Which SNL cast member used a profanity live during a February 1981 sketch?

Charles Rocket used a profanity live during a Saturday Night Live sketch in February 1981.

Rocket was part of the cast assembled by producer Jean Doumanian after the original SNL ensemble departed. During a February 1981 episode hosted by Charlene Tilton, he appeared in a sketch and said “fuck” on live television. The moment was especially damaging because SNL was already under intense scrutiny for its weak ratings and uneven new cast.

Rocket later explained that he was trying to fill time before the show’s closing and had not intended to utter the word. The broadcast was edited for the West Coast replay, but the incident quickly became a national embarrassment for NBC and the program.

The fallout was broader than Rocket’s mistake. Doumanian was dismissed soon afterward, and Dick Ebersol was brought in to overhaul the show. Ebersol fired most of the new cast, retaining only Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. Rocket himself was fired after the incident and did not participate in the revamped era.