Adam Sandler's "50 Years of SNL" Song Honors Five Iconic Cast Members Who Died (2025)

February 16'sSNL50: The Anniversary Special was an emotional night for members of the Saturday Night Live family — including former cast member Adam Sandler.

The Happy Gilmore 2 star first joined SNL as a writer in 1990, and was a cast member from 1991 to 1995. During his SNL tenure, Sandler was known for his celebrity impressions and original songs like the classic holiday odes "The Thanksgiving Song" and "Hanukkah Song."

So it was only fitting for Sandler to return to the Studio 8H stage to perform a new original number, "50 Years." The touching tribute to five decades of the showwas written withDan Bulla, who joinedSNL's writing staff2019 and became a writing supervisor on the show in 2024. Bulla has also worked with Sandler on a number of projects, including the comic's stand-up specials100% Fresh and Love You.

The song's lyrics paid tribute to creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, influential writers like Jim Downey, and longtime crew members such as the music department's Speedy Rosenthal and "Cue Card Wally" Feresten. It also honored former cast — including five late cast members who were there in spirit: Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Gilda Radner, and Norm Macdonald.

Adam Sandler's SNL50 songhonored the late Chris Farley, Jan Hooks and more

After an introduction from Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson, Sandler stood solo onstage with his guitar, singing about situations the SNL cast and crew are all too familiar with — from sketches not being picked and Tuesday "late-night pizza" to young comedians getting hired from "standup, Groundlings, and Second City."

"50 years of cast members saying, 'I think our cast is the greatest of all time,' but we all know that the first cast was the best," he sang of theNot Ready for Prime Time Players.

"And because of them we got four years of Eddie Murphy, eight years of Will Forte, five years of Jan Hooks and Gilda [Radner]," continued Sandler, as he began listing off the names of SNL cast members and the number of years they were on.

"Six of Victoria [Jackson], 11 of [Michael] Che, three years of Melanie Hutsell, Michael McKean crushed it in two," he sang. "One of Billy Crystal's, six of Dennis Miller, eight of [Phil] Hartman, 'The Glue.'"

Adam Sandler's "50 Years of SNL" Song Honors Five Iconic Cast Members Who Died (1)

Sandler shouted out other former cast including Rachel Dratch, Kristen Wiig, Colin Quinn, and Fred Armisen. In addition to citing Hooks, Radner, and Hartman (a versatile performer whose nickname was indeed "the Glue"), he closed out his list by honoring two other lateSNL cast members:“Six years of our boy, [Chris] Farley, five of our buddy, Norm [Macdonald]" — pausing for a brief moment to hold back tears, as clips of the beloved comics played on the screen behind him.

Bulla posted an Instagram photoof Sandler's "50 Years" performance."This man gave me my whole career, brought me to the show in the first place, and then let me be part of this unbelievable moment. There is nobody like the Sandman," he wrote in his caption.

Sandler told NBC's Mark Barger that being back in 30 Rock surrounded by so many past cast members, writers, and famous friends of the show was "like camp."

"When you see all these people [at the anniversary], you say, 'oh, okay, this show did not need me. They had enough!'" Sandler told NBC. "But being a part of it? Amazing feeling. Getting to be in this club we're all together in is cool. It's a lifetime thing, and I'm very proud."

Grab the tissues and watch Sandler's touching tribute from SNL50: The Anniversary Special in the video above.

When was Adam Sandler on SNL?

Adam Sandler joined SNL as a writer in 1990. He wasa cast member from 1991 to 1995.

Adam Sandler's "50 Years of SNL" Song Honors Five Iconic Cast Members Who Died (2)

Adam Sandler's "50 Years" lyrics (written with Dan Bulla)

Everyone in this room has something in common

All of our lives were changed by this show

Everyone in this room has something else in common

None of us were allowed to use the little bathroom in Lorne's office

50 years, 50 years

Saturday Night Live's been on for 50 years

50 years of your sketch killing at read-through

Then finding out they didn't pick it

Because the host didn't want to take off his shirt

50 years of Tuesday late-night pizza

35 years of Pepto Bismol from Nurse Theresa

50 years of the cast looking straight at the cue cards

And 30 years of drunk Wally

Holding the cue cards upside down

Atta baby, Wally!

50 years of writers seeing Spielberg at Lorne's monitors

Not laughing at one of their sketches

That he obviously hated

50 years of those same writers then getting wasted at the after party

And loudly telling everybody that Jaws was overrated

50 years of prank calling some New York magazine critic

50 years of finding out your favorite musician's anti-Semitic

50 years of asking an intern

To pick up your laundry at 2:30 a.m.

Not realizing that the intern was Martin Scorsese's kid

Or Nora Ephron's kid or Randy Newman's kid

Or whoever Lorne had dinner with on Wednesday night's kid

50 years of cast members saying "I'm not getting on enough"

Their spirits are broken

And their hearts are full of malice

50 years of them storming off

To tell Lorne how they really feel

Then chickening out and saying, "Hey, LorneI knitted this scarf for Alice"

50 years of waking up Sunday afternoon depressed

50 years of Downey not writing the cold open

Until five minutes before dress

And 50 years of wondering who's going to take over

The show when Lorne retires

But everyone knows that the answer is, of course, Speedy

Thatababy, Speedy!

50 years of young comedians getting hired for the show

From standup, Groundlings, Second City and all the rest

50 years of cast members saying"I think our cast is the greatest of all time"

But we all know that the first cast was the best

And because of them

We got four years of Eddie Murphy

Eight years of Will Forte

Five years of Jan Hooks and Gilda

Six of Victoria, 11 of Che

Three years of Melanie Hutsell

Michael McKean crushed it in two

One of Billy Crystal's, six of Dennis Miller

Eight of Hartman, The Glue

Seven years of Dratch and Wiig

Five years of Oteri and Quinn

Four of Kazurinsky and Cleghorne

11 of Armisen

14 years of Davis and Andy

Schiller and Smigel, 25

18 of Audrey Dickman and Davey Wilson

Plus Eamon and Dicso and Bobby Van Ry

30 years of Downey

45 years of Lorne

Six years of our boy Farley

Five of our buddy Norm

50 years of one of us getting to say, "Live from New YorkIt's Saturday Night"

50 years of standing on home base

Waving good night and goodbye

50 years of the best times of our lives!