Dan Aykroyd finally explained why he missed February’s epic Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special. The OG SNL cast member, 73, was one of several notable stars absent from the NBC special, even though he frequently expressed excitement about the event beforehand.

By choosing to stay home, he got to relive the show the way audiences experience it—live and uninterrupted. That decision, according to him, gave him the full emotional weight of the night, especially during a tribute segment that brought back a flood of memories.

Aykroyd also reminisces about his time making The Blues Brothers alongside blues legends that he grew up admiring. He remembers his time filming with Aretha Franklin in the diner