Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special

"Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special" (also billed as "SNL50: The Anniversary Special") is a three-hour television special to commemorate the 50th anniversary season of Saturday Night Live. It aired on February 16, 2025, on NBC and Peacock and, like the 40th Anniversary Special, was preceded by two hour-long live red carpet specials: one was hosted by Amelia Dimoldenberg for SNL's social media such as YouTube;^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] Willie Geist, Leslie Jones, and Matt Rogers hosted the pre-show on NBC. However, the carpet at the 50th anniversary started only one hour before the show began at 7 p.m. before the 8 to 11:30 p.m. show.^[5] The special was watched by nearly 15 million viewers.^[6]^[7]

Quick Facts "", Episode no. ...

"Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special"
Saturday Night Live episode

Episode no.	Season 50
Directed by	Liz Patrick
Written by	James Anderson Dan Bulla Megan Callahan-Shah Michael Che Mikey Day Mike DiCenzo Jim Downey Tina Fey Jimmy Fowlie Alison Gates Sudi Green Jack Handey Steve Higgins Colin Jost Erik Kenward Dennis McNicholas Seth Meyers Lorne Michaels John Mulaney Jake Nordwind Ceara O'Sullivan Josh Patten Paula Pell Simon Rich Pete Schultz Streeter Seidell Emily Spivey Kent Sublette Bryan H. Tucker Auguste White
Narrated by	Darrell Hammond
Original air date	February 16, 2025 (2025-02-16)
Running time	209 minutes (with commercials) 152 minutes (without commercials)
List of episodes

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Synopsis

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The special followed the format of a typical Saturday Night Live episode, extended to 3½ hours instead of the usual 1½, and included a cold open, a monologue, sketches, a short film, commercial parodies, and musical performances.^[8]^[9]

Sketches

More information Sketch, Notes ...

Sketch	Notes
Opening Monologue	Steve Martin hosted featuring cameos from John Mulaney and Martin Short, with David Letterman in the audience. Mikey Day and Devon Walker appear as ICE agents escorting Short off the stage.
The Lawrence Welk Show & The Maharelle Sisters	Fred Armisen as Lawrence Welk, Will Ferrell as Robert Goulet, Kristen Wiig as Dooneese, Ana Gasteyer as Margaret, Kim Kardashian as Holly, and Scarlett Johansson as Janice. Kenan Thompson briefly appears as Florian Trent, a body contortionist.
Black Jeopardy!	Kenan Thompson reprises his role as Black Jeopardy! host Darnell Hayes with Leslie Jones as Shanice, Tracy Morgan as Darius, Eddie Murphy as Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock as a Special Guest Clue, and Tom Hanks reprising his role as Doug.
Physical Comedy clip montage	Emma Stone and Molly Shannon as Sally O'Malley present a montage dedicated to physical comedy on SNL.
Domingo: Vow Renewal	Martin Short and Molly Shannon as parents of the bride, Chloe Fineman and Andrew Dismukes as the couple, Sabrina Carpenter, Heidi Gardner, Sarah Sherman, and Ego Nwodim as bridesmaids, Andy Samberg, Bowen Yang, Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney as the Groomsmen, Marcello Hernández as Domingo, Pedro Pascal as Renaldo, and Bad Bunny as Santiago.
Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey	Handey's voice reminisces about 50 years of SNL, but values his salary above anything.
Q&A Segment	Tina Fey and Amy Poehler answer questions from audience members Quinta Brunson, Tim Meadows, Ryan Reynolds, Nate Bargatze, Donna Richards (host dresser), Jon Lovitz, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Adam Driver, Cher, Keith Richards, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm, Bad Bunny, Seth Meyers, Al Sharpton, Ray Romano, Jason Momoa, Fred Armisen, and Peyton Manning.
SNL Digital Short	Bowen Yang, Andy Samberg, Sarah Sherman, Chris Parnell, Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon, Will Forte, Taran Killam, James Austin Johnson, Kenan Thompson, Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney appear in a musical pre-taped digital short about anxiety at SNL.
Weekend Update	Colin Jost and Michael Che host Weekend Update. Che pays tribute to both Norm Macdonald and O.J. Simpson.^[a] Cecily Strong plays The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party alongside Bobby Moynihan as Drunk Uncle. Seth Meyers introduces "Lorne's Best Friends from Growing Up" (Vanessa Bayer, Fred Armisen). Bill Murray ranks his favorite Weekend Update anchors. He makes a callback or referral to earlier material in the sketch by ranking Norm Macdonald a favorite anchor and thanking him for presenting news stories about O.J. Simpson.
"Close Encounters" sketch	Aidy Bryant and Jon Hamm play officials investigating an alien abduction. Kate McKinnon reprises her role as Colleen Rafferty with Pedro Pascal and Woody Harrelson playing other abductees and Meryl Streep playing Colleen Sr., Rafferty's mother.
"The Stagehand" pre-taped sketch	Laraine Newman reminiscences being around Studio 8H and meets Chad (Pete Davidson). Cameo from Mikey Day.
"50 Year Retrospecitve" musical sketch	Adam Sandler provides a musical by-the-numbers retrospective of major SNL highlights.
"Moving to New York" musical sketch	Musical sketch featuring John Mulaney as Big Nick, Pete Davidson, David Spade, Adam Driver, Maya Rudolph, Emil Wakim, Alex Moffat, Paul Shaffer, G. E. Smith, Nathan Lane, Chloe Fineman, Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, James Austin Johnson, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Nick Jonas, Taran Killam, and Ana Gasteyer with Kate McKinnon reprising her role as Rudy Giuliani, Lin-Manuel Miranda reprising his role as Alexander Hamilton, Sarah Sherman as Michael Bloomberg, and Devon Walker as Eric Adams. Audience members Jenna Ortega and Kevin Costner also take part, perhaps unintentionally, sitting between two of the singers. Natasha Lyonne played the role of a Guardian Angel in the final scene, but was obscured by Driver’s hot dog costume and not visible on camera.^[10]
Commercial parody clip montage	Alec Baldwin introduces a montage of commercial parodies. (with Sarah Sherman.)
"Bronx Beat with Betty & Jodi" Sketch	Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph as Betty and Jodi with Miles Teller and Mike Myers who reprises his role as Linda Richman.
In Memoriam to cancelled sketches	Tom Hanks presents an In Memoriam to cancelled characters, stereotypes, jokes in poor taste, or "sketches that have aged horribly."
"Debbie Downer" sketch	Jimmy Fallon, Ayo Edebiri, Drew Barrymore, and Robert De Niro with Rachel Dratch reprising her role as Debbie Downer working as a bartender.
"Scared Straight" sketch	Sketch featuring Eddie Murphy, Kenan Thompson reprising his role as Lorenzo McIntosh, Will Ferrell, Jason Sudeikis reprising his role as Officer Sikorski, Mikey Day, Michael Longfellow, and Marcello Hernández.
"Don't Look Back in Anger" short	Garrett Morris introduced the Schiller's Reel short, "Don't Look Back in Anger" starring John Belushi.
SNL goodnights	Martin Short salutes the original cast and thanks Lorne Michaels on-stage as they began the famous SNL goodnights.

