On Thursday, comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Dana Carvey announced that his son, Dex, had passed away from an accidental drug overdose at 32 years old. He and his wife, Paula, shared the news on social media and received an outpouring of support from fans and friends close to the family. This weekend while on air for SNL, Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost decided to share his love and support as well by sending a sweet message to the grieving family.
While the credits rolled following Jason Momoa’s Season 49 hosting gig on Saturday Night Live this weekend, Colin Jost could be seen holding a sign that read “We Love You Dana and Paula,” which was directed at the comedian and his wife. The message was simple and sweet and publicly conveyed that Carvey has a support system at the show and that the cast is thinking of him and his family during the difficult time. You can see the moment from the episode below:
Dana Carvey shared the news of Dex’s passing on Instagram, along with a message about the impact his son had on the world. He followed the post up with an expression of gratitude for all that reached out to the family offering condolences. Additionally, Dana also shared a sweet memory involving him and his son working together. Dex was also a comedian, following in the footsteps of his father, and opened for him at a number of stand-up shows. Additionally, he participated in a number of short films and was an editor on the miniseries Beyond the Comics.
SNL has historically been a place where the alumni community has shown support for each other and paid tribute to those that they lost too soon. Adam Sandler playing his Chris Farley tribute song on air back in 2018 is one of the most memorable instances of that. The NBC mainstay also honored comedic minds like Paul Reubens this year and also honored Richard Belzer, who played a big part in shaping Saturday Night Live during its formative years. These tributes aren’t always flashy, but they appropriately honor the legacy of those who've passed on.
While Dex Carvey wasn’t a member of the cast or crew, he still was a vibrant comedic mind in his own right, and Dana Carvey still holds a special connection to the late-night institution. This tribute shows that the cast members on the legendary sketch show remain a family even after former cast members move on. Jost has been at the show for a long time, even performing with Dana on a number of occasions, and I love that he showed this support from Studio 8H. You can see Jost’s sweet tribute for yourself on last night’s episode of SNL, which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription in case you missed it.
We here at CinemaBlend continue to extend our condolences to the Carvey family during this time as well as those who were closest to Dex Carvey.
