Miley Cyrus pays homage to Sinéad O’Connor's iconic performance in SNL50
New York, New York - Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered the classic song Nothing Compares 2 U for SNL50: The Anniversary Special in an apparent homage to that Sinéad O’Connor moment.
The duo – who previously sang together for the SNL concert special – took to the stage again on Sunday to cover the Prince song, which was made famous by Sinéad's 1990 re-record for her album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.
Miley may have done this tribute as a peace offering to the late Irish singer, who died in 2023, in light of their past feud.
Sinéad famously sang a cover of Bob Marley's War on a 1992 episode of SNL hosted by Tim Robbins.
She capped off the controversial performance by ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II, angrily throwing the pieces to the floor.
"Fight the real enemy," she said, later explaining that she had done this to call out sexual abuse being perpetrated and covered up by the Catholic Church.
What happened after Sinéad O'Connor's 1992 SNL scandal?
The backlash against Sinéad and the negative career effects of her SNL appearance were swiftly felt.
She was banned by SNL, mocked in subsequent sketches, and slammed by the following week's host, Joe Pesci.
Less than two weeks following the divisive performance, she was booed at an all-star Bob Dylan tribute concert in New York City.
Perhaps the inclusion of this song was also SNL's way of apologizing for their reaction to Sinéad's statement back in the '90s.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / Dreamstime & Dimitrios Kambouris / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP