Why Adam Sandler Was Fired From SNL

Throughout its 50-year run, "Saturday Night Live" has been the launching pad for some of history's most beloved comedic actors and actresses. Fans often debate which decade of "SNL" was the best, but an argument can be made that the 1990s featured some of the funniest sketches in the show's history, introducing audiences to up-and-comers who would go on to become some of the biggest names in comedy to this day. One of those young stars was none other than Adam Sandler.

After making his film debut in 1989, Adam Sandler performed stand-up comedy in clubs. At one of his performances in Los Angeles, "SNL" cast member Dennis Miller was in attendance. Impressed by Sandler's material, Miller recommended him to Lorne Michaels, which led to Sandler landing a job in the "SNL" writers' room in 1990 and eventually being promoted to featured player in the cast. Alongside his co-stars Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Chris Rock, Sandler was considered one of "The Bad Boys of SNL," all of whom have frequently collaborated following their "SNL" tenure.

Adam Sandler had a particular kinship with the late Chris Farley, whom he paid heartfelt tribute to in his 2018 Netflix comedy special "100% Fresh." The two joined the "SNL" cast in 1990, both being comedic forces to be reckoned with throughout the first half of that decade. However, despite their popularity among fans, NBC fired Sandler and Farley in 1995.

Given his reputation as part of "The Bad Boys of SNL," Adam Sandler had his share of critics who found his comedic schtick tired. In particular, some of those critics were part of NBC's then-new executive team. According to Sandler, Chris Farley was the one who told him that they were both getting fired. He recalled his firing to THR:

"It was kind of like them asking us to quit. There were new people at the network, and apparently they didn't like me and Chris, so they kind of said goodbye to us in a nice way. Lorne was great to us, he wanted to protect us."

Getting fired from "SNL" was quite the rug pull for Sandler, who was still quite pleased with his job. Despite NBC cutting him loose from the series that turned him into a star, the comedian's career was about to take him to newer heights beyond Studio 8H in 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

In 1995, the same year he was fired from "SNL," Adam Sandler would have his first leading film role in "Billy Madison." The following year, Sandler would star in "Happy Gilmore." Both of these comedies would lead to more headlining roles on the big screen, with films like "The Wedding Singer," "The Waterboy," and "Big Daddy" rounding out the late 1990s. By 1999, Sandler founded his own production company, Happy Madison Productions, an apt combination of his first two films as a comedic leading man following his firing from "SNL."

Adam Sandler would eventually return to "SNL" nearly a quarter century after his firing, hosting his first (and so far, only) episode in 2019. In his monologue, Sandler reflected on getting let go by NBC through song, which also included a surprise appearance by his fellow "SNL Bad Boy" Chris Rock.

Although Sandler's film career following his tenure on "SNL" is subject to much scrutiny among critics (particularly with some of his laziest excuses of so-called "comedic filmmaking" like "Jack and Jill" sweeping the Razzies), he has proven to be a sleeping giant when it comes to his more dramatic turns. Paul Thomas Anderson saw potential in Sandler's range when he cast him as the lead in "Punch-Drunk Love," which remains one of Sandler's career highlights. And let's not forget that the Safdie Brothers are responsible for bringing us Sandler's masterful performance in "Uncut Gems," arguably one of the best acting performances of the 2010s that was woefully snubbed for an Academy Award nomination.