Dan Aykroyd’s Absence From ‘SNL50’ Surprised His Old Friend Lorne Michaels

When Saturday Night Live celebrated its half-centennial back in February, series creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels was hoping to see one of his oldest friends and original cast members — and, no, it wasn’t Chevy Chase.

This year’s SNL50 anniversary special was, simultaneously, a celebration of SNL’s near-mythical history and a demonstration of the cultural cachet that the series still wields a half-century into its run. So many of the biggest stars in the history of North American comedy, from Steve Martin to Eddie Murphy to Adam Sandler, stopped by SNL50 to perform their part in the family reunion special and to tearfully reminisce on old times with old colleagues. SNL50 was an emotional event for everyone involved, from the cast to the star-studded audience to the viewers at home — especially to one viewer in particular.

Founding SNL cast member Dan Aykroyd was conspicuously absent from SNL50, as he reportedly preferred to watch the special live in its entirety on TV rather than miss half of it while waiting around in the green room for his cue. In a recent interview with Puck founder Matthew Belloni, Michaels admitted that he missed Aykroyd during the SNL50 festivities, though the old comedy Canucks would have their own reunion in a tropical paradise one week later.

On the topic of what SNL50 meant to him, Michaels said that he never full-on wept like many of his past and present employees during the special, but a few moments made him misty-eyed, especially when a Beatle got up to play. “I teared up a couple times,” Michaels said of his emotional experience during the special. “I wasn’t weeping, but a lot of other people were, oddly enough. You get a lump in your throat. Particularly on (Paul McCartney’s) ‘Carry That Weight.’”

However, there was one SNL legend with whom Michaels would have liked to share such an emotional moment, but who didn't make it down to Studio 8H that evening. “Dan, you know — we talked. I’ve known him since he was 19, and he’s way more emotional about this stuff than you’d think,” Michaels said of Aykroyd’s mysterious absence.

“And the week after (SNL50), I was down in the Caribbean and (Aykroyd) came down, and we spent the day — he slept over,” Michaels said of his own private anniversary celebration with his old buddy from up north. “I think he wanted to be there, but I think he watches it every week.”

A few weeks ago, Aykroyd commented on his notable SNL50 RSVP during an appearance at Comic-Con, saying that he preferred to experience the special as an SNL fan rather than a participant. “I wanted to be at home, and I wanted to watch the show beginning to end,” Aykroyd said of SNL50. "I knew if I was there, I’d be in a dressing room, I’d be working. I wanted to see it live,” Aykroyd continued. “I’m a fan of the show today, and I watch it all the time. I love these new players; I think they’re just great. I just wanted to see and live nostalgically with my family in my own home, eating my own popcorn.”

However, Michaels’ corroboration of Aykroyd’s current story about his SNL50 absence makes Aykroyd's past comments on his non-appearance all that more puzzling — back in November 2024, when A.V. Club asked Aykroyd about his possible involvement in the anniversary show, Aykroyd gave an evasive, possibly subtextual answer, saying, “Well, it depends — on how and when I’m invited, I guess.”

Despite the suspicious phrasing of Aykroyd’s answer, clearly, the problem was never that Michaels didn’t want his old buddy to be at the show, since the SNL don noticed the empty seat during his big special. Maybe Aykroyd is telling the truth when he now says that he simply wanted to experience SNL50 from the comfort of the couch instead of having to step into the spotlight at 73 years of age — not everyone can have Michaels’ seemingly immortal devotion to 30 Rockefeller Plaza.