The Year of Scandal, Part 2: Sinéad O’Connor Takes on the Pope

After scoring a No. 1 smash with her version of the Prince song “Nothing Compares 2 U” and winning Video of the Year at MTV’s VMAs, Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor became an international sensation. While her look—a shaved head and dazzling, doe-like eyes—was arresting, her vocals were next-level.

But she never wanted to be a pop star. She had a punk sensibility, railing against sexism and exploitation and refusing to let label execs control her. In October 1992, O’Connor concluded her performance on Saturday Night Live by ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II to protest the Catholic Church concealing acts of child abuse. The incident sparked intense backlash, with radio stations refusing to play her music and audiences boycotting her. One single gesture torpedoed her career.

In this episode, we examine the events leading up to the SNL scandal, its damaging consequences, O’Connor’s complicated relationship with fame, and how many of her critics realized years later that she was right all along.

 

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