Dan Aykroyd finally reveals why he skipped the ‘SNL 50' special
Original 'Saturday Night Live' cast member Dan Aykroyd is finally revealing why he skipped the big 'SNL50' special in February. The three-hour event celebrated a landmark 50 years of the iconic NBC sketch comedy show.
Many former cast members were in attendance, including Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Eddie Murphy, and Amy Poehler. Past hosts such as Jack Nicholson, 87, also attended, even though Nicholson has been spotted in public less frequently in recent years.
'I wanted to be at home and I wanted to watch the show beginning to end,' Aykroyd, 73, told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Thursday.
9 Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman in a 'The Coneheads' sketch on 'SNL' in the '70s.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection
9 Dan Aykroyd attends a panel for 'The Blues Brothers: The Escape of Joliet Jake' during Comic-Con International on in San Diego on July 24, 2025.
Andrew Park/Invision/AP
9 The 'Saturday Night Live' original cast in 1975: Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, and Dan Aykroyd.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection
'I knew if i was there, I'd be in a dressing room, I'd be working. I wanted to see it live,' the 'Ghostbusters' star continued. 'I'm a fan of the show today, and I watch it all the time. I love these new players; I think they're just great. I just wanted to see and live nostalgically with my family in my own home, eating my own popcorn.'
Aykroyd was in the cast when 'SNL' first premiered in 1975, along with John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman.
The latter two were at the 'SNL 50' event. Newman, 73, did a sketch with Pete Davidson where she reminisced about her time on the show.
When asked what part of the show made him most emotional, Aykroyd said, 'Laraine's piece definitely. That was beautiful. That was wonderful.'
In November, Aykroyd previously weighed in on the rumors that 'SNL' boss Lorne Michaels, 80, may retire.
9 Paul Shaffer, Scarlett Johansson, Alex Moffat, Emil Wakim, Chloe Fineman, James Austin John, Paul Rudd, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Devon Walker, Taran Killem, Ana Gasteyer, John Mulaney, Kristen Wiig, Kenan Thompson, Pete Davidson, Maya Rudolph, Kate McKinnon as Rudy Giuliani, Sarah Sherman as Michael Bloomberg, Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis, David Spade, Adam Driver, Kyle Mooney, Cecily Strong, Beck Bennett, and Nick Jonas on February 16, 2025.
Theo Wargo/NBC
9 Lorne Michaels, Paul McCartney, Colin Jost, and more at the end of the 'SNL 50' special.
Theo Wargo/NBC
9 Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as the 'Blues Brothers' in 1975.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection
'That ain't happening. No. Lorne is not retiring. He's got the greatest gig in New York City. He has influence and power,' he exclusively told The Post. 'And he works in a job that keeps him laughing every day. So why would he want to leave that?'
Michaels has shepherded 'Saturday Night Live' for 50 years, since the inaugural 1975 season that included Aykroyd.
Although Michaels hasn't announced retirement plans, he told Gayle King on 'CBS Mornings' in 2021 that he thinks he's 'committed to doing the show until its 50th anniversary, which is in three years.
'I'd like to see that through, and I have a feeling that would be a really good time to leave,' he said at the time.
Aykroyd said that in theory, there are other people who might be able to helm the show 'but it's not Lorne, and he's not leaving. He loves it. He's the only one who can do it, really… it's his life.'
9 Leslie Jones as Shanice, Tracy Morgan as Darius, Eddie Murphy as Tracy during the 'SNL 50' special.
Chris Haston/NBC
9 Dan Aykroyd in a sketch as former Pres. Nixon in the '70s.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection
9 Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin in a sketch as 'Two Wild and Crazy Guys' circa the 70s.
©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection
The 'Coneheads' star's time on 'SNL' was also dramatized in the 2024 movie 'Saturday Night,' which is about the events leading up to the show's inaugural broadcast in 1975.
In the film, Dylan O'Brien ('Teen Wolf') plays Aykroyd.
'I thought it was like a suspense thriller, and beautifully executed by the cast,' he told The Post. 'I think it's a masterpiece, honestly. I think it could be up for Best Picture [at the Oscars].'
The movie earned one Golden Globe nomination, but no Oscar noms.
'As I was there that night, the depictions of some of the characters were right on,' Aykroyd added. 'And, the tension of whether we were going to make it to air or not is expertly depicted. I liked it a lot.'
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