David Spade 'Actively' Admits He Was 'Jealous' of 'SNL' Costars Who Got More Airtime

David Spade openly acknowledged his feelings when his Saturday Night Live costars received more airtime during his time on the long-running sketch series.

"When you go to SNL, and then you’re hearing all these whispers of like, someone’s getting on [the air] more there, I would actively admit I was jealous," he said.

Speaking on his "Fly on the Wall" podcast on August 17, with fellow SNL alum Dana Carvey, Spade looked back on the competitive environment inside the show and admitted that seeing other performers get more opportunities affected him.

Rather than keeping those feelings to himself, the Joe Dirt star also recalled how he would respond when another cast member delivered a strong performance.

"I’d tell Adam [Sandler], 'That was funny, I’m so jealous,' because that’s sort of like at least acknowledging something was good or makes you better to go, okay..." he added.

Spade’s comments offered a candid look at the pressure performers can feel when working on a show where airtime can vary significantly from one cast member to another.

While jealousy was part of the Tommy Boy star's experience, he said his larger focus remained on becoming a stronger performer.

"SNL was more about upping my own game," he said.

The Emmy-nominated actor joined Saturday Night Live in 1990 and remained with the series through 1996, while Carvey was part of the cast from 1986 to 1993. Their shared history on the show gave them a firsthand understanding of the demands that came with earning attention in a crowded ensemble.

Spade has also recently reflected on how different the relationship between cast members and creator Lorne Michaels appears today.

He recalled being surprised when current cast member Sarah Sherman, who joined the show in 2021, told him that she had once texted Michaels to question why one of her sketches was cut.

"I’m like, 'You text Lorne?' That floors me," the SNL alum said.

Before this, the MTV Movie Awards winner brought light to his long-running tension with Eddie Murphy, which began after a joke he made about the actor on Saturday Night Live in 1995.

During a November 2025 episode of the "Fly on the Wall" podcast, Grown Ups 2 star discussed the infamous "Hollywood Minute" sketch in which a photo of Murphy appeared after Spade said, "Look children, it's a falling star, make a wish." Murphy later criticized the joke as "racist."

Looking back on the fallout, he reflected on how their relationship changed after the incident.

"I do love Eddie Murphy," Spade told Carvey.

He added, "We had some bumps in the road along the way, early on. It was weird going from being a super fan to having him hate me overnight, and to try to win him back for the last 25 years."

The Golden Globe-nominated star also recalled how the situation unfolded after the joke aired.

"I made fun of him and it didn't go well, and he called me and we had it out," he said.

Spade added, "Actually, he had it out. I didn't fight back really, because I did feel a little guilty about it, and he did make some sense. I just didn't like that because he was a hero."

The longtime entertainers eventually put the conflict behind them. The two eventually crossed paths again at the show's 50th anniversary special on February,15, 2025, giving Busboys actor a chance to reflect on where they stood.

"We talked a little bit and everything's fine, and then he admitted on the show — not admitted, they just asked him about it — and he said, 'Yeah, we're all good.' So we're all good," the standup comedian said.