What John Belushi's Final Appearance On SNL Was Really Like

In 1974, writer Lorne Michaels and NBC's vice president of late-night programming, Dick Ebersol, were tasked with filling the network's Saturday night time slot. Thus, "Saturday Night Live" (initially known as "NBC's Saturday Night") was born, a live sketch comedy variety show known for its rebellious approach. The talent was to consist of a large rotating cast, and for the show's debut, Michaels assembled an iconic team known as "The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players."

Meanwhile, a Chicago native born to Albanian immigrants, John Belushi, was making a name for himself in the comedy world, performing in The Second City and National Lampoon comedy groups. Known for his high energy and physicality, Michaels knew he would be a great addition to the show. Belushi quickly became a fan favorite with his standout characters Samurai Futaba, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Pete Dionisopoulos, among others. Soon, he got a taste of movie stardom with box office hits like "National Lampoon's Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers," the filming of which prompted Belushi and Dan Aykroyd to depart from "SNL."

Belushi was at the height of his career but struggled with keeping the momentum, relying on drugs to deal with the pressures of fame. On March 5, 1982, he died of an overdose at age 33. Unfortunately, his untimely death has often overshadowed his impressive career and legacy as one of the greatest cast members on "SNL," which is why it's only necessary we explore what Belushi's final appearance on the show was really like.

"Saturday Night Live" has been the launching pad to stardom for many comedians. Look no further than Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, and Amy Poehler. Although fame beyond "SNL" has become a well-trodden path for the most talented of cast members, those who were part of the show's inception had no idea what it could do for their careers. Still, John Belushi had big plans. Television was never his end-all-be-all, and with the success of "National Lampoon's Animal House," he was ready for movie stardom. Splitting his time between Los Angeles and New York City became too much to balance, causing him to lean more into drug use.

Eventually, he chose to leave the show to pursue a movie career with fellow cast member and creative partner Dan Aykroyd. Their first project was a comedy feature based on their musical sketch, "The Blues Brothers." The duo's final episode as regulars was the Season 4 finale, hosted by writer and actor Buck Henry with musical guest Bette Midler, airing on May 26, 1979. "Now I'll move on and make way for some other new talent to step in and make his own mark," said Belushi in a statement. It wasn't long after Belushi's departure that the show started going downhill, with many attributing his absence as a factor in its decline. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be the last time he made an appearance on the show.

John Belushi has faced criticism for more than just his alleged misogynistic tendencies. Look no further than his famous Samurai Futaba character on "Saturday Night Live," a job-juggling samurai meant to parody actor Toshiro Mifune's samurai characters in films such as "Yojimbo." Through today's lens, it's an offensive caricature, but in the '70s, Belushi was scoring roaring laughs for his performance. He played the character one last time in his final episode in a sketch titled "Samurai Bakery." In the sketch, Buck Henry comes into the samurai's bakery to buy a last-minute wedding cake for his brother. The two exchange some words that elicit audience laughter, and Henry leaves with the perfect cake.

This isn't the first time Henry and Samurai Futaba cross paths. Throughout his frequent hosting gigs for "SNL" (10 times total), Henry and Belushi performed eight Samurai sketches together. The character was just as much Henry's as it was Belushi's. If it weren't for Henry's suggestion, the character would've never appeared again after the first sketch. "I did suggest repeating certain characters, which didn't seem to me exactly revolutionary," Henry said in a Vulture interview. "Why not do the samurai character in different situations over and over again? The repetition is funny in and of itself." Thus, audiences were blessed with "Samurai Tailor," "Samurai Stockbroker," "Samurai Psychiatrist," and so on, until the final bakery sketch.

The famous friendship between John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd predates "Saturday Night Live," with the two meeting backstage at Second City in 1973. "We took one look at each other. It was love at first sight," Aykroyd told Vanity Fair. When they joined the original cast of "SNL," that love grew into a partnership responsible for conceptualizing the blues and soul revival band The Blues Brothers. The original Blues Brothers consisted of Aykroyd as Elwood, the harmonica player and occasional vocalist, and Belushi as "Joliet" Jake, the charismatic lead vocalist. They also dressed the same, sporting matching black suits and skinny ties and accessorizing with sunglasses and porkpie hats. They workshoped the act around town and eventually took it to the "SNL" stage in Season 3 Episode 18, hosted by Steve Martin. They then signed a record deal with Atlantic Records, and their debut album, "Briefcase Full of Blues," went double platinum. The only way to up the ante was to make a feature-length film.

As stated before, this was the reason for Belushi and Aykroyd's departure from "SNL" — not that Belushi needed an excuse at that point. However, off schedule and over budget, "The Blues Brothers" production was a disaster, which didn't help Belushi's self-destructive behavior. "We had a budget in the movie for cocaine for night shoots," Aykroyd told Vanity Fair. With everything going wrong, paired with the film's outlandish concept, everyone believed it'd be a demonstrable failure. Yet, the film ultimately grossed $115.2 million at the worldwide box office, adding to the overwhelming pressure Belushi had been struggling with for years.

In 1982, John Belushi was in Los Angeles trying to figure out his next career move. However, this proved to be more difficult than he anticipated due to his state of addiction. To put it lightly, Belushi was in the midst of a drug binge in March of that year. Shawn Levy, the author of "The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art and Scandal at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont," described him as: "a time bomb, a waste site, a mess. Sweaty, flabby, edgy, pale, disheveled, worn to a stump at 33."

Belushi went to his manager, Bernie Brillstein, for money, which he reluctantly handed over, not knowing the actor's fate. With the money, Belushi contacted drug dealer Cathy Smith and requested something stronger than his usual high doses of cocaine. Back at Belushi's bungalow at the Chateau Marmont, Smith repeatedly injected him throughout the night with cocaine mixed with heroin, otherwise known as a speedball.

By morning, Belushi was in poor condition but still alive when Smith left the bungalow. Belushi's physical trainer and occasional bodyguard, Bill Wallace, arrived later and found him unresponsive. When EMTs reached the scene, he was declared dead around noon on March 5, 1982. A few days later, it was announced he had died of combined drug intoxication from the speedballs. Years earlier, "Saturday Night Live" writer and Belushi's close friend Michael O'Donoghue predicted during a Rolling Stone interview: "The same violent urge that makes John great will also ultimately destroy him."