9 People Who Were Banned From "Saturday Night Live"

So we all know about, like, Sinead O'Connor, but who would have expected that Adrien Brody is persona non grata at Studio 8H?

1. Fear

Okay, this is pretty much the coolest thing ever. On the 1981 Halloween episode of the show, doom-punk band Fear staged a full-fledged riot on the set after being invited to play by John Belushi, who agreed to make an appearance on the show on the condition that they were the musical guest. You kind of have to watch the performance to grasp the scope of how badly they fucked up the set, but suffice it to say they did $200,000 worth of damage.

2. Steven Seagal

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Steven Seagal is one of the only people to be banned from SNL for being a plain-long terrible performer. While he was also apparently a total dick to work with, it was the fact that he was the "worst host ever," as remembered by Lorne Michaels, that got him booted for good.

3. Adrien Brody

Via youtube.com

Lorne Michaels, who notoriously hates ad-libbed material, banished Brody forever in 2003 after he improvised an introduction to musical guest Sean Paul while wearing fake dreadlocks and speaking in fake patois. It's fascinating that a 45-second bit cost Brody so dearly, but that's what happens when you cross Lorne Michaels.

4. Elvis Costello

Before his appearance in 1977, Costello was firmly instructed by both the show and his label to play his hit "Less Than Zero" instead of the politically-charged and very anti-media song "Radio, Radio," which hadn't yet been released. He complied for about three seconds before stopping his band and doing the song he wanted, resulting in a 12-year-long ban from the show.

5. Frank Zappa

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Zappa was banned in 1978 after doing a disastrous job of hosting the show, which included blatantly mugging for the camera and announcing to the audience that he was reading from cue cards. Question for Lorne Michaels: How did you possibly see this choice of emcee working out well when Frank Zappa was a notorious anti-establishment freak king?

6. Martin Lawrence

Via hulu.com

Martin Lawrence was banned for being extremely, extremely filthy (by the show's standards) in his monologue. After dissing the censors, he launched into an impassioned commentary about feminine hygiene. The original comments, though aired live, have been wiped from syndication, but here's a transcript if you're interested in hearing him exhort ladies to "Douche!"

7. Cypress Hill

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Here are two very easy ways to get banned from SNL, as observed in 1993: First, light a joint onstage. Second, trash your instruments and the stage in general to the point of no return. Thanks for the quick lesson, Cypress Hill!

8. The Replacements

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The Replacements gave a hell of a messy performance in 1986. Between the two songs they played, they missed entire verses, forgot and repeated lyrics, stumbled into each other, mangled guitar lines, and were absolutely trashed, period. Additionally, they all switched clothes between songs and screamed obscenities at the audience, and also just behaved like The Replacements behaved, which is to say not well.

9. Sinéad O'Connor

At the close of an a cappella cover of Bob Marley's "War," she shredded a picture of the Pope, looked into the camera, and said, "Fight the real enemy." The audience was totally shocked and silent, and the furious media explosion afterward made her performance possibly the most infamous in the show's history.