Michael Che, Alec Baldwin Among Top Complaints Filed With the FCC Demanding ‘Saturday Night Live’ Be Canceled
Saturday Night Live is the most enduring sketch comedy TV show of all time and a series that has remained in almost continual syndication since the ’70s. The show is responsible for launching the careers of many of America’s most popular comedians like Eddie Murphy, Chris Farley, Will Ferrell, and Kristen Wiig.
Saturday Night Live is known for how the show lampoons events of the day by mocking anyone and everyone in its sights. While many viewers appreciate the show’s whip-sharp humor, several outspoken critics have taken issue with the show lately. A recent report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) details just how far some viewers are willing to go to let their voices be heard.
The FCC recently released a report detailing complaints from viewers
The Federal Communications Commission released a report in mid-July that included many of the complaints received regarding Saturday Night Live, and certain jokes made by various comedians. The report includes complaints that date back to 2017 up to the present and displays the depth of many fans’ feelings for certain political figures.
Certain comedians make repeat appearances in the report, including SNL writer and performer Michael Che, who is the longtime host of the “Weekend Update” segment, and Alec Baldwin, who has portrayed Donald Trump on the show for several years.
What were the top complaints that the FCC received about ‘Saturday Night Live’?
A few of the specific complaints in the FCC report, which was published on Government Attic, include statements like “Michael Che referred to the President as a ‘c——.’ This racial slur is offensive to every non-racist American regardless of race, ethnicity, or skin color.” Another complaint taking issue with Che noted, “this show and Che need to be highly penalized and given further instruction on possible future infractions.”
Trump references on the show caused a lot of turmoil as well, with one complainer based out of Missouri writing in “nearly every late now comedy show is biased against Donald Trump especially Saturday Night Live Alec Baldwin, they’d be silent if Hillary Clinton won, I hear nothing mocking the Democrat leadership, they are doing more to divide America than the President-elect.”
Another complaint about coverage of Trump reads, “on the 9/30/17 broadcast of Saturday Night Live, during the news report segment, the person reading the news used a racial slur ‘c——‘ in regards to President Trump. This is wholly inappropriate, and I would appreciate a response wherein you detail exactly what will be done [as] punishment to the person that said it and the production company that aired it.”
‘Saturday Night Live’ has caused a lot of controversy over the years
Of course, Saturday Night Live is no stranger to controversy. Over the years, the sketch comedy show has caused a lot of buzz, whether from a controversial musical guest such as Lil Nas X or due to a swear word uttered by a host during the opening monologue.
Showrunners reportedly has a policy in place to govern behavior from guests on the show. Some guest hosts have notoriously been banned from ever appearing again on the show. Undoubtedly, some things manage to slip through the cracks. As evidenced by the recent FCC report, people are still paying close attention to what happens on the long-running sketch series.
