Jim Belushi recalls ‘barely’ surviving SNL after throwing a fire extinguisher at executive producer

‘I was out of my mind,’ said the comedian about his time on the sketch show

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Jim Belushi has opened up about his time on Saturday Night Live, which included throwing a fire extinguisher at an executive producer.

The comedian – whose brother John was one of the show’s original cast members – appeared on SNL between 1983 and 1985 for seasons nine and 10.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Belushi reflected on his time on the series and being the first cast member to be fired and then rehired.

“Very simple: I was out of control. It was the best thing to ever happen to me,” he said. “I was out of my mind. I was throwing a fire extinguisher at [executive producer] Dick Ebersol, a hissy fit.”

The 67-year-old called his stint on SNL “the hardest thing I ever did, and that’s including divorce”.

“I survived it, barely,” he said. “I went back to him [Ebersol] with my tail between my legs. I drop the ego, I got humble. I stopped drinking the rest of that season.”

Explaining the situation further, Belushi continued: “Dick put me in my place, rightfully, and had the courage to do it. I came back; I begged [him] for forgiveness, and he put me on probation.

“My wife at the time said, ‘You thrive on probation. You were on probation from freshman to senior year of high school. You operate better with boundaries.’”

A year later, however, Belushi exited the series after Lorne Michaels returned to the show and overhauled the cast and writers.

Elsewhere in the interview, the comedian also spoke about his brother’s decision to leave SNL.

“He said, ‘Jim, it’s like high school: Senior year, you’ve got to move on,’” he recalled his brother telling him.

Belushi recently starred in the 2017 revival of David Lynch’s cult classic series Twin Peaks.