Between 1993 and 1994, Adam Sandler made seven appearances on Saturday Night Live as Canteen Boy, a childlike Scout leader who was frequently the butt of other people’s jokes. The character’s final SNL sketch in February 1994 was controversial, which may have been why Sandler eventually stopped playing the part altogether.
In it, Alec Baldwin guest stars as a pervy Scoutmaster hell-bent on seducing Canteen Boy. As the sketch progresses, Baldwin (as Mr. Armstrong) makes unwanted advances toward Canteen Boy, gets him to rub bug repellent on his bare chest, and even sucks on his fingers.
Though earlier sketches had established that Canteen Boy was an adult, viewers on this particular evening somehow got the impression that Sandler was playing an actual Boy Scout. NBC received numerous complaints after the show, and Lorne Michaels was sent a memo two days later saying that child abuse was “not something to make fun of,” especially “in light of the Michael Jackson situation” (Jackson was accused of sexually abusing a young boy in 1993).
Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times even got calls from angry fans who told him they’d turned the sketch off midway through.
SNL Sketch Alec Baldwin with canteen boy, a classic! But very controversial at the time and might be still today for some. (1994) #snl #universalplus #universalplusafrica #universalpluslatinoamerica #90s #90skids #snlseason19 #malaysiatiktok #philippinestiktok #tiktokindia #tiktkokphilippines #tiktokaustralia #fyp #fypシ゚viral #tiktokbrasil #thealmanac77 #snlsketch #adamsandler #alecbaldwin #canteenboy #saturdaynightlive
Adam Sandler and Alec Baldwin Once Starred in an ‘SNL’ Sketch That Sparked Outrage
The story got so much attention that the Boy Scouts of America felt the need to issue a statement. “We see nothing funny about child molestation, and are surprised that this unfunny subject would be selected for a comedy sketch,” a representative for the organization told Roeper. Baldwin addressed the controversy himself when he returned to host SNL that December. His monologue that night would end up featuring the final appearance of Canteen Boy, who’s referred to as “consenting bisexual canteenperson.”
“After my [last] time hosting, I wasn’t sure I’d be invited back,” Baldwin joked, before bringing Sandler out for a more politically correct reenactment of their previous sketch. Nowadays, when the offending February 1994 segment is shown, it’s preceded by a semi-humorous disclaimer.
The title card first informs us that what we’re about to see is “based on actual events.” It then goes on to describe Canteen Boy as “a highly intelligent though quite eccentric 27-year-old who still lives with his mother, and who, despite his age, remains very active in scouting.”
You can check out the full February 1994 sketch for yourself above.
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