Saturday Night Live Pays Tribute to Richard Belzer

In the first new episode of Saturday Night Live since the passing of Richard Belzer, the live sketch comedy took a moment to honor the late comedian. In the second half of the show’s February 25th episode, the series used a vintage black and white photo of the Law & Order: SVU alumnus on a title card, giving a moment of silence for the actor. He died earlier this month at the age of 78 from an unspecified illness.

Prior to his roles in SVU and Homicide: Life on the Street, Belzer served as a warm-up comedian at 30 Rock. There were even a few times he appeared in SNL itself, filling in for Chevy Chase during a Season Two episode while he was out having surgery. “I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing. I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL. We used to go out to dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest,” SNL alumnus Laraine Newman wrote. 

In total, Belzer appeared in a whopping 326 episodes of SVU over the span of 17 years, with his most recent appearance coming in 2016. After his retirement from the show, the actor moved to France. His film credits included Fame, Night Shift, Scarface, Fletch Lives, A Very Brady Sequel, Species II, Man on the Moon, and more. Belzer’s television career included appearances in Moonlighting, Miami Vice, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, The Larry Sanders Show, The X-Files, Mad About You, South Park, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Arrested Development, The Wire, 30 Rock, and more.

How to watch Saturday Night Live

Throughout the remainder of Season 48, currently expected to run through May, NBC is simulcasting new episodes live on both NBC and Peacock. Peacock also serves as the streaming vault for all SNL episodes from its inception, with new episodes being added the day after they air.

Virtually every SNL episode, other than the select few locked away for good because of a variety of reasons, is now available to watch on the streaming service.