Why Chevy Chase is banned from ever hosting Saturday Night Live again

The rich history of Saturday Night Live includes a list of banned celebrities like Chevy Chase.

The comedian was one of the first to help secure the show's spot in television history. He only lasted a year on the show as a series regular, dipping from the stage in late 1976. Only two years later, Chevy returned to SNL for a hosting gig, but butted heads with star Bill Murray , spurring some bad blood.

Bill and Chevy were so angry at each other, there were even punches thrown. According to People , Murray said: “It was really a Hollywood fight; a don’t-touch-my-face kinda thing. Chevy is a big man, I’m not a small guy, and we were separated by my brother Brian, who comes up to my chest. So it was king of a non-event. It was just the significance of it. It was an Oedipal thing, a rupture. Because we all felt mad he had left us, and somehow I was the anointed avenging angel, who had to speak for everyone.”

• SNL skit drags Prince Andrew into P Diddy drama as rapper faces new sexual abuse allegations
• SNL mocks Chappell Roan as Bowen Yang transforms into Moo Deng in risky comedy sketch

However, that brutal altercation still didn't earn Chevy the famous ban. SNL invited him back, but he only seemed to antagonize the cast further. According to Screen Rant , the actor allegedly slapped the back of Cheri Oteri's head. Will Ferrell later shaded Chevy, calling him the "worst host."

There was no formal declaration as to why Chevy was banned, but SNL producer Lorne Michaels did give Chevy a bit of insight. The excuse he gave to Chevy wasn't anything to do with his past alleged behavior. When Chevy asked to return to the show, Lorne denied him the opportunity. He claimed to the Washington Post that Lorne said he was too old for the job.

"We'd had many people older than me hosting," Chevy alleged. "What did he mean? I've never understood what he meant. Because I'd be very good, and it would be fun for an audience to see me doing that." He went on to express his disappointment that Michaels was "denying" how he was the person who "made this show really go" during its first year on air.

While he was banned from hosting the show, Chevy still has made cameos on the set. He even managed to make it through an episode which was hosted by his enemy, Bill Murray, in 1999.