Image Credit: Heidi Gutman/Peacock
SNL50: The Anniversary Special cracked countless jokes in honor of Saturday Night Live‘s 50th birthday, but one particular joke stood out from the rest. When John Mulaney took the stage for a moment, he joked about past SNL hosts who allegedly committed murder. So, fans are now curious if that quip holds any truth.
“As I look around, I see some of the most difficult people I have ever met in my entire life,” Mulaney joked during the February 16, 2025, anniversary special. “Over the course of 50 years, 894 people have hosted Saturday Night Live, and it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder.”
Find out who Mulaney was likely talking about below and if any former SNL hosts actually committed murder.
Where Can I Stream SNL50?
All SNL50 specials, including the Homecoming Concert and the 50th Anniversary Special, can be streamed on Peacock. All events were broadcast live on NBC and on Peacock throughout the weekend of February 14 through February 16, 2025.
Did OJ Simpson Host SNL?
Yes, O.J. Simpson hosted SNL in 1978 — 16 years before his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend Ron Goldman were stabbed to death in 1994.
Which SNL Hosts Committed Murder?
No former SNL hosts were proven beyond a reasonable doubt to have committed murder. However, it’s believed that Mulaney’s SNL50 monologue was referring to Simpson and Robert Blake, both of whom were initially charged then acquitted in murder cases.
In 1994, Simpson was charged with both murders of Brown and Goldman but was acquitted in 1995. However, he was later found liable in the wrongful death of Goldman and the battery of Brown in a civil lawsuit. Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages, but he died in 2024 at the age of 76.
As for Blake, who hosted SNL in 1982, the late actor was initially charged for the 2001 murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. Bakley was fatally shot while sitting inside Blake’s car while he was allegedly back inside a restaurant they dined at. Blake claimed he was not present when Bakley was murdered.
Blake was eventually acquitted after a trial in 2005 but was still found liable of wrongful death in a civil lawsuit. Blake was ordered to pay $30 million in damages, but he died in 2023 when he was 89.
