Late comedian Gilbert Gottfried was honored on Saturday night’s edition of Saturday Night Live. Gottfried, who passed away last week at the age of 67, had broken out as a comedy star when he joined SNL as a cast member in 1980. The comedian also made special appearances in 1990 and 1998. He had also since gone on to appear in many feature films and TV shows, but Gottfried was always at his best on stage as a comedian at his core.
The Gottfried tribute came at the tail end of the Weekend Update segment. While hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che did not directly comment on Gottfried’s passing, they concluded the bit with an image of Gottfried from his time on the show along with his name. Because Gottfried was so respected in the world of comedy, this tribute followed many others from different comedians and Hollywood stars mourning the loss, as the news took very many by surprise.
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“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness,” Gottfried’s family announced last Tuesday went the comedian had passed. “In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor. Love, the Gottfried family.”
Lizzo served as the guest host of the Saturday Night Live episode, pulling double duty as the musical guest as well. It was announced on the show that the next episode, set to air on NBC on May 7, will be hosted by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Benedict Cumberbatch on the same weekend his new film his theaters. Arcade Fire will be the musical guest.
Gilbert Gottfried Spoke About His SNL Experience
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Gilbert Gottfried previously opened up about his time working on Saturday Night Live for an interview with Joe Rogan. He explained how the odds were stacked against him as he was coming into the show with several other new faces after the old guard had moved on, comparing it to suddenly changing the cast of Friends during the middle of the series. Gottfried also described the competitive nature behind the scenes and how doing things that way ultimately wasn’t for him.
“There used to be a table there where they would throw fan letters,” Gottfried recalled of how he learned about his exit. “Dick Ebersol came in and said, ‘Alright, we’re just going to make changes here and there, nothing major. Come in next week and we’ll discuss it.’ And I’m waiting there, killing time, and I see a girl writes a fan letter to me from Omaha. I open it up and it starts off, ‘Dear Gilbert, I am so sorry about what happened to you.’ So, I find out about my firing from a 15-year-old girl.”
The episode featuring the Gilbert Gottfried tribute on Saturday Night Live can be streamed on Peacock.
