Adam Sandler opened up about how his departure from Saturday Night Live affected him emotionally.
He revealed during a Vanity Fair event that he couldn’t watch the late-night sketch show for a year after he left. He described the experience as heartbreaking. He admitted that it hurt to see the team he worked with for 5 years (1 as a writer and 4 as a cast member) just happily moving on without him and feeling like he was no longer needed.
When I left the show, the first year I couldn’t watch it. I couldn’t watch it — it just breaks your heart. I guess it’s like when you play sports or whatever, and all of a sudden, you leave, and you see the game keeps going. You go, ‘Oh, they didn’t need me, man.’ It breaks your heart a little bit.
Sandler also commented on how Saturday Night Live has evolved over the years during the discussion. He also addressed Lorne Michaels’ seemingly more laid-back approach to cast members breaking character now. According to the actor, the sketch comedy series’ creator used to be much more rigid regarding things like that.
He revealed that the show had a much more serious tone back then. Sandler said that there was this mentality of if you break, you’re out. However, he noted that things appear to have changed since then. The actor explained that it was kind of nice that the “rule got broken.” He added that it was refreshing to see the cast members laughing and enjoying themselves.
Oh, back then, he didn’t like that, yeah. You weren’t supposed to break. I think the first cast — Dan Aykroyd, [John] Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda [Radnor] — they never broke; they kind of frowned upon it. The first cast onSNL was like, ‘We’re not The Carol Burnett Show. We take this serious. If you laugh, you’re out.’ It was kind of a rule, and somehow that rule got broken. And now everyone’s laughing all the time.
Still, Sandler emphasized that despite its many changes, Saturday Night Live still kept everything that made it great. The actor revealed that while things were tough after he first left, he holds no hard feelings. He is grateful for his time on the show and said that he had the time of his life.
You’re having the best time of your life, and you’re also panicked out of your mind. It’s like being on a team. It’s like you guys got this weird little connection the rest of your life, it’s cool.
Sandler was on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995 with several other comedy icons such as Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Mike Myers. In 2019, he returned briefly to host the show for which he received an Emmy nomination. He’s continued to pop up occasionally throughout the years, including SNL50.
Saturday Night Live airs new episodes Saturdays at 11:30 PM ET and 8:30 PM PT on NBC.
- Release Date
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October 11, 1975
- Showrunner
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Lorne Michaels
- Directors
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Dave Wilson, Don Roy King, Liz Patrick, Andy Warhol, Linda Lee Cadwell, Matthew Meshekoff, Paul Miller, Robert Altman, Robert Smigel
- Writers
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Will Forte, Bill Hader, Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Chris Parnell, Asa Taccone, John Lutz, Tom Schiller, Simon Rich, Michael Patrick O’Brien, Nicki Minaj, Herbert Sargent, Matt Piedmont, John Solomon, Chris Kelly, Alan Zweibel, Kent Sublette, Ari Katcher, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schnedier, Scott Jung, Justin Franks, Jerrod Bettis, Rhiannon Bryan
