Adam Sandler hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend, marking his first time back on the long-running NBC late-night sketch show since his 1995 firing by the network. A sore subject he addressed in his opening monologue during his song, “I Was Fired.”
The humorous tune, which contained a guest appearance by Chris Rock, also mentioned how his friend and co-star Chris Farley had been fired at the same time. To close the show, Sandler performed a more somber song in tribute to Farley, who died in 1997 of a drug overdose at age 33.
Watch the performances for both songs here below, along with other videos from the episode.
I Am Chris Farley Directed by Brent Hodge & Derik Murray Spike TV
Air Date: Monday August 10th, 2015, 10pm
I watched Spike TV’s documentary I Am Chris Farley that premiered last night. I laughed so hard I was crying. Then I actually started crying. Chris Farley has been dead nearly 20-years, but the impact he had on people my age has been an incredibly lasting legacy. I was 8 when Farley and a young crop of would-be megastars joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. Along with Chris, there was Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, etc. My parents used to record SNL on VHS, and we’d watch as a family over breakfast Sunday mornings. It was a staple of my childhood. Folks older than I grew up with Murray, Aykroyd, Chase, and Radnor. My friends and I had Farley and the gang.
Before ]Mike Myers ever voiced the titular Shrek for four very successful films and a few TV specials, the late Chris Farley was tapped to play the lovable green ogre. In fact, reports say that the comedian had actually recorded up to 95% of the voice work before his passing. With that in mind, one has to wonder what would have the film sounded like had DreamWorks animation just released it.
Now a newly released video is showing how widely different the one Farley voiced would have been had the animated studio just stuck with it as opposed to the one Myers voiced. Check it out below.
The first trailer for the upcoming Chris Farley documentary titled I Am Chris Farley has been released online.
The documentary was made using footage from Farley’s childhood, early performances, and his most familiar work, along with conversations with the comedian’s friends and family including David Spade, Christina Applegate, Dan Aykroyd, Lorne Michaels, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, and many more.
Tonight’s Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special has seen a lot of reuniting of past and present cast members, musical guests, hosts, and more, as well as tributes to alumni who have passed on.
In one said tribute of the night, actress and three-time SNL host Melissa McCarthy revived the Matt Foley character, made popular by the late Chris Farley. McCarthy made an appearance during a Weekend Update segment hosted by Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Jane Curtin (all past Weekend Update hosts), coming out dressed in the motivational speaker’s classic duds — thick black glasses, plaid jacket, green necktie, and pants that constantly need adjusting.
Watch the video here below from the SNL 40 special of the entire Weekend Update segment, which includes the McCarthy as Matt Foley bit, as well as Emma Stone doing the late Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannadanna character. Also embedded below is the original Chris Farley skit which featured Chris Spade and guest Christina Applegate.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press