12 times ’Saturday Night Live’ made a cultural bang over the past 50 years

" Saturday Night Live " celebrates its 50th anniversary with a cast of young no-names performing countercultural comedy.

The show has become an incubator of talent — think Will Ferrell , Chris Rock , Amy Poehler , Billy Crystal , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Eddie Murphy , Adam Sandler , Phil Hartman , Pete Davidson and Tracy Morgan .

It inspires Halloween costumes, connects viewers to the news via “Weekend Update” .

Sinead O’Connor's a cappella cover of Bob Marley ’s “War” by tearing a photo of Pope John Paul II tore it into pieces.

The Irish singer was banned from “ SNL ” for life after the incident.

The White House was a target for Lorne Michaels and his writers for “being mean and cruel to a young girl”.

“ Lazy Sunday” was the first TV show clip to have a viral second life online, with 2 million-plus viewings in its first week alone.

“Welcome to Hell” addressed the #MeToo movement with a pitch-perfect video.

CNN coined the phrase the “ Tina Fey Effect ” after the 2008 election and found Republican and independent voters liked Palin less after watching “ SNL ”.