licious, and then describing Chelsea as a babe in development. Considering she was a minor at the time, this comment was heavily criticized by viewers, as well as by Bill and Hillary Clinton. As a result, the segment was removed, Myers wrote an apology to the Clinton family and producer Lorne Michaels issued a public statement of regret.

Jimmy Fallon

Before he began hosting Late Night and The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon cut his comedic teeth as a cast member on SNL for six years. During a sketch back in 2000, Fallon made the regrettable decision to impersonate former cast member Chris Rock, while in blackface. The sketch went largely unnoticed for years, until clips resurfaced in 2020, leading many to call for Fallons removal as host of The Tonight Show. The comedian first apologized on Twitter, calling the sketch an unquestionably offensive decision. When the late-night program returned to the air a few days later, Fallon opened the episode by directly addressing the incident and offering a more heartfelt apology.

Which of these mea culpas did you find the most sincere? And which ones do you think fell flat? Let us know in the comments below.