SNL 50 Anniversary special: Cast members did not join celebration

SNL 50: The Anniversary Special was a star-studded affair.

Saturday Night Live commemorated some of the best names in the field of comedy Sunday, February 16.

Among other A-list celebrities, Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Chevy Chase, Sabrina Carpenter, Paul McCartney, Ayo Edebiri, Tom Hanks and Kim Kardashian attended the event, with some even participating in the sketches.

However, a few notable absences including Dan Aykroyd, Bill Hader and Dana Carvey were felt during the four-hour-long episode.

Bill Haider’s no-show became a disappointment for his fans who went crazy over social media with one writing, “Where is Bill Hader? I want a Stefon comeback,” and another writing, “GIVE ME BILL HADER OR GIVE ME DEATH!”

As reported by Puck News’ Matthew Belloni, Hader had politely declined his invitation.

Dana Carvey’s disappearance came not only from the special event but also from social media platforms. The star who remained silent about the milestone anniversary was a cast member from 1986 until 1993 and had made a guest appearances in the following years – even appearing as Joe Biden earlier this season.

Dan Aykroyd, who also ditched the anniversary special show had shared some words two days before the event on X (formerly Twitter) – though he didn’t foretell that he will not be attending the ceremony.

Aykroyd wrote, “Cracking a Head with pride at having been a co-founder of SNL along with everyone we were together with in those four years, five decades ago.”

He even called this telecast “as historical as the next moon landing.”