"Saturday Night Live" is at the center of plagiarism and copyright infringement accusations stemming from a sketch about Prophet Muhammad that starred host Reese Witherspoon and longtime cast member Bobby Moynihan this weekend.
The skit, "Picture Perfect," allegedly stole its punchline from a Canadian sketch comedy show, "This Hour Has 22 Minutes," that aired similar material back in January.
"While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, DHX Media Ltd. Takes infringement of its intellectual property very seriously," DHX Media executive chairman Michael Donovan said to The Hollywood Reporter.
NBC had no comment on the accusations, according to a network spokeswoman.
In the sketch, Moynihan's character is reluctant to draw the Prophet Muhammad in a $1 million game of Pictionary.
The skit from "This Hour Has 22 minutes" also included a $1 million grand price as well as a character (played by Canadian comedian Mark Critch) also refusing to depict the religious figure.
"This has happened a few times both ways but this is the closes I've ever seen," Critch said Monday via his Twitter account.
