Looking at the former Saturday Night Live cast members who graced SNL50: The Anniversary Special, it’s natural to wonder about those who were absent and the reasons behind their absence.
Conspicuously absent was Dan Aykroyd, one of the original seven “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” who debuted on Saturday Night Live (formerly known as Saturday Night) in 1975. However, his fellow surviving cast members from that era – Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris – were all present during the taping in February.
However, you can be confident that neither health issues nor faulty bass blend were responsible for Aykroyd’s absence. Furthermore, there was no personal ill-feeling on his part towards any of the production team members.
At Comic-Con 2025, the individual shared with Entertainment Weekly that they preferred to be at home and enjoy the entire series from start to finish.
Most relatable reason ever.
Dan Aykroyd stated that if he were present, he would be working in a dressing room. Instead, he chose to witness it live because he’s a current fan of the show, watching it frequently. He adores the new cast members and believes they are fantastic. He wanted to enjoy the experience and reminisce nostalgically with his family at home, munching on his own popcorn.
The star from Ghostbusters, who had previously known SNL creator Lorne Michaels from their shared comedy roots in Canada, acknowledged the shout-out (apparently while relaxing on his couch) before the airing of the special in February.
In reflecting back on our remarkable journey together as co-founders of SNL over four groundbreaking years, half a century ago, I can’t help but feel an immense sense of pride and accomplishment. As I penned down these words on Feb 14th, it occurred to me that this broadcast holds a similar historical significance as the next moon landing did back then.
Aykroyd frequently expresses his pride in watching Saturday Night Live, although he doesn’t catch every episode as he tends to retire early these days.
He expressed his opinion to ABC Audio in August 2024, prior to the premiere of Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, stating that he found the writing to be outstanding. He also shared that he enjoys watching it.
But, he added, “I like to watch it live, so I have to stay up till 11:30 to do that.”
See all the stars who did make it out to SNL50: The Anniversary Special:
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2025-07-26 20:16