10 SNL Musical Performances That Made Headlines for All the Wrong Reasons

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the musical performances at Studio 8H that, for better or worse, got people talking. Which “SNL” musical performance shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments below!

#10: Kacey Musgraves (2021)

Country-pop superstar Musgraves is a known trendsetter, taking influence from and collaborating with a wide swath of musical artists outside of the world of country music. Her performance on “SNL’s” 47th season premiere, with host Owen Wilson, also broke edgy new ground. As confirmed by Musgraves’ representation, the “High Horse” singer became the very first “SNL” musical guest to play in the nude. The stunt was explained by testimony from audience members on Reddit: one wrote that “[a]fter her performance people gathered around her with large towels to wrap her so could stand and walk off stage.” Musgraves implied on social media that she’d been inspired by a certain scene from the 1994 film “Forrest Gump.”

#9: Phoebe Bridgers (2021)

Just a few months prior to Kacey Musgraves’ bare-it-all “SNL” performance, another rising star of pop music had taken to the variety show’s musical stage and aroused the ire of grouchy Internet commentators — and at least one rock legend. Hired as the musical guest on an episode hosted by “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy, Bridgers capped off her performance of “I Know the End” by dramatically smashing her guitar. While this is a time-honored tradition among rock musicians, like Jimi Hendrix, Keith Moon, and Kurt Cobain, Bridgers was criticized by Twitter users for her supposed technique, and by David Crosby, who called Bridgers “pathetic” for it. Unfazed, she fired back via Twitter, calling Crosby a “little bitch” in response.

#8: Lana Del Rey (2012)

2012 was a great year to be alt-pop singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey… well, with the rather significant exception of this infamous “SNL” moment. Just a few weeks ahead of the release of “Born to Die,” her major-label debut album, the crooner born Elizabeth Grant engaged in the rite of passage that is playing the legendary sketch comedy show. While the album itself was critically acclaimed and launched Grant into overnight superstardom, you might not have known it from this pair of performances. The singer’s vocal shakiness and generally absent vibe led to harsh critiques on social media. This, in turn, prompted a Weekend Update sketch parodying the incident, with Kristen Wiig playing Grant and ultimately defending her from Internet haters.

#7: Fear (1981)

If nothing else, it’s kind of beautiful that a performance by a band endorsed by John Belushi — who else? — reportedly culminated in up to $500,000 in damages. The famously animated “SNL” cast member had caught wind of L.A. hardcore punks Fear after catching the influential Penelope Spheeris documentary “The Decline of Western Civilization,” which chronicled the ‘80s punk rock scene in Los Angeles. Belushi got them booked on “SNL’s” Halloween show, and in a hilariously predictable turn of events, it was pure chaos. The band antagonized the audience and performed with a gang of moshers — who commemorated the holiday by starting a food fight with ripe pumpkins.

#6: Rage Against the Machine (1996)

We have, like, so many questions about what happened here. First and foremost, who thought it was a good idea to book the firebrand leftist rap-rockers on the same episode as billionaire then-Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes? Secondly — and this may be just as important — who thought the aforementioned hellraisers could be trusted to play nice with Forbes? The band, in quiet protest, had decided to hang upside-down American flags from their guitar and bass amplifiers during rehearsals. Asked to remove them, Rage complied — at least, until the live performance, when they sneakily put them back up and NBC employees scrambled to take them down. Unsurprisingly, they were asked to leave immediately, and haven’t played the show since.

#5: Elvis Costello (1977)

If refusing to play the song you’re scheduled to and having Lorne Michaels flip you off throughout your entire performance isn’t punk, then we’re not sure what is. Perhaps Costello was inspired by the Sex Pistols, who had pulled out of performing on the show at the last minute, leaving Costello little time to prepare. Columbia Records, Costello’s label, insisted that he perform “Less than Zero,” his debut single, with which American audiences would be more familiar. However, Costello was reportedly uneasy with this pressure, feeling that its hyper-specific British political references would go unappreciated by SNL’s American audience. Costello started playing the song — before immediately launching into “Radio Radio.” Costello was then banned from “SNL” until 1989.

#4: The Replacements (1986)

These founding fathers of modern-day alternative rock sure know how to put on a… let’s say, lively show. Having been founded as a punk band, you’ve seen from a few of our previous entries that this is a recipe for disaster insofar as it pertains to playing on “Saturday Night Live.” Once again, being asked to replace a last-minute cancellation resulted in an “SNL” performance for the ages… although not even remotely in a good way. While the band had had a successful dress rehearsal performance, a free flow of alcohol and drugs into their dressing room led to the Replacements being banned by Lorne Michaels from the “SNL” stage. That said, lead singer Paul Westerberg was allowed to perform solo in 1993.

#3: Kanye West (2018)

What? Kanye West said something inflammatory that he probably didn’t think through beforehand? Say it ain’t so! Following a bizarre, sluggish performance of the normally profanity-laden “I Love It,” in which West and featured artist Lil Pump dressed as water bottles, the rapper and occasional presidential candidate went on a characteristically extended rant after the show’s credits rolled. The content of the speech was highly controversial, even among “SNL” cast and crew members who spoke out against it after the fact. Wearing a bright red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, West made statements endorsing then-President Donald Trump and espousing numerous conspiracy theories.

#2: Ashlee Simpson (2004)

Oof. This is one performance that’s just straight up hard to watch. You can’t help but feel bad for poor Ashlee, who was only 20 at the time. Simpson has gone on record as saying that she had been suffering from acid reflux prior to her “SNL” appearance, even claiming she was under doctor’s orders not to sing. Determined for the show to go on, Simpson attempted to lip-sync. Simpson’s band began to play “Autobiography,” intended to be her second song of the night, but the vocals from “Pieces of Me” began to be piped into the studio. The result? According to Lorne Michaels, who has said he was unaware of Simpson’s plan to lip-sync, the show’s first-ever unplanned walk-off.

#1: Sinéad O’Connor (1992)

Yeah, you probably saw this one coming. But as possibly the only “SNL” musical performance with its own Wikipedia page, O’Connor’s impossibly brave act of resistance is in a category of its own. While performing an a cappella version of Bob Marley’s “War,” the Irish provocateur tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II before exclaiming “Fight the real enemy!” The backlash was swift and harsh: NBC was subject to literally thousands of angry callers, and incensed protesters demonstrated outside of 30 Rock while smashing O’Connor’s records. Of course, in the decades since, O’Connor, who passed away in 2023, has been vindicated following the exposure of severe crimes against children within the Catholic Church.