Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

SNL's F-Bomb Coulda Been Staged

The circumstances leading to Jenny Slate's viral video moment are awfully suspicious

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 29, 2009 8:34 AM CDT

(Newser) – With the Jenny-Slate-says-fucking-on-live-TV clip going viral and making Saturday Night Live nearly relevant again, E! has to wonder—was it staged? It unrolls its best guess at what happened:

Sarah Palin bows out of politics, which means no more Tina Fey on SNL.
Lorne Michaels realizes he'll have to wait until next season to mock Sarah Palin’s 2012 presidential bid; enter desperation.

Michaels decides the naked-Megan-Fox jokes just aren’t enough to make the premiere buzzworthy; enter newbie Slate.
Conveniently enough, Slate drops the F-bomb at around 12:43am—outside FCC jurisdiction.
Cue viral video, Parents Television Council complaint, and Michaels’ apologetic quotes.
Then again, Michaels usually takes FCC guidelines seriously—so it could have been the mistake everyone says it was.

[Images (2)]

[Videos (1)]

Jenny Slate drops an F-bomb in the middle of a live skit on "Saturday Night Live." (SuperFunnyComedy)

Jenny Slate attends the premiere of HBO's 'Bored to Death' at the Clearview Chelsea Cinemas on September 10, 2009 in New York City. (Getty Images)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

The offending clip. Warning: the offending F-bomb gets dropped. (xerofate)

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

SNL Spoofs Eastwood, 'Halftime in America'

Zooey Deschanel hosts 'Saturday Night Live'

(NEWSER) - Zooey Deschanel hosted Saturday Night Live last night, but the show was really more memorable for a couple of cameos, reports the Hollywood Reporter . The Artist star Jean Dujardin stopped by to give a leg up to a French dance number featuring Deschanel, and Nicolas Cage dropped in on Weekend Update, joined by Andy Samberg (starring as none other than Nicolas Cage). Bill Hader also spoofed Clint Eastwood's much-maligned Super Bowl ad ... three times. Check out highlights in the gallery. More»

Enough With the Outrage Over MIA's Middle Finger

It was hardly the most offensive thing about the Super Bowl: Sasha Frere-Jones

(NEWSER) - NBC, the NFL, and MIA herself have now all apologized for the singer's middle finger incident at the Super Bowl—but why? "Unless somebody was handing out Xanax with the foam fingers, Lucas Oil Stadium was ringing with the music of profanities" during the game, writes Sasha Frere-Jones in the New Yorker . What's more, viewers at home were subjected to commercials likening women "to sofas, cars, and candy," he notes. So what's with the outrage? It's ridiculous to imply that "profanity is somehow more harmful to our children than images of violence and misogyny." More»

SNL Sends Newt to the Moon

Kristen Wiig hams it up as Callista, Lana Del Rey; Bon Iver turns in solid showing

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich got his hat handed to him in Nevada last night, and Saturday Night Live heaped insult on injury. The show ribbed Gingrich's "moon shot" with a sketch envisioning him as "moon president" in the not-so-distant time of 2014, notes Mediaite . Highlights include a student-janitor telling Newt, “The people of South Carolina wanted you to be president." Responds Gingrich: “Not all of America is as forward-thinking as South Carolina." More»

Modern Family Kid Draws Wrath Over F-Bomb

Anti-profanity group wants episode pulled

(NEWSER) - Turns out there's something called the "No Cussing Club," and its membership doesn't want you to see tonight's episode of Modern Family, in which a toddler appears to swear. The group has asked ABC to pull the episode of the sitcom because of a storyline in which a 2-year-old girl shocks her parents with a curse word. The toddler said "fudge" during filming, but it will be bleeped to give the impression that she used the F-bomb, reports the AP . More»

Daniel Radcliffe Magic in SNL Debut

But actor can't dodge Harry Potter entirely

(NEWSER) - Daniel Radcliffe made his Saturday Night Live debut last night, bringing "an impressive American accent" and a "strong presence," reports the Hollywood Reporter. The host zinged Casey Anthony, appearing as her new dog in an interview with Seth Meyers, and ripped his shirt off as a lovesick co-worker to Kristen Wiig's Target Lady. Though promoting his new film, The Woman in Black, Radcliffe also revisited his stint as Harry Potter, portraying an aging wizard trying to re-live his glory days at Hogwarts. The show also ripped on Ricky Gervais and Mitt Romney, but it's much-hyped musical guest Lana Del Rey who is taking heat this morning for her "not ready for primetime" performance, notes the Reporter . Catch highlights in the gallery. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

SNL's F-Bomb Coulda Been Staged