Jim Belushi on his 'SNL' firing and rehiring: 'I survived it, barely'

Jim Belushi is proud of himself for making it through two arduous seasons at Saturday Night Live, but he's not totally proud of how he behaved in the process.

In a new interview with Vulture, the 67-year-old actor and comedian explained how he managed to get fired and then rehired by SNL—the first cast member to have such a trajectory.

"Very simple: I was out of control," Belushi told writer Andy Hoglund. "It was the best thing to ever happen to me. I was out of my mind. I was throwing a fire extinguisher at Dick Ebersol, a hissy fit. SNL is the hardest thing I ever did, and that’s including divorce. I survived it, barely. I went back to him with my tail between my legs. I drop the ego, I got humble. I stopped drinking the rest of that season.

"John did four years and he quit. I said, 'What the f—k, man? What are you quitting for?' He said, 'Jim, it’s like high school: Senior year, you’ve got to move on.' And I felt like I was in my sophomore year, and the second semester that year I finally got it. Then I didn’t come back because Lorne [Michaels] came. But that was because 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.'"

John Belushi was one of the original SNL cast members when Michaels launched the now-iconic sketch comedy series in 1975. John, Jim's older brother, departed in 1979 before tragically dying from accidental drug overdose in early March 1982 at just 33 years old.

Jim Belushi's SNL run only lasted from 1983-85. He earned a Primetime Emmy nomination in 1984 for outstanding writing in a variety or music program, which he shared with the likes of Eddie Murphy, before moving on to land memorable supporting roles in classic films such as About Last Night and Salvador in 1986.

"I went to L.A. and did a 'Best of Second City' show at the Huntington Hartford Theatre. It was a benefit to raise money for the John Belushi Scholarship Fund," the Chicago native explained as to how he landed at SNL. "Everybody in the business came, and [NBC exec] Brandon Tartikoff saw me in the show, called [former SNL executive producer] Dick Ebersol, and told him to put me in [SNL]. He said: 'I think Jim’s ready.' Dick listened to him because they were partners. Everybody told me not to do it."

Among those in the chorus of opposition was John: "He said, 'Why would you want to be on Saturday Night Live? We captured the hearts of America. No one will ever do that.' I said, 'John, c’mon. I went to Second City. You went to Second City. Danny [Aykroyd] was at Second City. Gilda [Radner] was at Second City. You guys made the transition from that improvisational style and feel on the stage, which is always difficult to transfer to camera, but you guys found a way to do it. I want to do it because it’s a natural progression for a Second City actor.' He said, 'Eh, you’re crazy.' I was a fan of the show. It was close to our heart because guys that we knew were the ones that created it. So I wanted to be there too."