Dan Aykroyd, Bill Hader and more notable names were absent at the ‘SNL50: The Anniversary Special’ on Sunday, Feb. 16
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Saturday Night Live celebrated 50 years with some of the biggest names in comedy — but a few were noticeably absent.
On Sunday, Feb. 16, over 180 cast members and A-listers alike gathered at 30 Rockefeller Center to honor the sketch comedy show’s legacy for SNL50: The Anniversary Special .
After the evening wrapped, fans noticed there were some former cast members that didn’t make an appearance, including Dan Aykroyd and Bill Hader.
Just two days before the big show, Aykroyd posted about the anniversary on X, but didn’t address that he wouldn’t be attending.
“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,” the original cast member wrote. “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,” the post continued. “People it’s friggin’ Holy!!”
According to Puck News’ Matthew Belloni, Hader, who was on the show for eight years, replied to his invitation with “a polite decline.”
Hader was, however, still seen during the special in a commercial he did with Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen for Volkswagen.
Belloni also reported that the NBC executive who gave co-creator Michaels the opportunity to create SNL in 1975, Dick Ebersol, was not present due to health issues.
Another notable name who wasn’t in attendance: Dana Carvey. Despite being a cast member from 1986 until 1993 — and making guest appearances in the years since, even starring as Joe Biden earlier this season — Carvey has not spoken out about the milestone anniversary on any platform.
Colin Quinn, who hosted the “Weekend Update” segment of SNL from 1998 until 2000, was missing as well.
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There were plenty of stars who did make it to the event, even participating in sketches during the nearly four-hour-long episode. Some of the many names included Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Chevy Chase.
In addition to returning cast members, other talent also participated in the special, including Sabrina Carpenter, Paul McCartney, Ayo Edebiri, Tom Hanks and Kim Kardashian.
Original cast member Garrett Morris, who is 88, even briefly appeared onstage to share a video sketch by John Belushi, “Don’t Look Back in Anger.”
“I had no idea, ya’ll, that I would be required to do so many reunion shows!” Morris joked as he introduced the clip.
