Adam Sandler Will Host SNL on May 4

Adam Sandler is going back to where it all began

Sandler will return to Saturday Night Live for the first time since being fired from the cast in 1995 as host of the May 4 episode.

“We are happy to welcome Adam back to SNL in what is sure to be a special night,” said executive producer Lorne Michaels in a statement. Shawn Mendes will act as the episode’s musical guest.

The surprise news comes roughly five years after Sandler told fellow former cast member Norm MacDonald that hosting SNL was not something he was keen on doing. “Why should I [host]?” Sandler told MacDonald during a 2014 interview. “I don’t know how good it would be. I’m slow now. … There are guys who love doing it — who are great at doing it. I just don’t know how good I’d be doing it. I did what I can do on the show.”

Sandler is an SNL legend and was part of the early ’90s cast that included fellow stars Chris Farley, David Spade, Chris Rock, Tim Meadows, Mike Myers, Kevin Nealon, and Dana Carvey, among others. He has never returned to host but did participate in the show’s 40th anniversary celebration, performing a song about breaking up during sketches with Andy Samberg.

Sandler and Farley were booted from SNL in 1995, though Sandler seemingly had no hard feelings about what happened. Speaking later in 2014 to The Daily Beast, Sandler claimed the parting of ways was a bit mutual. “We kind of quit at the same time as being fired. It was the end of the run for us,” he said. “The fact that me and him got fired? Who knows. We were on it for a few years, had our run, and everything happens for a reason. We kind of understood because we did our thing. It hurt a lot at the time because we were young and didn’t know where we were going, but it all worked out.”

Sandler and Farley were best friends until Farley’s death in 1997. Notoriously private, Sandler opened up about his friendship with Farley in a moving breakout segment from his most recent Netflix comedy special, 100% Fresh.

Saturday Night Live airs live at 11:30/10:30c on NBC; this week’s new episode is hosted by Kit Harington.

Kevin Nealon and Adam Sander, SNLPhoto: NBC, NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images