Adam Sandler has a specific brand of humor that has made him a household name, dating all the way back to his days at Saturday Night Live. But Sandler's style isn't for everyone, and that includes a former cast member.
Sandler's career in entertainment began in the late '80s. His stand-up caught the attention of Dennis Miller, who recommended Sandler to Lorne Michaels. By 1990, Sandler was a writer and joined the cast the following year.
He brought his style of surreal and often raunchy comedy to Studio 8H that landed with audiences in the early '90s. However, one cast member from the previous generation wasn't exactly thrilled with the direction SNL seemed to be heading with Sandler.
Nora Dunn spoke to Cracked about her choice to boycott an SNL episode in 1990 hosted by controversial comedian Andrew Dice Clay. The decision irked Lorne Michaels, and Dunn's contract was not renewed. Her final episode came on May 19, 1990, after five seasons at SNL.
"I actually wasn’t coming back after my five years, but the reason was only because I didn’t want to do any more sketches," Dunn said. But she also was unwilling to stick around for the changing of the guard at SNL.
"A lot of what I call 'kids' were coming in, and I thought, 'God, this humor is now bending towards 12-year-old boys,'” Dunn revealed. "That was Adam Sandler — great guy, but I have to tell you, when I saw him on the show playing that thing, I was like, 'Time to leave.'
Nora Dunn and Adam Sandler brought something different to Saturday Night Live
Dunn and Sandler never overlapped at Saturday Night Live. Dunn left after season 15, and Sandler arrived the next year as a writer. So it seems like Dunn used Sandler's arrival as a way to further justify her decision to leave.
Dunn created more than a half-dozen recurring characters during her SNL tenure. She was also the show's go-to performer for impressions of Ann Landers, Liza Minnelli, and Barbara Bush. Meanwhile, Sandler brought Canteen Boy, Opera Man, and the Gap Girls to the show.
Clearly, Sandler and Dunn prefer two different styles of comedy. It's the kind of diversity that makes Saturday Night Live what it is. Still, Dunn chose to stick by her personal convictions in the wake of the Andrew Dice Clay controversy. Sandler's arrival was just an added measure to convince Dunn she made the right choice.