Considering all the Saturday Night Live alums who did appear on SNL50: The Anniversary Special, it was impossible not to fixate a bit on who didn’t show up and why.
Noticeably missing was Dan Aykroyd, one of the seven “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” who made up the original cast of Saturday Night Live (then just Saturday Night) in 1975, while his fellow surviving members of that line-up—Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris—were all at the taping in February.
But rest assured, it wasn’t health concerns or a bad batch of blended bass that kept Aykroyd away. Nor was he harboring animosity toward anyone involved in the production.
“I wanted to be at home,” the 73-year-old told Entertainment Weekly at Comic-Con 2025, “and I wanted to watch the show beginning to end.”
Most relatable reason ever.
“I knew if I was there, I’d be in a dressing room, I’d be working,” Aykroyd explained. “I wanted to see it live. 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.”
The Ghostbusters star, who knew SNL creator Lorne Michaels from the comedy scene in their native Canada before they joined forces to get the now-50-year-old NBC sketch show off the ground, did give a shout-out—from the comfort of his couch, apparently—before the special aired in February.
“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,” he wrote Feb. 14 on X. “This telecast is as historical as the next moon landing.”
Aykroyd has declared himself a proud SNL-watcher time and again, though admittedly not every week, since he likes to turn in a little earlier these days.
“I think the writing is spectacular,” he told ABC Audio in August 2024 ahead of the premiere of Jason Reitman‘s Saturday Night, which starred Dylan O’Brien as 1975-era Aykroyd. “And I enjoy it when I watch 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:
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Kim Kardashian
Miley Cyrus
Pete Davidson
Dakota Johnson
Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost
Jackie Sandler and Adam Sandler
Kenan Thompson
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Sabrina Carpenter
Meryl Streep
Eddie Murphy
Emma Stone and Dave McCary
Alexander Edwards and Cher
Bad Bunny
Amy Poehler
Tina Fey
Maya Rudolph
Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry Teller
Drew Barrymore
Zahra Rock and Chris Rock
Will Ferrell
Chris Fischer and Amy Schumer
Chris Pine
Kate McKinnon
Sandra Oh
Lauren Miller and Seth Rogen
Nick Jonas
Aidy Bryant
