Adam Sandler on getting fired from Saturday Night Live: “We pretended we weren't sad”

Adam Sandler is currently making the rounds, publicity-wise, in support of his new anxiety-inducing film with the Safdie Brothers, Uncut Gems. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the blitz included a stop at Howard Stern’s place for an interview that encompassed everything from his wife coaching him on how best to make out with Jennifer Aniston to the Safdies’ appreciation of Stern (“They fuckin’ know everything about you,” Sandler said). But Sandler also talked about his firing from Saturday Night Live after Stern brought up his recent (mostly successful!) stint hosting the show.

“At the time I was hurt because I didn’t know what I else was going to do,” Sandler said:

And I know it wasn’t Lorne’s decision. The NBC head dude, I know he didn’t like our gang, me and Farley… Maybe I would have never left, because I’m not good at saying goodbye. They had to get rid of me sometime… Put a lump in my throat.”

Stern pressed him on his emotional reaction, and Sandler—who earlier in the interview mentioned that while he might have been smug about the return as a younger person— said, “I’m older know, I know what Saturday Night Live did for me.”

“I remember when I saw Farley, and he said ‘me too, they don’t want me either,’ we were both like, ‘fuck this shit.’ We got mad together, pretended we weren’t sad, and pretended this was for the best.”

After that, Sandler talks about how his manager tried to Jedi mind fool him into thinking it was his idea to leave SNL in the first place, which we have to admit seems like a pretty good trick (if, of course, you can pull it off).

Uncut Gems opens December 13. Our own A.A. Dowd says that “the movie itself is exhilarating. Just bring a Xanax.” For now, here’s a more musical take on the SNL story.

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