John Mulaney made a shock quip about two Saturday Night Live hosts ‘committing murder’ during the show’s 50th anniversary celebrations over the weekend.

Speaking during an opening monologue with Steve Martin, 79, Mulaney, 42, said while there had been  ​894 hosts in the show’s history,  ‘it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder.’

While the SNL veteran did not name the two hosts, OJ Simpson, who appeared on the show on February 25, 1978, and Robert Blake, who hosted November 13, 1982, were involved in high profile murder cases, and both were acquitted.

Simpson was cleared of charges that he murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in 1995 after a high profile trial – dubbed the ‘Trial of the Century’ that captivated the world.

He was later found civilly liable and ordered to pay the victims’ families $33.5 million. He maintained his innocence until his death in April 2024 aged 76.

Blake worked in Hollywood for more than six decades, starring in classics like Treasure of the Sierra Madre with Humphrey Bogart and In Cold Blood with John Forsythe. He was also the star of a number of studio westerns under the stage name Bobby Blake. 

John Mulaney made a shock quip about two Saturday Night Live hosts ‘committing murder’ during the show’s 50th anniversary celebrations over the weekend – pictured with Steve Martin

While the SNL veteran did not name the two hosts, OJ Simpson , who appeared on the show on February 25, 1978, and Robert Blake, who hosted November 13, 1982, were involved in high profile murder cases, and both were acquitted

On television, he was also known as undercover New York City detective Tony Baretta in Baretta, which aired on ABC for four seasons in the mid-1970s.

But his career derailed in the early 2000s when he was charged with the murder of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley, along with solicitation of murder, conspiracy and special circumstances of lying in wait.

A jury, though, found him not guilt of soliciting a former stuntman he worked with on Baretta to kill Bakley, and her murder was never solved.

He died in March 2023 aged 89. 

Some fans on social media also speculated that Alec Baldwin – who attended the anniversary special – was being referenced.

Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for Rust, was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on set when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza on October 21, 2021.

Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer – but not the trigger – and the revolver fired.

After the case was thrown out last year, Baldwin regained some of his positions in Hollywood.

Matthew Broderick was also named on social media as a possible subject of the dark joke.

Simpson – pictured with Laraine Newman on the show in 1978 – was cleared of charges that he murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in 1995 after a high profile trial – dubbed the ‘Trial of the Century’ that captivated the world

Brown is pictured with Nicole in 1989 

Ron Goldman is pictured  

In 2002, Blake stood trial for killing his wife Bonny Lee Bakley. He was ultimately found not guilty

The actor is seen here weeping with his head on the table as he was found not guilty

Some fans on social media also speculated that Alec Baldwin – who attended the anniversary special – was being referenced, 3 years after the Rust shooting. The case was later dismissed

Matthew Broderick was also named on social media as a possible subject of the dark joke. Broderick, who hosted in 1988 and 1993, was behind the wheel of a BMW in Northern Ireland in 1987 when he crossed the center line and hit a car, killing two women (pictured with wife Sarah Jessica Parker at the SNL taping)

Read More Fans call out SNL for attempting ‘damage control’ for Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds amid lawsuit

Broderick, who hosted in 1988 and 1993, was behind the wheel of a BMW in Northern Ireland in 1987 when he crossed the center line and hit a car driven by Margaret Doherty, 63, and her daughter Anna Gallagher, 28.

Both women were killed instantly in the crash, and Matthew was left unconscious with serious injuries.

He was  vacationing with Jennifer Grey, whom he had begun dating during the filming of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 

Broderick told police he had no recollection of the crash and did not know why he had been in the wrong lane.

He was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and faced up to five years in prison, but was convicted of the lesser charge of careless driving and fined £100 ($126).

Broderick, 62, was also in attendance at the taping with wife Sarah Jessica Parker, 59. 

The special saw Blake Lively return to the spotlight for the first time in two months with husband Ryan Reynolds – who poked fun at their scandal with Justin Baldoni in a skit on the broadcast.

In a bit opposite Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Reynolds, 48, stood up from the audience alongside Lively, 37, and said, ‘I have a question.’

He was asked, ‘Oh Ryan Reynolds, how’s it going?’ to which the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool star ᴅᴇᴀᴅpanned, ‘Great – why, what have you heard?’  – in a nod to the months of headlines regarding the troubled production of the summer hit It Ends with Us.

The outing marked the first time in two months Lively, 37, attended a red carpet event, which last occurred prior to the scandal with Baldoni, 41, erupting late last year.

Lively and Reynolds were joined by a litany of fellow A-listers at the event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the NBC staple, including SNL alums Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Bill Murray, Leslie Jones, David Spade and Jon Lovitz.

Other perennial stars on hand for the high-profile evening in Gotham included Kim Kardashian, Aubrey Plaza, Paul McCartney, Cher, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Steven Spielberg, Kevin Costner, Jason Momoa, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Paul Simon, among many others. 

Blake Lively was pictured Sunday at SNL50: The Anniversary Special with husband Ryan Reynolds – who alluded to their scandal with Justin Baldoni in a skit on the broadcast. 

The A-list couple appeared to be in good spirits amid their outing, as entertainment icons such as Steven Spielberg, Kevin Costner and Cher flanked the pair in the crowd

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds on Sunday were pictured for the first time on the red carpet in nearly two months since the scandal with Justin Baldoni erupted late last year.

The last time Lively stepped on a red carpet came on December 11 at the 2024 Beauty Inc Awards in New York City. The outing came weeks before litigation with Baldoni commenced. 

Lively and Reynolds put on a united front as they attended the TV event in the Big Apple at Rockefeller Plaza amid months of scandal. 

On social media, the reaction tended to skew against the pair, with a number of commenters mentioning allegations Baldoni made in court filings linked to the film.

‘How sweet of SNL to try and do damage control for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively—but it won’t work,’ said one user.

Another remarked of the show, ‘Gross. So they’re supporting the bullies too.’

One person said Reynolds’ ‘desperation is showing,’ while another said of the pair, ‘Those 2 are cringe at this point…’

Another referenced Reynolds’ former marriage to Scarlett Johansson, who was on hand Sunday, as she’s wed to SNL stalwart Colin Jost.

‘I hope Scarlet laughed uproariously,’ the user said.

The couple was seen in a posed sH๏τ shared by SNL alum Chevy Chase – no stranger to on-set controversy himself – on Instagram Sunday.