Few Saturday Night Live cast members have blended music and comedy as well as Adam Sandler did during his SNL tenure. In fact, one famous rock star called Sandler a "genius" for his impression.
Sandler has a long list of musical impressions on his Saturday Night Live resume: Axl Rose, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, and Steven Tyler have all had their voices and personalities remixed by Sandler.
U2 frontman Bono is also on that list. Sandler did his impression of the Irish rocker in 1994. When Esquire caught up with Bono for an interview, the rock star could only heap praises upon Sandler.
"He's kind of a genius, Adam Sandler," Bono said while watching the video. The musician admitted that he's been impersonated quite a few times over the years. But Sandler's version seems to especially stick out.
"He's doing Bono better than me," the musician added. However, Sandler isn't the only Saturday Night Live cast member or host to play Bono on the show.
Who else has played Bono on Saturday Night Live?
Bono has a long history with Saturday Night Live. He and U2 have been the musical guest four times since 2000. The singer also added a cameo appearance in 2007.
The writers have used Bono as a source of comedy for even longer. SNL first gave us their version of Bono in 1991 when host Alec Baldwin played the rock star.
Sandler began playing Bono in sketches in 1993, followed by Chris Kattan in 1999. Host Colin Farrell took a turn in 2004. Then, Andy Samberg put on the iconic sunglasses in 2011.
More recently, host Paul Mescal played his fellow Irishman during season 50. Mescal's rendition of Bono appeared on the red carpet alongside Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
Bono didn't share his thoughts on any of other Saturday Night Live impressions. But it sounds like Adam Sandler's genius made a lasting impression.