Adam Sandler reveals why leaving ‘SNL’ broke his heart

Adam Sandler recently opened up about his true feelings surrounding the moment he left Saturday Night Live in 1995.

Speaking with fans at a recent Vanity Fair awards season event, the 59-year-old actor shared that the exit from the show was deeply heartbreaking because it felt as though the team he had worked with for five years had moved on without him.

For those unversed, Sandler was part of Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995.

He went on to admit that he was unable to watch the show for an entire year after leaving.

“When I left the show, the first year I couldn’t watch it. I couldn’t watch it — it just breaks your heart,” the Happy Gilmore actor said.

Sandler compared his departure from SNL to leaving a game that continues without you.

“I guess it’s like when you play sports or whatever, and all of a sudden, you leave, and you see the game keeps going. You go, ‘Oh, they didn’t need me, man.’ It breaks your heart a little bit,” he added.

The Jay Kelly actor also noted that, in the past, the tone of SNL sketches was quite serious, which meant there was very little margin for error.

Toward the end, Adam Sandler mentioned that he is glad about the change in that approach and that cast members today can enjoy themselves and laugh during the show.