Comedian Adam Sandler is returning to the "Saturday Night Live" stage more than two decades after he left the cast. He will make his hosting debut May 4 with musical guest Shawn Mendes, NBC announced Friday.It will be Sandler's first time hosting the show that first made him a household name. He joined "SNL" in 1990 as a writer before working as a cast member from 1991-1995. He created a slew of popular characters and skits, including "The Chanukah Song" and "Opera Man." "We are happy to welcome Adam back to 'SNL' in what is sure to be a special night," said executive producer Lorne Michaels in a press release Friday.Sandler and co-star Chris Farley were fired from "SNL" in 1995. "Yes, we were [fired]," Sandler said in a 2014 interview. "We kind of quit at the same time as being fired. It was the end of the run for us. The fact that me and him got fired? Who knows. We were on it for a few years, had our run, and everything happens for a reason. We kind of understood because we did our thing. It hurt a lot at the time because we were young and didn't know where we were going, but it all worked out.



In 2014, Sandler told Norm Macdonald that he had no interest in going back to host "SNL." "Why should I?" he said on Macdonald's podcast. "I don't know how good it would be. I'm slow now," he said. "I did what I could do on that show."


Sandler has had cameos on the show over the years, and returned for the 40th anniversary special in 2015, where he sang "That's When You Break" with Andy Samberg and Bill Hader.