If you look at the modern comedy landscape, it doesn’t take long for it to become clear that a lot of the biggest stars are former Saturday Night Live cast members. For example, some of SNL’s most successful former cast members are Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, Adam Sandler, Amy Poehler, Mike Myers, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus among others.

Of course, there is a long history of famous people disappearing from the spotlight. For example, some stars who were incredibly popular during their Saturday Night Live tenure saw their careers hit the skids the moment they left Studio 8H in their rearview mirror.

From 1996 until 2003, Chris Kattan was among the biggest television comedy stars in the world. One of those rare Saturday Night Live performers who seem to appear in every sketch during their time on the show, at one time Kattan seemed like a can’t miss comedy movie star prospect. However, Kattan’s career nosedived so quickly once he left SNL that you just know, there is more to the story.

Related: We've Ranked Saturday Night Live's Most Popular Cast Members, By Net Worth

Serious Injury

Many years after Chris Kattan’s Saturday Night Live run came to an end, he agreed to star in the 24th season of Dancing with the Stars. Unfortunately for all of the fans of his who were excited to see him perform since he was once known for his elastic physicality, Kattan was noticeably stiff whenever he was on the dance floor. As a result, Kattan was eliminated from the competition during week two.

Once Chris Kattan was eliminated from Dancing with the Stars, he told the public that he’d been struggling physically for roughly twenty years. Worse yet, Kattan told reporters that he’d gone under the knife four times as a result, including one back surgery. Once fans learned all of that it became a lot more understandable that Kattan had seemed so stiff on stage. That said, at the time Kattan declined to explain what caused his health problems.

In 2019, Chris Kattan released his memoir which is titled “Baby Don’t Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live”. In his book, Kattan wrote that he severely injured himself during a 2001 episode of SNL in which he fell backward out of a rickety chair and hit his head on the stage. According to what Dr. Carl Lauryssen told Variety, Kattan suffered “an incomplete spinal cord injury” that resulted in “residual and permanent” side effects. On top of those physical side effects, Chris Kattan wrote that his injury did serious emotional and career damage since “the fallout proved to be devastating to some of the closest relationships in (his) life”.

Related: 16 Star Athletes Who Got Injured And Never Returned To Prior Form

Burnt Bridge

Throughout Chris Kattan’s Saturday Night Live run, he seemed to develop strong bonds with many of his co-stars, including Will Ferrell. Unfortunately, Kattan claims that his friendship with Ferrell fell apart while making A Night at the Roxbury, and Chris largely blames Lorne Michaels for that.

In his memoir “Baby, Don't Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live” Chris Kattan wrote that director Amy Heckerling expressed her romantic interest in him. According to Kattan, he initially turned down Heckerling’s advances until Lorne Michaels called him. During the resulting “furious” phone call, Kattan claims that Michaels insisted that Chris should get involved with Heckerling so she would work on A Night at the Roxbury.

Ultimately, Chris Kattan claims that he romanced Amy Heckerling at Lorne Michaels insisting and that is why she produced A Night at the Roxbury. However, his co-star Will Ferrell picked up on the fact that Kattan and Heckerling were together and assumed the worst of his former friend and co-star. After filming A Night at the Roxbury ended, Kattan writes that Ferrell told him their friendship was over when they saw one another on the SNL set. "I got all your messages, but I didn't call you back because I didn't want to talk to you... I don't want to be your friend anymore.” Assuming that story is true, it is easy to see how it negatively affected Kattan’s career since Will Ferrell has become quite powerful and the pair could have enjoyed a lot of success together.

Related: Will Ferrell's Most Popular Movies Ranked From Unwatchable To Hilarious

Still Standing Strong

Even though Chris Kattan suffered an injury that could have ended his career and some of his important relationships soured, he has still enjoyed more success than a lot of people realize. For example, a lot of observers may be shocked to learn that Kattan has amassed a $6 million fortune according to celebritynetworth.com.

Of course, Chris Kattan would have amassed a good portion of his money during his Saturday Night Live tenure. However, there also is no doubt that he has made a pretty penny since his 2003 SNL departure. After all, Kattan has go on to land a long list of roles in the years since. On the television front, Kattan has appeared in shows like The Middle, How I Met Your Mother, and Bill Nye Saves the World. Kattan also landed roles in recent movies like Hotel Transylvania 2 and The Ridiculous 6.

Next: 15 Actors Who Left SNL (But We're Still Not Over It)