Video of Kris Kristofferson standing by Sinead O’Connor as she’s booed on stage resurfaces after his death

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor and country musician Kris Kristofferson died at the age of 88 on Saturday, September 28, in his Maui home. 

Amid the news of his demise, a video of the ‘Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down’ lyricist standing by the late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor is going viral among fans. 

Speculated to be one of Kristofferson’s finest moments by many of his fans, the Texas native’s act of coming to the aid of O’Connor in 1992 has resurfaced after his death.

Kris Kristofferson came to the aid of Sinead O’Connor in 1992

Kris Kristofferson’s support for the ‘This Is The Day’ singer came when she was booed at a Madison Square Garden concert following a scandalous appearance on a ‘Saturday Night Live’ episode a fortnight before. 

O’Connor - who died on July 26, 2023, aged 56 - courted controversies and created headlines in 1992 when she tore up an image of Pope John Paul II, while performing as a guest on NBC's 'SNL', and said, “Fight the real enemy." She revealed the move was in protest of the Catholic Church, per Daily Mail.

Prior to the sensational event, the ‘Drink Before The War’ hitmaker was known for speaking out against abuses in religious institutions. 

However, her stint on the NBC show created major controversies and led to career pushbacks for the Irish singer, who later rechristened herself as Shuhada' Sadaqat. 

A week after her ‘SNL’ appearance, O’Connor was subjected to immense public backlash, along with next week’s 'SNL' host 'Goodfellas' star Joe Pesci leading the row. 

During his October 10, 1992, appearance, Pesci addressed the controversy, saying, “Before we start the show, there’s a little matter I wanna clear up.”

“There was an incident on the show last week - Sinead O’Connor tore up a picture of the Pope, and I thought that was wrong, so I asked someone to paste it back together,” said the musician. 

He continued, “I mean why should I let it bother me, right? It wasn’t my show. But I’ll tell you one thing, she was very lucky it wasn’t my show, because if it was my show, I would have gave her such a smack.”

“I would've grabbed her by her... eyebrows. Ah, what am I doing? I'm making myself crazy, for what? I mean, she's just a kid, why should I care? Anyway, the Pope has probably forgiven her already, I mean, he forgave that guy that shot him, right?” said Pesci. 

However, another week later, O'Connor was scheduled to perform at a Bob Dylan tribute show at New York City's Madison Square Garden on October 17, 1992. 

Kristofferson, who was charged with introducing O’Connor as she emerged on stage, attributed the ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ as an “artist whose name has become synonymous with courage and integrity.”

But fresh out of the scandal, O’Connor was received with loud boos from the uproarious audience member. 

At that time, Kristofferson was asked by the organizers to usher her back to the offstage amid such protests. But, the ‘A Star Is Born’ actor “was not about to do that.”

He went to the stage and appeared to speak some encouraging words to the dejected singer.

Almost two decades later, during an appearance on ‘Saturday Night With Miriam’, he recalled the incident, sharing, “I went out and I said, 'Don’t let the b******s get you down', and she said 'I’m not down', and she sang.”

He continued, “It was very courageous. It just seemed to me wrong, booing that little girl out there, but she’s always had courage.”

To further his support, he subsequently released a song dedicated to the ‘Band Aid 30’ member, titled ‘Sister Sinead’. 

Fans hail Kris Kristofferson for standing by Sinead O'Connor

As fans recalled the time when Kris Kristofferson stood by Sinead O'Connor after the audience booed at her, they noted that he consoled and supported the Irish musician when "no one else would."

One of the fans re-shared the video on X, and wrote, "The time Kris Kristofferson consoled Sinead O'Connor after she was booed mercilessly for telling the truth on SNL in 1992. It costs nothing to be a decent human being. God speed Kris Kristofferson."

"This is the one lasting memory I'll always have of this wonderful man," chimed in another while talking about his support.

Another netizen added, "I'll never forget what he did for her because it showed he was a genuinely good person. Also, he wrote a lovely song about her called 'Sister Sinead'. RIP Kris."

"When I heard he died the first thing that came to mind was this moment," said another mourning fan.

Referencing the song, 'Sister Sinead', another fan noted, "Mind when Kris Kristofferson came over, hugged her and told Sinéad O’Connor ‘don’t let the b*****ds get you down’ when she was being booed on stage, and then wrote this song about her."

Someone else explained, "Kris Kristofferson was told to take Sinéad O’Connor offstage when she was booed at Madison Square Garden over her criticism of the Catholic Church, and instead he encouraged her to keep singing."

Sharing a picture of Kristofferson consoling O'Connor, another fan wrote, "This picture really resonates with me. When Sinead O'Connor was booed on SNL in 1992, Kris Kristofferson hugged her and said "Don't let the b******s get you down!" RIP Kris and Sinead."

"Kris Kristofferson stood up for Sinead O’Connor when no one else would. “Don’t let the b******s get you down”," recollected another fan.

Someone else commented under the resurfaced YouTube video, "Kris is a real man running to the rescue like he did...lotta courage. Didn't care how it made him look real american. Highwayman."

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