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A classic Saturday Night Live<\/a><\/em> sketch mocking Aerosmith<\/a> nearly sparked a backstage fistfight among cast members.<\/p>\n The incident took place in January 1995, during a season 20 episode hosted by actor Jeff Daniels. Adam Sandler<\/a>, then one of SNL<\/em>\u2019s breakout stars, wrote a fake commercial for a compilation called Aerosmith\u2019s Greatest Hits: 1990-1994<\/em>. The sketch mocked the band\u2019s early \u201890s output — specifically the songs “Crazy,” “Cryin'” and “Amazing” —\u00a0as every song in the fake commercial sounded the same but with slightly altered lyrics.<\/p>\n Sandler starred as Steven Tyler<\/a> in the scene, and he recruited castmate Jay Mohr to play Joe Perry<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Adam sang every song, it became clear that the guitar part never changed. The sad part was that it was true,\u201d Mohr recalled in his book Gasping for Airtime<\/a><\/em>. The comedian asked Saturday Night Live<\/em> bandleader G.E. Smith if the criticism of Aerosmith was valid, only to have the guitarist show him just how accurate it was.<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>Rock’s 60 Biggest ‘Saturday Night Live’ Moments<\/a><\/p>\n \u201c[Smith] swore he could play fifteen Aerosmith songs and never move a finger,\u201d Mohr continued. \u201cI didn\u2019t believe him until he launched into\u201cCryin\u2019,\u201d then \u201cCrazy,\u201d without changing the position of any of his fingers on the fret. He put together a quick medley of Aerosmith songs to prove his point. He was right. Through five different hits, his hand never budged.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time, Mohr — who had been struggling for airtime on SNL<\/em> — was ecstatic to be in a sketch opposite Sandler. However the tone soon shifted moments before they went live.<\/p>\n Sandler and Mohr were standing under a set of audience bleachers during a commercial break, waiting for their cue to start the Aerosmith sketch.<\/p>\n \u201cI had shaved my chest to look more like Joe Perry. I was wearing leather pants and a cool wig with long curly hair, and I had a guitar slung around my neck,\u201d Mohr recalled. \u201cSandler was dressed just like Steven Tyler. His wig was perfect and his clothes were right on the money\u2014except that he was wearing a pair of sunglasses that looked like Elton John<\/a>\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n Wanting everything to be perfect, Mohr suggested Sandler switch his eyewear, but the star declined. \u201cWith about thirty seconds left in the commercial break, I tried again, telling him that he should get a better pair of sunglasses,\u201d Mohr explained. \u201cHe glared at me. \u2018Why don\u2019t you shut the f— up!\u2019 Adam yelled.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>15 Guests Who Were Banned From ‘Saturday Night Live’<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI was stunned,\u201d Mohr continued. \u201cLooking back, I realize my timing was inappropriate. Since he had written the sketch for himself and was gracious enough to include me, what the hell did I care what kind of sunglasses he had on? But I did care. For some reason I cared a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Mohr conceded that the seemingly innocuous argument was rooted in something deeper. He \u201cresented\u201d Sandler for the attention he had been getting from SNL<\/em> fans and dreamed of getting more airtime on the show. What started as a disagreement over sunglasses \u201calmost came to blows,\u201d however the presence of the studio audience stopped that from happening.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to hit him or at least shout back, but I couldn\u2019t help but feel forty eyes on me\u2014twenty people who if they saw Adam Sandler and a guy in a curly wig in a fistfight would dive out of the bleachers and kick the s— out of me,\u201d Mohr noted. \u201cThe worst part for me was that they all saw the entire exchange. I must have looked like a real ass—- telling Adam Sandler to change his sunglasses. There wasn\u2019t time to think of a response because we were soon whisked onto the stage for the sketch.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the backstage drama, Sandler and Mohr delivered the Aerosmith sketch without any problems. The gag got a solid laugh from the audience, and after two and a half minutes, they were onto the next skit.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we walked off the stage, Sandler came up to me,\u201d Mohr recalled. \u201c\u2018We\u2019re good,\u2019 he said. \u2018Respect.\u2019 He didn\u2019t apologize and neither did I.\u201d<\/p>\n At the end of that season, Saturday Night Live<\/em> went through an overhaul. Ten cast members were either fired or quit, including Sandler and Mohr. Others who exited included Chris Farley<\/a>, Ellen Cleghorne, Chris Elliott, Al Franken and Kevin Nealon.<\/p>\nAdam Sandler and Jay Mohr \u2018Almost Came to Blows\u2019 Over the Aerosmith Sketch<\/h3>\n
‘He Didn\u2019t Apologize and Neither Did I’<\/h3>\n
‘Saturday Night Live’ Movies That Were Never Made<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n