Adam Sandler was hired as a writer for Saturday Night Live in 1990 at the age of 23 and became a featured player the following year. The Sand Man flourished on the comedy sketch TV show and featured some of the most extraordinary characters on SNL. But NBC fired him from the show in 1995. This Saturday, Sandler finally returned to Saturday Night Live after 24 years to host the NBC show.
โI love seeing old friends and making new friends,โ Sandler said at the top of his monologue. โI tried to call Lorne Michaels, but he never called me back.โ Sandler began to sing about his firing from SNL because thatโs what Adam Sandler does.
โI was fired, not rehired well it made me sad and blue,โ Sandler sang. โMaybe they were sick of Canteen Boy, but I think they just hate the juice.โ Sandlerโs friend Chris Rock also appeared in the monologue.
โWhy did I leave the show? Well, Adam, I got fired,โ Rock sang along. โI was fired. I was fired by NBC. Then I went on In Living Color. Three weeks later they took it off TV.โ
Pete Davidson also joined the musical monologue and Sandler warned that he too could get fired. โIt broke my heart to pieces because SNL was my home. Where can I do my silly voices now? I never felt so alone,โ Sandler sang. โNBC said I was done,โ Sandler sang. โThen I made over 4 million dollars at the box office, so I guess you could say I won.โ
At 23 years, 11 months and 22 days, Sandler now holds the record for the longest time span between an actor appearing as a castmember and then returning to host. This edges out former castmember Dan Aykroyd by a mere seven days.