6. Andy Kaufman
One of the most eccentric and controversial artists to grace the SNL stage, Andy Kaufman was banned by the show as a result of an audience vote.
The comedian made semi-regular appearances on the show, which usually led to audience complaints to NBC.
source: CNN
In 1983, then-executive producer Dick Ebersol asked the audience whether they wanted Kaufman to ever return to the show or to be issued a lifetime ban. SNL set up two 900 numbers, (one to keep Andy and one to ban Andy), and people could cast their votes that way. In the end, audiences voted to ban Andy, much to the displeasure of his fellow cast members.
The next week, Kaufman bought airtime on several local networks and begged viewers to allow him back on the show. The clips were even shown on the next SNL, but Kaufman was never invited back. The funnyman died in 1984 after a battle with cancer.
So sad.
Here’s one of Andy’s most popular, and also misunderstood, SNL sketches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-wUe5aEwHM
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