Sam Rockwell made a major flub during his debut as a host on Saturday Night Live. The actor, who recently won a Golden Globe Award for his role in the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, was a first-time host on this week’s SNL alongside musical guest, Halsey.
During a live sketch on the NBC late night comedy show, Sam Rockwell went off script and dropped the F-bomb, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter. During a sketch titled “Science Room,” Rockwell played the host of a PBS Kids show who became frustrated with the children’s incorrect answers to simple science questions. When one of the “kids” answered a question about oil and water in a true or false format, Sam Rockwell then blurted out, “This isn’t a true or false …you can’t be this f*cking stupid!”
San Rockwell immediately realized his live TV faux pas and covered his mouth with his hand while his co-stars in the sketch, Mikey Day and Cecily Strong, covered their ears in horror.
The FCC-banned curse word played out live for Saturday Night Live’s East Coast viewers but was edited out for the West Coast broadcast. You can see Sam Rockwell’s SNL flub below. Warning: The expletive is not bleeped out in the video below.
That moment when Sam Rockwell drops an F bomb on live tv on #SNL ???????? pic.twitter.com/fDtXFWoFNi
— DJ Johnny Marco (@DJJohnnyMarco) January 14, 2018
Sam Rockwell was not the only Saturday Night Live actor to drop a curse word on this week’s live episode. During the show’s popular “Weekend Update” segment, SNL regulars Colin Jost and Michael Che both said “sh*thole” while covering Donald Trump’s latest White House controversy.
Many viewers had strong opinions about this week’s expletive-filled Saturday Night Live episode. Social media was flooded with comments about Rockwell’s slip-up, with some offering praise to the actor for not holding back in the wake of Donald’s Trump’s rocky White House week. Many others said Rockwell’s flub was small potatoes compared to the real-life news kids have been exposed to during Trump’s presidency.
I love that Sam Rockwell dropped the f-bomb on #SNL. I think it was no accident; I think it was a comment on how our "president" can say the most disgusting things, but entertainers have to maintain some sort of bogus, puritanical "decorum." Well done.
— Donna Hazel (@oconnellaboo) January 14, 2018
Since our horrible president has said a lot worse and reporters have to repeat him, it is A ok to me when Sam Rockwell drops a F bomb on live TV #SNL
— Sarah Joan ❄???? (@By_SJD) January 14, 2018
Sam Rockwell saying the F word on SNL…frankly kids, President Trump has a better vocabulary when it comes to disgusting words.
— Vsevolod ????️???? (@UmmHomosexual) January 14, 2018
Sam Rockwell drops the F-bomb on SNL. At least he didn't say sh**hole.
— Rob Williams (@RobWilliamsCTV) January 14, 2018
Anyone calling Sam Rockwell's F-bomb on SNL indecent clearly hasn't paid any attention to The White House or the President's Twitter account in the past year.
— TheFliteCast (@TheFliteCast) January 14, 2018
Colin Jost & Michael Che just trivialized all potential fake outrage over Sam Rockwell's F-bomb gaffe by saying out loud what {your} President actually said this week in an Oval Office meeting…may God bless them both. #snl
— L.S. Odom (@tyme2kill) January 14, 2018
Sam Rockwell saying f*** is still the least offensive thing of the week.
Donald’s all like “I’ll top that tomorrow”#snl
— Jeff Dwoskin – Hashtag Roundup (@bigmacher) January 14, 2018
While Sam Rockwell’s F-bomb seems to be taking on new meaning, Saturday Night Live has dealt with the hazards of live TV in the past. According to Deadline, the long-running, late-night show’s first brush with the F-word came way back in 1980 when guest Paul Schaeffer was supposed to say “flogging” during a sketch about a medieval band rehearsing a song but said the forbidden F-word instead. Other SNL guests who’ve dropped the F-bomb during the live NBC comedy show include Jenny Slate, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kristen Stewart.