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In Living Color Launches Iconic Sketches, Carrey Parody, Wayans Characters

6/4/2026

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Summary

Story summary

In Living Color introduced iconic, lasting sketches.
Jim Carrey parodied Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” in flamboyant costumes.
T'Keyah Crystal Keymàh led “Black World,” a sketch about black community struggles.
Damon Wayans created the head-only detective, the homeless Anton Jackson, and Homey D. Clown, a criminal clown who says “Homey don’t play that.”

History

Historical Context

NBC launched Saturday Night Live on October 11 1975, hosted by George Carlin, after Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol created a live, late-night sketch format to capture 18-34-year-old viewers. The original cast earned $750 per episode and worked from Studio 8H, a converted radio studio renovated for $250,000. The show's edgy, live approach set a template for later diverse comedy series.

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Story summary

In Living Color introduced iconic, lasting sketches.
Jim Carrey parodied Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” in flamboyant costumes.
T'Keyah Crystal Keymàh led “Black World,” a sketch about black community struggles.
Damon Wayans created the head-only detective, the homeless Anton Jackson, and Homey D. Clown, a criminal clown who says “Homey don’t play that.”

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