The 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live (SNL) was celebrated with a special event on February 16, 2025, featuring numerous former cast members and celebrities. However, several notable figures were absent from the celebration. Dan Aykroyd, an original SNL cast member, was unable to attend the anniversary special. The actor had previously posted about the event but did not provide details regarding his absence.
Even though he was absent, Dan did take the time out to pay tribute to the show. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "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!!”.
Dana Carvey, who was a cast member from 1986 to 1993, was also notably absent from the anniversary special. The reasons for his absence have not been publicly disclosed. The comedian participated in multiple skits during his stint on the show before pulling out to focus on his family. Despite leaving the show, Dana still continued to make a few guest appearances. Bill Hader was also added to the list of absent stars. The actor is known for his work on SNL from 2005 to 2013. Bill reportedly declined the invitation to the anniversary special due to a longstanding scheduling conflict. Despite his absence, he appeared in a commercial during the event, reprising his role in the "Californians" sketch alongside Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen.
Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., and Colin Quinn were also notably missing, sparking a wave of outrage across social media, especially on X, formerly Twitter. One fan fumed: "I've been watching #SNL50 for like 2 hours. Where the F is Dana Carvey?????" Whilst another added: "Y'all got 15 minutes to manifest Dana Carvey." A third penned: "So no Dana Carvey, Bill Hader, or Dan Aykroyd at #SNL50.". And a fourth added: "SNL 50: Wasn’t great, not nearly as good as SNL 40. A couple of bright moments, but fell flat for me. The obvious question: Where was Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Dana Carvey, Bill Hader? Why weren’t some of the more popular older cast members in sketches? Mind-boggling.".
A fifth echoed: "The #SNL50thAnniversary show was good overall… but how could they leave out Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Bill Hader. What is Weekend Update without a Stefon cameo?!?!!" And a sixth wrote: "Truly. One of the worst SNL's of ALL time - and that's a high bar. And where was Dan Aykroyd...?". Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
