Adam Sandler has a pretty big year ahead of him. He’s set to appear in more dramatic fare in the coming months, including Men, Women & Children and The Cobbler. But Saturday Night Live helped to kickstart his career, and there are some things about SNL that have stuck with the actor over the years. He recently spoke out about his experiences with Chris Farley and Saturday Night Live, including his painful firing from the late night sketch series that launched him.
In a recent interview with The Daily Beast, Sandler said that getting kicked off of NBC’s long-running program really hit him and partner in crime Chris Farley hard when it happened.
“Yes, we were [fired]. We kind of quit at the same time as being fired. It was the end of the run for us. The fact that me and him got fired? Who knows. We were on it for a few years, had our run, and everything happens for a reason. We kind of understood because we did our thing. It hurt a lot at the time because we were young and didn’t know where we were going, but it all worked out.”
While Sandler spoke of his pain over leaving the series as if it is in the past, there is still a lingering rift between the actor and the late night series. While plenty of not ready for primetime players return to host episodes of the series, Sandler is not among the men and women who have returned to host. Additionally, this summer he told former SNL cast member Norm MacDonald that he isn’t interested.
“Why should I? I don’t know how good it would be. I’m slow now. There are guys who love doing it — who are great at doing it. I just don’t know how good I’d be doing it. I did what I can do on the show.”
Still, it’s not like the man doesn’t have some fond memories related to Saturday Night Live. He also had some great things to say about his experiences on the show, and watching Chris Farley in particular.
“I miss Farley. He was a tour de force on the show and dominated. He could dominate anybody. There’s nobody that can walk into a room and take over better than Farley. I haven’t seen anyone since he’s gone that’s taken that spot. He’s the strongest presence I’ve ever seen.”
Saturday Night Live will begin airing its 40th season in just a couple of weeks. Over the years, the show has seen many cast members leave to go on to pursue careers in Hollywood. SNL has also had more than its fair share of firings, as well, with Brooks Whelan being the show’s latest casualty. Fortunately for him and the other recently fired cast members, Sandler and many others have proven that getting a pink slip from the late night show can still lead to a great career.
