Samuel L. Jackson Jokes That Kenan Thompson Got Him Banned From 'Saturday Night Live'

Samuel L. Jackson says that Saturday Night Live's Kenan Thompson is to blame for his banishment from the sketch comedy show's stage. 

During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Friday, the 73-year-old actor regaled guest host Leslie Jones with his retelling of how Thompson is the reason he hasn't been on SNL in nearly a decade.

Jackson made his SNL hosting debut in 1998 and last appeared in a December 2012 episode hosted by Martin Short. The Pulp Fiction actor played himself in Thompson's recurring sketch, "What Up With That?," where Thompson's talk-show host character regularly interrupts his guests by breaking into song. However, when Jackson put his beloved foul mouth to work for the planned tirade, his cursing went uninterrupted and led him to drop an F-bomb on the live show.

"Kenan got me banned from Saturday Night Live," he told Jones. "He didn't cut me off soon enough and I said the forbidden word on television. He was supposed to cut me off!" 

"He was supposed to, out there," Jones responded. "That's what I told him, I was like, 'If Sam was about to curse, you're supposed to cut him off. You know, that's how we do it.'"

When Jackson reiterated that Thompson failed to cut him off in time, Jones promised she was going to "scold him on that," noting that "don't nobody do Samuel like that."

On Friday, Jackson received an honorary Oscar during the 12th annual Governors Awards. The Honorary Award is given "to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy."

Speaking with ET, and reflecting on his 50th year in Hollywood, the actor shared that receiving these awards feels like an "acknowledgment" of all his work and contribution to various causes, including health, civil rights and other issues that merit changes over the last 50 years.

"I'm proud of that, and glad that I have that kind of reputation," he said, noting that he's been "around this business" for a long time now and has made his share of "popcorn movies." 

"I'm proud of those movies because those are the ones I saw as a kid. I’ve made a lot of people smile, I’ve made a lot of people clap, a lot of people cheer and I’ve made a lot of people money and put some a**es in those seats," he added. "I hope my legacy is that I did a lot of movies that people enjoy and that I brought joy to a lot of homes and people are not mad when they see a Sam Jackson movie."

RELATED CONTENT

Samuel L. Jackson Says He Lobbied for Mace Windu's 'Star Wars' Return

Samuel L. Jackson Writes Letter Asking Leniency for Jussie Smollett

Samuel L. Jackson on His Legacy After 50 Years of Acting

2022 NAACP Awards: Samuel L. Jackson Honored With Chairman's Award

Related Gallery

Must-See Celeb Sightings: March 2022