Why 'SNL' Censored This '80s Comedian 36 Years Ago

Over the 51 seasons that Saturday Night Live has been on the air, NBC has used a 7-second time delay only three times. The first was, unsurprisingly, when Richard Pryor hosted during Season 1. The second time was during Season 12, when Sam Kinison hosted. And the third and last time was 36 years ago, when controversial comedian Andrew Dice Clay hosted.

Clay was known for his divisive and offensive comedy, which often focused on minorities, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. His appearance did a lot more than cause the delay to be used, though. Along with Sinead O'Connor refusing to appear as the musical guest, it remains the only episode in which a member of the SNL cast walked out in protest.

Nora Dunn was on the sketch comedy series for five seasons, but the one that Clay was on became her last. "It's not because he's controversial, and it's not because he says bad words on the stage," she told Terry Gross on Fresh Air the following year. "It's definitely the content of the material and the hatefulness of it, and the anti-humanistic quality of that kind of comedy."

Given the range of talent that has appeared on the show, the fact that 1990 was the last time a delay was used is surprising to many -- especially those who remember Martin Lawrence's monologue four years later. The actor and comedian spent most of it discussing Lorena Bobbitt before segueing into explicit comments about women's lack of cleanliness.

Lawrence's episode was removed from reruns, and even SNL's YouTube page interrupts his monologue scene before his offensive comments air. Instead, a caption appears on the screen that reads: "At this point in his monologue, Martin begins a commentary on what he considers the decline in standards of feminine hygiene in this country. Although we at Saturday Night Live take no stand on this issue one or the other, network policy prevents us from re-broadcasting this portion of his remarks."

The caption continues on in an obvious tongue-in-cheek manner, wrapping up with the statement, "It was a frank and lively presentation, and nearly cost us all our jobs. We now return to the conclusion of Martin's monologue."

So why was NBC ready to censor Clay and not Lawrence? The most likely reason is that everyone was aware of what kind of comedy Clay was known for. Lawrence, on the other hand, took everyone by surprise when he launched into a tirade about women's bathing habits.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 1:36 PM.