Comedian Shane Gillis accidentally dropped an uncensored F-bomb live on NBC during a Dr. Seuss sketch during his third hosting stint on Saturday Night Live, later apologizing during the closing credits alongside musical guest Rosalía.
Shane Gillis used the expletive on October 10, 2026, during a parody sketch inspired by Green Eggs and Ham. Gillis played Zackary, the protective son of the Cat in the Hat (played by Mikey Day), who interrupts Sam-I-Am (Andrew Dismukes) to defend his father from being pressured into eating the dish.
The sketch devolved into family drama as Zackary questioned the true end game of the conversation. The character accused his father of being vulnerable to scams after sending $9,000 worth of Target gift cards to an individual in Mumbai. His father responded by mocking Zackary’s career at Jimmy John’s—a job his son called James Jonathon.
Zackary further escalated the shouting match by alleging his mother left his father for the Lorax, whom Gillis described as a two-foot-tall figure whose whole face is a mustache. Sam-I-Am confirmed Zackary’s suspicions at the end of the scene by asking for five grand in Walmart gift cards to be sent to associates in Dubai.
Gillis went off-script to emphasize that his father had no interest in the green meal.
“Bro, it’s a non-starter. He said he doesn’t f—–g like them!”
Shane Gillis, via LateNighter
Gillis Slips Up at Studio 8H
The expletive aired uncensored on the live East Coast broadcast over NBC. Gillis broke character, winced, raised his hand, and exclaimed Jeez!
as the audience inside Studio 8H burst into laughter and applause.
Mikey Day improvised a direct callback to steer the sketch back on course. As the argument between father and son reached its end, Day ordered Gillis’ character out of the home.
“You’re a loser and you said a bad word!”
Mikey Day, via Yahoo News UK
Gillis replied in character, Yes, I did.
Network Censors Filter West Coast Feed
West Coast audiences watched a delayed feed where network censors filtered out the word, though East Coast viewers and Peacock streaming subscribers heard the profanity in real-time. Online clips published on social media platforms later that night also had the expletive muted.
Gillis muttered Sorry about earlier
as the sketch faded. He returned to the topic during the final goodnights alongside Rosalía and the rest of the cast.
“And my thanks to Rosalia, and, uh, sorry about earlier. Thank you guys very much. I had a good time.”
Shane Gillis, via TMZ
Gillis Returns to NBC After 2019 Firing
NBC originally hired Gillis as a featured cast member in September 2019 alongside Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang. The network fired him five days later after controversial remarks featuring racist and homophobic slurs surfaced from his podcast.
Uncensored F-bombs are rare during live broadcasts. Paul Shaffer in 1980 and Charles Rocket in 1981 recorded early instances of accidental profanity, and Jenny Slate dropped an F-bomb during her 2009 debut episode.