Lorne Michaels Informed Taylor Swift He Wasn’t “Negotiating with Terrorists” After She Proposed Changes to Her SNL Cut.

Swift’s Sketch Rejection

Saturday evening on the air creator Lorne Michaels revealed that he once turned down Taylor Swift’s attempts to feature in a sketch about her perceived distance from the show.

In 2015, the show aired a mock version of Swift that humorously poked fun at her famous female squad during her 1989 era. According to a recent account in New York magazine, Michaels reached out to the singer prior to the sketch to see if she wanted to participate.

Swift reportedly declined the offer and asked if he would completely cut off the sketch, to which he responded: “Taylor, I will not negotiate with terrorists,” before tossing a piece of popcorn into the air and catching it in his mouth.

Sketch Outcome

The sketch proceeded without her, featuring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler parodying Swift’s music video for “Bad Blood,” with Amy Schumer making a surprise appearance. The following week, Swift allegedly sent a bouquet of flowers with a note saying: “I hope that there is no bad blood.”

Ultimately, there appears to have been no animosity, as Swift was a musical guest on SNL three times in 2017, 2019, and 2021.

Check out the sketch below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5WXAA_Z7H8

SNL 50th Anniversary Celebration

This story coincides with SNL‘s celebration of its 50th anniversary. The show launched its 50th season at the end of September and hosted SNL 50: Return Home concert last night (February 14), featuring performances from artists like Nirvana, Post Malone, Robin Thicke, David Byrne, Miley Cyrus, and others.

Celebrations will continue on Sunday (February 16) with the SNL 50 Anniversary Special, which has already announced guests including Paul McCartney, Sabrina Carpenter, and Paul Simon.

In conjunction with this milestone, there is also a new film titled Saturday Night and a documentary from Questlove exploring the show’s musical programming and other aspects.

In a three-star review, Jordan Bassett of NME stated about Saturday Night: “The film lacks enough narrative drive and genuine comedy. However, as it approaches its inevitable conclusion, something funny happens. From the chaos emerges a rather inspiring tribute to embracing spontaneity while living in the moment, saying ‘yes’ and hoping for the best.”

“You can do ‘half-outlet shows with half a donkey,’ as Dafoe brilliantly illustrates at one point, or you can craft a proper story. This is what Saturday Night almost manages to achieve, making it worth a watch. As any impromptu comedian will tell you: stick with it, and you’ll stumble upon gold.”