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Adam Sandler is making headlines and no, it's not because there are a bunch of people on Twitter complaining about the fact that Netflix has greenlit six more Grown Ups sequels.
The Saturday Night Livealum recently opened up to Howard Stern about his departure from the late-night sketch comedy series in 1995.
In the '90s, there was no doubt that the faces of SNL were the late Chris Farley and Adam Sandler. In David Spade's wonderful piece where he delineated the origins of his beef with Eddie Murphy, David talked about the effect Adam had on audiences and cast members whenever he'd just start tuning his guitar.
Which is why it came as a surprise that he left so "abruptly" in 1995. It left a lot of people asking the question:
Was Adam Sandler fired from SNL?
While it seems crazy that the undisputed king of '90s and early 2000s comedy would ever be fired from a TV program, Adam pretty much confirmed that both him and Chris Farley were released from the show amidst falling ratings and a radical decision to shake things up for viewers, which ushered in a new crop of talent in Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, Cheri Oteri, and Chris Kattan.
Source: NBC
"At the time, I was hurt because I didn't know what else I was going to do," the actor said on The Howard Stern Show. "I know it wasn't Lorne [Michaels'] decision. The NBC head dude, I know he didn't like our gang." Luckily, Adam has been extremely successful post-SNL.
Last May, the comedian returned to his roots for the first time to guest host the iconic show. When asked by Stern if this was a mic-drop moment for him, Adam told the long-time radio personality, "I might have been like that 15 years ago if I came on and did well." Adding, "I'm f--king old enough now. I realize what Saturday Night Live did for me."
Luckily, we have some memorable characters and songs to remember Adam's time on the late night sketch show, including Opera Man.
The Lunch Lady song
Adam was a huge fan of musical comedy, not in a show-tunes, toe-tapping broadway style, but the man loved whipping out his acoustic guitar and singing some beautifully weird and hilarious songs.
A huge hit was Lunch Lady Land, a track that he performed with Chris Farley, who, dressed like a cafeteria server from everyone's public school ever, absolutely killed it with audiences and is still a favorite today.
Opera Man
If you've ever watched a single Adam Sandler movie, then you'll know that the man is no stranger to some pretty off-kilter and weird comedy. Opera Man is one of those characters who'd show up on Weekend Update and leave audiences simultaneously laughing and scratching their heads.
The Chanukah Song
Adam's greatest musical hit, however, came in the form of a famous holiday song that celebrated Chanukah. There's plenty of Christmas songs, and a lot of them were mega hits, but what about the Festival of Lights? Why hasn't Chanukah gotten it's own radio play? That's what Adam probably asked himself before he penned the smash hit that was on radio stations everywhere.
