Summary

• SNL has a rich history of launching comedy stars like Adam Sandler, who transitioned from the show to a successful movie career.
• Sandler's exit from SNL was due to NBC executives not liking him, but this didn't hinder his future success in the entertainment industry.
• Getting fired from SNL has been a springboard to success for many comedians, including Sandler, Downey Jr., and Chris Rock.

Although now regarded as a comedy icon, at one time Adam Sandler was fired from Saturday Night Live following the 1994-1995 season. Saturday Night Live has produced some of the greatest comedy names of all time since 1975, including Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, and Tina Fey. As the cast enjoys a significant level of fame from being the center of television once a week for a few years, the bigger stars tend to branch out on their own and begin successful movie careers.

Adam Sandler began on SNL in 1990 after mostly taking small roles in TV shows and movies as well as performing stand-up in comedy clubs. Sandler was originally hired as a writer but was brought on as a featured cast member the next season. Sandler was notable on SNL for his original musical skits, memorably his Thanksgiving and Hannakuh songs. He also enjoyed starring as the recurring Weekend Update character, Opera Man. While the exit allowed Adam Sandler movies to enter the public consciousness with Billy Madison in 1995, he left because was fired from Saturday Night Live by NBC.

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Adam Sandler's SNL Exit: What Really Happened

Adam Sandler Claims The NBC Execs Didn't Like Him, But The Show Was Also Suffering From Low Ratings

Adam Sandler gave his reasons for getting fired from SNL in 1995. Sandler claimed that the NBC executives didn’t like him and his crew of guys, particularly for some of the distracting antics he would pull behind the scenes at the behest of the writers. Sandler kept a good working relationship with showrunner Lorne Michaels, who likely couldn’t save him and fellow cast-member Chris Farley because he was already in hot water himself, just like Sandler.

SNL had received extremely poor ratings the past couple of seasons, so NBC was ready to go into a new direction to revamp viewership, which meant shuffling in new talent and kicking out old names like Sandler and possibly even Michaels himself. Following Sandler and Farley’s departures, SNL enjoyed a new era of comedy in the late 1990s with fresh talent from Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, Chris Kattan, and Tracy Morgan. SNL is notable for several dips and peaks in viewership, which means many cast members who don’t get much recognition or have outstayed their welcome are let go.

Most of the alumni that went on to enjoy significant film careers and left SNL by their own choice, which makes Chris Farley and Adam Sandler's SNL firing an outlier considering they remain two of the biggest names in comedy. Farley tragically died of an overdose in 1997 after the release of his cult-classic film Tommy Boy.

While obviously a tough pill for him to swallow at the time, Sandler being let go from Saturday Night Live may have been the best path for his career in the long run. Following the acclaim of his first post-SNL films Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, Sandler’s success in movies under his own production company Happy Madison has gained him one of the most celebrated comedy careers of the last 30 years. Sandler also continually casts his former cast mates Chris Rock, David Spade, Tim Meadows, and close collaborator Rob Schneider.

Adam Sandler Returned To Host SNL In 2019

There Were Plenty Of Jokes About His Firing In The Opening Monologue

Over two decades after being fired from SNL in 1995, Adam Sandler returned to host Saturday Night Live in 2019, for the May 4th episode of the show (which SNL teased with a horror-themed promo). Speaking on The Howard Stern Show the same year (via CNBC), Sandler revealed a lot about how he lost the Saturday Night Live job at age 28. He disclosed that his manager broke the news in an awkward conversation:

He was talking to me, and I said ‘Yeah, next year on the show, blah blah blah.’ And he was like, ‘Maybe you don’t go back next year.’ And I was like ‘I don’t know man. I still got a few more things.’ He’s like ‘Yeah, but you did it already.’ I was like ‘I did, but you know…I’ll think about it,’ and he was like ‘I think you thought about it.

Sandler went on to explain in the 2019 interview that getting fired from Saturday Night Live was a knock to his confidence, but he found it easier to move past when he realized he wasn't the only longstanding cast member getting the axe that year. Plus, as is widely known, his career only went up from there. Adam Sandler and SNL didn't part ways forever, either. He returned to host Saturday Night Live in 2019, and his episode included plenty of jokes about getting fired from there earlier in his career, especially during his hilarious monologue.

Is Getting Fired From SNL Actually A Career Boost?

Robert Downey Jr., Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Rock, & Many More Were Fired From SNL

As previously mentioned, plenty of SNL cast members leave of their own accord to pursue bigger things in the world of film and television, but many other big names were fired from the show just like Sandler. The names are so significant, in fact, that it seems like being fired from SNL can actually be a better way to make a splash in the industry than leaving quietly after several seasons.

Robert Downey Jr., Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Damon Wayans, Jenny Slate, Michaela Watkins, and Rob Riggle all had their time on SNL cut unexpectedly short, but all have gone on to become iconic comedians and dramatic actors in game-changing various films and shows since their SNL tenures. This could be a coincidence, but it's clear that being fired from Saturday Night Live doesn't mean the end of a comedian's career and is often a springboard for more widespread success, and Adam Sandler is a prime example.