While SNL50: The Anniversary Special was full of celebrity guests and returning cast members, there were a couple of people who couldn’t make it.
Created and executive produced by Lorne Michaels, SNL50: The Anniversary Special aired on February 16, 2025. The special featured appearances from celebrities such as Kenan Thompson, Eddie Murphy, Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler, Pedro Pascal, and many more.
Why weren’t Dana Carvey, Bill Hader, and Dan Aykroyd part of SNL50: The Anniversary Special?
Noticeably missing from the ensemble was Dana Carvey, who was on seven seasons of Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1993. He then made regular appearances on the show during the 2024 presidential election to play Joe Biden and Elon Musk.
According to Variety, Carvey was unable to attend the event because he had a “bad flu.”
Also absent from SNL50: The Anniversary Special was Bill Hader, who was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 2006 to 2013. Hader couldn’t make the event because of a “longstanding scheduling conflict.”
Dan Aykroyd, meanwhile, was an original member of the SNL cast, as he was part of the “Not Ready For Prime Time Players” ensemble until he left the show in 1979.
Aykroyd couldn’t be part of SNL50: The Anniversary Special due to “prior commitments.”
Aykroyd did post on X on February 14, 2025, “Cracking a Head with pride at having been a co-founder of SNL along with everyone we were together with in those four years, five decades ago. This telecast is as historical as the next moon landing. Comedy stars of our age all gathered under the aegis of America’s greatest living impresario, my boss Lorne Michaels. People it’s friggin’ Holy!!”
According to Variety, SNL50: The Anniversary Special brought in 14.8 million, which is 202 percent higher than the average number of viewers that have tuned in for every episode of SNL’s 50th season. It is NBC’s most-watched primetime entertainment telecast since the 2020 Golden Globe Awards.
SNL50: The Anniversary Special is now available to stream on Peacock.
