 Sinead O'Connor on SNL - During a live
10/3/92 appearance on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Irish rock singer Sinead O'Connor
ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II at the conclusion of singing Bob
Marley's "War" (sung a capella) Sinead remarked "Fight the real
enemy."
O'Connor's action reflected her anger at the Catholic church and their
non-support of women's rights in Ireland. Many complained to NBC for airing such
an overt display of blasphemy. When singer Frank Sinatra heard about it, he was quoted as saying he wanted to
"punch" the singer "right in the mouth."
When the program was rerun, the photo tearing scene was cut. NBC was
eventually fined $2.5 million dollars by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) for the outrageous event.
Five years later, Sinead O'Connor apologized to the Pope for her antics. In
an interview with the Italian weekly newspaper Vita (September 22, 1997),
Sinead claimed that her photo ripping had been "a ridiculous act, the gesture of
a girl rebel...I was in rebellion against the faith, but I was still within the
faith."
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