Kenan Thompson Responds To Samuel L. Jackson's Claims That He Got Him Banned From 'SNL'
Samuel L. Jackson once hosted SNL in the late 1990s but he hasn’t appeared on the show since 2012...and he says it's Kenan Thompson's fault!
According to Jackson, the reason he hasn’t been on the show is due the longstanding cast member, but Thompson recently refuted those claims.
Samuel L. Jackson claims Kenan Thompson had him banned from ‘SNL’
In March 2022, Jackson told SNL alum, Leslie Jones, that Thompson had him banned after he dropped the F-word during a skit. “Kenan got me banned from Saturday Night Live.” Jackson added, “He didn’t cut me off soon enough, and I said the forbidden word on television. It was like, ‘Ah! He was supposed to cut me off.’”
Ironically, Thompson co-starred in Snakes on a Plane alongside Jackson. Jackson appeared on SNL in 2012 and hasn’t been back since.
Kenan Thompson says Samuel L. Jackson is welcome back on the show
Thompson recently appeared on The Tonight Show where he was asked about Jackson’s comments. According to Thompson, not only does he not have the authority to ban guests, but he also is a fan of Jackson’s.
Thompson says Jackson is “welcome anytime” on the series. He also explained what happened from his perspective.
“He dropped the F-bomb on the show, but he says I was supposed to cut him off before that,” Thompson said. Per Thompson, the cue card only had the letter “F” and not the actual curse word. “We kinda expect the F-word out of Sam Jackson, so no harm done. Then he doubled down and said it again, and I was like, ‘Yo, my man, we got to pay for those.’”
Thompson continued: “He’s been mad at me for that, so my bad, bro. I didn’t think he was gonna do it like that. Come on in whenever you want. It’s Sam Jackson — who doesn’t want Sam Jackson on the show?”
