Dan Aykroyd Praises ‘SNL50’ as ‘Triumphant’ After Skipping Due to ‘Prior Commitments’: I Smiled ‘From Start to Finish’

Original “Saturday Night Live” cast member Dan Aykroyd did not make an appearance on the series’ 50th anniversary special on Sunday, but he nonetheless enjoyed watching it from home.

“All Heads up toasting triumphant SNL 50th,” Aykroyd wrote in a post on X. “Advantage of not attending — got to see every second of concert and show on TV. Quote from my children: ‘Look at daddy’s smile!’ Had it from start to finish. Congratulations Lorne. Well done as usual.”

Aykroyd bowed out of the live broadcast due to “prior commitments,” his representative told Variety. He was the only surviving original cast member to miss out — Garrett Morris appeared on stage, Laraine Newman was in a pre-taped sketch, and Jane Curtin and Chevy Chase were in the building.

Still, Aykroyd posted that day on X: “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. This telecast is as historical as the next moon landing. Comedy stars of our age all gathered under the aegis of America’s greatest.”

In November, the “Coneheads” and “Blues Brothers” favorite — who went on to co-create and star in the “Ghostbusters” franchise after his four-season run on “SNL” — spelled out some conditions for his involvement in the anniversary special.

Asked by AV Club if he would return for “SNL50,” Aykroyd said, “It depends on how I can serve. Let me put it that way. How I can serve them best. How I can serve Lorne and the whole enterprise best. That’ll determine whether I go or not.”

Also missing from “SNL50” were Bill Hader (who had a “longstanding scheduling conflict”), Dana Carvey (who was struck with a “bad flu”), Colin Quinn (who had a stand-up gig in North Carolina that night) and Dennis Miller.