‘SNL’ Actor Recalls How Amy Adams Refused Raunchy Duet to Protect Young Fans

Experts have praised her for prioritizing the impact that such a sketch could have on kids.

Amy Adams poses during the 24th annual Critics' Choice Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., on Jan. 13, 2019. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Amy Adams once refused to perform a raunchy “Lonely Island” song on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” fearing it might scar her young fans.

Former SNL cast member Andy Samberg recalled the 2008 incident on The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast on Nov. 11.

Samberg said Adams was right to decline the duet. At the time, Adams was hosting the SNL episode.

“We played the beginning of it for her and read a bunch of the lyrics, and she thought it was very funny, and she was so nice as always,” Samberg told Meyers.

“We love Amy. She’s a genius, and she was like, ‘That’s really funny. I can’t do that. Little girls are so obsessed with ‘Enchanted’ right now. They will find this, and it will be scarring for them, and I just can’t mix that right now.'”

Samberg declined to detail what lyrics made the duet raunchy.

In lieu of the song, Samberg played a Batman-like character in a comedic sketch called “Hero Song” in which he tries to save Adams from being mugged but instead gets beat up by the perpetrator.

“When we went out to shoot ‘Hero Song,’ within five minutes, a mother and her little girl walked up, and the look on the little girl’s face upon seeing Amy Adams, I was like, ‘Oh, she was so right,’” Samberg said.

Samberg was an actor on SNL until 2012 after gaining notoriety performing digital shorts.

“And it was very instructive for me,” Samberg said. “It’s not something I even ever thought about in our line of work. You know what I mean? Of like, she actually has an obligation and a responsibility to those kids, and she took it really seriously. And I remember being really impressed by that.”

‘Sign of the Times’

According to publicist Jane Owen, CEO of Jane Owen PR, Adams’ awareness of how she is portrayed in the media indicates that she understands her family fan base very well.

“Kids are incredibly impacted by what they hear, see and read,” Owen told The Epoch Times.

“A huge issue we are facing with the younger generation is their apathy to bad behavior because they are desensitized to it. A constant barrage of exposure to bad language, violence, bad behavior, and sexuality is going to change the way they view the world and what is appropriate behavior towards each other.”

Canopy digital safety expert Yaron Litwin told The Epoch Times that Adma’s stance “demonstrated that she values her role not just as an entertainer but as an indirect mentor to impressionable eyes and ears.”

“In an age when digital content can be replayed endlessly, this kind of forward-thinking awareness is crucial.”

Canopy is a parental control app.

A Common Sense Media report called “Watching Gender: How Stereotypes in Movies and on TV Impact Kids’ Development” found that learning gender roles from movies and TV shows affects self-esteem, relationships, and even children’s future careers.

“Her actions may also be a sign of the times,“ Michigan-based licensed psychologist Michele Leno told The Epoch Times. ”Many are focused on protecting children since it is not ideal for them to witness sexual innuendos on TV before they have had an opportunity to learn about sex. They can find it confusing and uncomfortable.”

I AM 4 Kids school program creator Mark Papadas applauded Adams for her decision.

“She made a principled decision about how it could affect her relationship with her fans,” Florida-based Papadas told The Epoch Times. “It shows forethought and a connection to her fans.”

Adams is married to Darren Le Gallo, whom she met in acting class in 2001. They have a daughter named Aviana Olea Le Gallo.