During Martin Lawrence’s impressive career, he accomplished more in Hollywood than the vast majority of his peers have ever even dreamed of. The star of an extremely popular sitcom that made millions of people laugh uproariously, Martin’s show also featured one of the best theme songs of all time. Also a major movie star, Lawrence headlined a long list of beloved films including the Bad Boys series, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, and Big Momma's House among others.
Unfortunately, despite Martin Lawrence's extremely impressive career, the fact remains that he has a highly controversial legacy. After all, during Lawrence’s time in the spotlight, he was involved in a series of tabloid fodder incidents including one that led to him reportedly being banned from Saturday Night Live. For all of those reasons, Lawrence may just be the most controversial celebrity who has ever been banned from SNL.
Why Martin Lawrence Is Banned From Saturday Night Live
When people talk about Saturday Night Live, they principally focus on things like the show’s best characters, skits, and cast members. However, there is another part of the show’s legacy that doesn’t get enough credit even though the series’ title refers to it, the fact that it is produced live. After all, since Saturday Night Live airs at the same time it is produced, anything can go wrong and that has led to some hilarious moments. On top of that, since viewers know that any Saturday Night Live sketch has the potential to fall apart, that gives the show a feeling of danger that is appealing.
Unfortunately, despite all of the positive aspects of Saturday Night Live airing at the same time it is produced, that fact can be a real headache for everyone involved. For example, SNL boss Lorne Michaels has to worry about hosts going off-script the way Martin Lawrence did when he hosted a 1994 episode.
When it came time for Martin Lawrence’s Saturday Night Live monologue, things went totally off the rails. After making several comments that almost crossed the line early in his monologue, Lawrence went off on female personal hygiene in an unscripted rant. After Lawrence’s live comments reportedly garnered more than 200 complaints from users, Martin reportedly was banned from Saturday Night Live. That said, Lawrence later denied he ever was banned from SNL and even claimed to have gotten an apology letter from NBC but that version of events hasn’t been confirmed by anyone else.
In the years since Martin Lawrence’s Saturday Night Live episode was recorded, it has aired in reruns. However, the section of the monologue that upset people and got Lawrence banned from the show has been cut and replaced with a screen that reads as follows. “ 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 way or the other, network policy prevents up from re-broadcasting this portion of his remarks.”
Martin Lawrence’s Other Controversies
During the mid-‘90s, Martin Lawrence found himself in the tabloid headlines multiple times starting in 1995 when he was working on the film A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. According to reports, Lawrence went into a violent rage on the film’s set and had to be hospitalized. The following year, Lawrence was arrested after erratic behavior that climaxed with him brandishing a firearm in the middle of a Los Angeles intersection. Unfortunately, Martin Lawrence’s controversies continued in 1997 when his longtime co-star Tisha Campbell-Martin filed a lawsuit against him, alleging sexual harassment and abuse.
Ever since the 1990s came to an end, Martin Lawrence has managed to stay out of the headlines for the most part. In fact, Lawrence was even able to make peace with Tisha Campbell which is saying a lot considering the seriousness of the lawsuit she filed against him. Sadly, however, Lawrence has continued to be controversial since his past behavior has never been forgotten by a huge portion of the masses.
In 2002, a comedy special called Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat was released. While talking to ABC News to promote the special, Lawrence didn’t hold back while talking about the press. "They made a lot of things up to sell a better story. You don't know what that's like until you've been through it." Despite his strong feelings for the press, Lawrence was willing to take responsibility for his past while also talking about his efforts to improve. If Tisha Campbell can make peace with Martin Lawrence, maybe its time for people to focus less on his controversies and more on his accomplishments. After all, Martin Lawrence hasn’t lost his passion for creating content.
