Dan Aykroyd & John Belushi "Arrest" Brian Wilson in This Unearthed Beach Boys Special
The Beach Boys: It's OK! aired in August 1976 — and it was produced by Lorne Michaels
The Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson was trying to relax in his bed in 1976 when he was rudely awakened by two police officers. They informed him that he was in violation ... of failing to surf.
"Surfing? I don't wanna go surfing," Wilson told the officers. "Now look you guys, I'm not going. You get your hair wet, you get sand in your shoes, OK? I'm not going."
The officers, played by original Saturday Night Live cast members Dan Akroyd and John Belushi, aren't having it.
"Come on, Brian, let's go surfing now. Everybody's learning how! Come on and safari with us," they told Wilson, quoting the 1962 Beach Boys hit "Surfin' Safari."
Next thing you know, Wilson, still in his bathrobe, is in the back of a squad car. And he's being urgently driven to the beach.
This scene is a part of the 1976 NBC special The Beach Boys: It's Ok!, produced by SNL creator Lorne Michaels to promote the bands' 20th studio album, 15 Big Ones. Michaels, Akroyd, Belushi, and fellow SNL writer Alan Zweibel wrote the special. Gary Weis, known for his SNL digital shorts, directed it.
The Beach Boys: It's Ok! aired on NBC on August 5, 1976. The special's sketch was even memorialized on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine with a photo of Wilson on the beach in a bathrobe, which was taken by famed photographer Annie Liebowitz during filming.
RELATED: Why the Original SNL Cast Were Called The Not Ready for Prime Time Players
SNL shared the clip of Akroyd, Belushi, and Wilson on their social accounts following Wilson's death on June 11. Watch it below.
Brian Wilson died on June 11, 2025
Wilson had a rough few years between 1967 and 1976, which were written about in the 2004 book The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band.
As Rolling Stone recounts, Wilson was struggling with mental health, and unsure he wanted to continue as a member of The Beach Boys. When his father's death in 1973 led to Wilson barely leaving his bedroom, his brothers Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson, along with fellow bandmates Mike Love and Al Jardine, were intent on helping him.
Per Rolling Stone, the NBC special was part of the band's "Brian's Back!" campaign, featuring footage of concerts with Wilson on stage and of his 34th birthday party.
RELATED: Ring in Summer with Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Fallon's Beach Boys "Cover"
Even as Wilson began releasing solo work, he never fully left the band behind. The Beach Boys recorded their final album, That's Why God Made the Radio, in 2012. His final concert was part of a tour with Chicago in Clarkston, Michigan on July 26, 2022. In January 2024, it was announced that he had dementia.
Wilson died on June 11, 2025 at the age of 82, and he was honored by an endless number of artists who posted about his influence. Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, and Wilson's daughter Carnie Wilson all posted loving tributes, along with many others.
The Tonight Show bandleader Questlove also had some beautiful words to say about the rock legend as he recalled falling in love with the album Pet Sounds in 1994.
"If there was a human being who made art out of inexpressible sadness...damn, it was Brian Wilson," he wrote. "Without him, I dunno how so many that came after felt safe to express a feeling of sadness that most humans would be otherwise ridiculed/punished for."
RELATED: 13 Archival Photos of the First Saturday Night Live Cast, Hosts & Musical Guests
Was Brian Wilson ever on Saturday Night Live?
Yes.
Wilson only performed once on Saturday Night Live, on November 27, 1976 in Season 2, Episode 2. Jodie Foster, who was 14 at the time, was the Host. He performed "Back Home," "Love is a Woman," and "Good Vibrations."
Watch a clip of Wilson's performance below, thanks to the Saturday Night Live Instagram.
Peacock.
