During the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special, John Mulaney and Steve Martin delivered an unforgettable opening monologue that had the audience laughing from start to finish. Mulaney, known for his sharp wit, joked about the 894 SNL hosts over the years, humorously noting that only two of them had committed murders. The joke quickly caught the attention of viewers, leading to speculations about which celebrities Mulaney might have been referring to.
While some fans wondered if the quip was aimed at Alec Baldwin, there are suggestions that Mulaney was actually alluding to Robert Blake and O.J. Simpson. Blake, who hosted SNL in 1978, was famously accused of murdering his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, although he was later acquitted. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 89. Simpson, another former host, was charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, though he was also acquitted. Simpson passed away in 2024 at the age of 76.
The speculation comes amid Baldwin’s own legal troubles, stemming from the tragic on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the making of Rust. Baldwin, who is a frequent SNL host with 17 appearances, was seated in the audience when Mulaney made the joke.
Mulaney’s comedic timing and clever references not only added to the celebratory mood of the milestone anniversary but also reminded fans of the long history and sometimes controversial moments that have defined the legendary sketch show.