Cheri Oteri Wasn’t Asked to Participate in ‘SNL50’

Back in the ‘90s, Cheri Oteri was one of Saturday Night Live’s biggest stars, famous for playing characters like the overly-medicated Colette Reardon, Arianna the Spartan cheerleader, 20/20 host Barbara Walters and, of course, the “simmer down now” lady. 

But Oteri didn’t appear on stage during this year’s SNL50. Why? Because apparently nobody asked her to…

Oteri recently guested on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast, and just before the episode ended, Carvey brought up the anniversary special. “What did you do on the 50th? I missed it. Were you there? Did you do anything?” the Master of Disguise star inquired. 

“No, I was not asked to do anything. I sat in the audience,” Oteri replied. 

“Bastards,” Carvey responded. “Waste of talent.”

While you’d think that bringing back Oteri and Will Ferrell’s Spartan Cheerleaders during SNL50 would have been a no-brainer, Oteri revealed that the last time she ever performed that sketch was “on the show.”

The only direct reference to the former cast member came when Adam Sandler performed his “50 Years” song, referencing “five years of Oteri and Quinn” in the lyrics. “Adam gave me a shout out in his song,” Oteri noted. “I thanked him afterwards. I go, ‘Hey, thanks. That was the most I was in the show.’ He’s like, ‘Of course I’m gonna name you.’ He was sweet.”

“He didn’t name me,” Spade complained. 

“Well, you were actually on the show,” Oteri fired back, adding, “You were a favorite child.”

Oteri recalled that the post-show party was awkward, thanks to this omission. “And then everybody I know doesn’t say anything to me after the show,” she told Carvey and Spade. “You know, because they were wondering why I wasn’t (in the show).”

Oteri did admit that she had fun in the week leading up to the special, appearing on talk shows like Good Morning America and Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. That’s right, even though she wasn’t actually invited to perform on the show, Oteri was still promoting SNL50 in interviews. 

Oteri conceded that “there were so many famous people there that (Lorne Michaels) was also servicing … people outside of the casts,” and she was at least given a “good seat” that was near Rob Schneider (which doesn't sound that good, to be honest). 

Still, it really sucks that Michaels excluded Oteri from the celebration of SNL history, but somehow found time for a “hypocritical” tribute to the musical artist that the show totally threw under the bus.