Adam Sandler Says Roseanne Barr Was Originally Asked To Sing “The Chanukah Song” On ‘SNL’ — Here’s Why She Refused

With the holiday season upon us, Adam Sandler just revealed a shocking tidbit about “The Chanukah Song” he performed on Saturday Night Live nearly three decades ago. According to the actor, Roseanne Barr was originally supposed to sing the iconic holiday hit.

The week Sandler wrote “The Chanukah Song” — after noticing a lack of songs about the holiday — happened to be the same week Barr was hosting the long-running sketch comedy show back in 1994.

“They were talking about Roseanne singing it, and she was nice enough to say, ‘No, let Adam do that, that’s his, he wrote it, that’s his song,'” Sandler told Access Hollywood in a recent interview.

To this day, the “The Chanukah Song” — which highlights famous Jewish people like David Lee Roth, The Three Stooges, and Paul Newman — still gets played on the radio. Plus, Sandler, who originally sang his song during the “Weekend Update” segment, often sings updated versions of it in his live performances.

“I’m happy to be a part of Hanukkah,” Sandler said, referring to his legacy as the king of Hanukkah. “That was a good time of life to be associated with the song and the holiday. Very proud of that.”

The 50 First Dates star even admitted that he catches himself singing “The Chanukah Song” once in a while, adding that his daughters — You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah stars Sunny and Sadie — are “proud” of it, too.

“I sing it alone, I sing it without the kids, I go into our basement, I rip it out, I do the soft-shoe to it,” he joked. “No, if it comes on the radio, and I hear it, I get excited, that’s still awesome.”

When asked how it feels to be the “Mariah Carey of Hanukkah,” Sandler humbly replied, “No, no. Mariah Carey is for all of us.”

And so is Adam Sandler!