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The post Lorne Michaels Would Have Invited Sin\u00e9ad O\u2019Connor on SNL\u2019s 50th Anniversary Special<\/a> appeared first on Consequence<\/a>.<\/p>\n What is among Saturday Night Live<\/em><\/a>\u2019s most controversial moments could have had a happy ending. In an all new interview with Matthew Belloni of Puck News<\/a>, SNL<\/em> creator Lorne Michaels<\/a> said he had planned to bring back Sin\u00e9ad O\u2019Connor<\/a> for a performance during the SNL50<\/em> live special.<\/p>\n \u201cIf [O\u2019Connor] were still alive, I would have asked her to sing that song,\u201d Michaels said in reference to the performance of \u201cNothing Compares 2 U\u201d<\/a> by Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard. O\u2019Connor, of course, passed away in July 2023.<\/p>\n For context, O\u2019Connor\u2019s banishment from SNL<\/em> stems from her October 3, 1992 appearance. During a rousing performance of the Bob Marley gem \u201cWar,\u201d O\u2019Connor tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II, telling audiences worldwide to \u201cfight the real enemy.\u201d The incident caused immediate controversy, and the singer never made another appearance on the iconic show. The incident was all over the news back then, and it caused the already controversial O\u2019Connor to be labeled a true media pariah. Two weeks after the performance, O\u2019Connor was nearly booed off the stage<\/a> at the Bob Dylan tribute show at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n To makes matters worse, SNL<\/em>\u2019s coverage assumed a mocking tone almost in the aftermath of the episode. Later in the same season, Madonna tore up a photo of Joey Buttafucco<\/a> (complete with the singer declaring that infamous philanderer as \u201cthe real enemy.\u201d) The most egregious of these protests, however, was Joe Pesci\u2019s appearance on SNL<\/em> the week following O\u2019Connor\u2019s<\/a>, during which the Catholic actor said he would\u2019ve like to grab O\u2019Connor \u201cby the eyebrows\u201d and \u201c[give] her such a smack.\u201d<\/p>\n For his part, Michaels has remained generally consistent over the years regarding his \u201crelationship\u201d with O\u2019Connor and how he viewed the historic performance. At various times, he had called O\u2019Connor \u201cselfish\u201d for her actions (via The Daily Beast<\/em><\/a>.) As part of SNL<\/em>\u2019s\u00a0\u201ctakeover\u201d issue of Spin<\/em><\/a> magazine published in February 1993, Michaels attacked O\u2019Connor for her seemingly deceptive approach to the performance.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought [it] was sort of the wrong place for it, I thought her behavior was inappropriate,\u201d Michaels said. \u201cBecause it was difficult to do two comedy sketches after it, and also it was dishonest because she didn\u2019t tell us she was going to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n In the same Spin<\/em> interview, Michaels recounted being shocked \u201cthe way you would be shocked at a houseguest pissing on a flower arrangement in the dining room.\u201d<\/p>\n However, beginning this past January, Michaels began showing signs of his change of heart. In comments made during the documentary Ladies & Gentleman\u2026 50 Years of SNL Music<\/em><\/a>, Michaels revealed a deep well of respect for O\u2019Connor\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a part of me that just admired the bravery of what she\u2019d done, and also the absolute sincerity of it,\u201d Michaels said.<\/p>\n They do say that time heals all wounds, and given the fact that O\u2019Connor may have been right to critique the Catholic Church<\/a>, Michaels\u2019 new perspective isn\u2019t entirely out of left field. Elsewhere, Time<\/em> magazine posthumously named O\u2019Connor as the most influential woman of 1992<\/a> for her actions.<\/p>\n With Michaels\u2019 comments as of late, SNL<\/em>\u2019s\u00a0official tone toward O\u2019Connor might be shifting outright, and that would lay to rest one of the uglier (albeit delicious) moments in the show\u2019s long, storied history<\/a>. Still, don\u2019t expect too much more posthumous praise from Michaels given his mostly tight-lipped approach to managing SNL<\/em>. But there is a continued cultural reawakening around O\u2019Connor, and perhaps her forthcoming biopic<\/a> will include and position this moment as one of great artistic significance and complicated cultural context.<\/p>\n You can read the rest of Michaels\u2019 interview here<\/a>; he and Belloni also spoke about Donald Trump, more from the SNL50<\/em> celebration, the forthcoming cancellation of Late Show With Stephen Colbert<\/em><\/a>, and \u201csecrets\u201d from SNL<\/em>\u2018s many seasons.<\/p>\n Below, relive genuine musical history with O\u2019Connor\u2019s full performance of \u201cWar.\u201d<\/p>\n Popular Posts<\/p>\n