Musical performances

More information Presenter, Musicians ...

Presenter	Musicians	Notes
The cold open	Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter	"Homeward Bound"^[b]
Aubrey Plaza	Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard	"Nothing Compares 2 U"
Jack Nicholson	Adam Sandler	"50 Years", a tribute song to SNL written by Sandler^[c]
Dave Chappelle	Lil Wayne and The Roots	Medley of "Uproar", "Lollipop", "6 Foot 7 Foot", "Mrs. Officer", and "A Milli"
Martin Short	Paul McCartney	"Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End"

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Cast and crew

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Appearances

The initial headliners for the 50th anniversary special were announced on February 6, 2025, 10 days before the broadcast.^[11]^[12]^[13] Several more headliners were spoiled, in a picture The New York Times used, during an interview with executive producer Lorne Michaels.^[14] On February 14, it was confirmed that cast alumni Dan Aykroyd and Bill Hader would not be present at the event; Aykroyd preferred to watch the event at home with his children, while Hader declined the invitation due to a schedule conflict.^[15] Aykroyd later gave his blessing to the special, stating in a social media post that he "smile(d) from start to finish" watching from home.^[16]^[17] Other alumni who were absent included Dana Carvey (who was suffering from a severe case of influenza), Colin Quinn (who had an engagement booked in North Carolina that night), Dennis Miller and Dick Ebersol.^[18] Former notable hosts Elliott Gould, John Goodman, Jim Carrey, Louis C.K., Justin Timberlake, Danny DeVito, Melissa McCarthy, and Christopher Walken were also absent.

Writers

Several past writers for the show returned to become "staff writers" for the special, including Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, Paula Pell, Emily Spivey, and John Mulaney.^[19]

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Audience members

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Also in attendance were numerous actors, musicians, comedians, media figures, and celebrities, many of whom had appeared on or hosted SNL in the past, with some seen prominently during some sketches. Confirmed as attending (some with partner/spouse) were:^[20]

Note: former cast members Patrick Weathers and John Milhiser attended the Friday anniversary concert but not the Sunday live show.

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Preceding specials

Before the main event, NBC aired three other specials: SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, a four-part documentary debuting on Peacock on January 16; Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music airing on NBC on January 27; and SNL50: The Homecoming Concert on February 14 live on Peacock.^[21]^[22] NBC also aired the first episode of the show the night before the anniversary special.^[23] The main special was preceded by a one-hour "red carpet special" featuring interviews with celebrities and past and current cast members (including many participating in that night's show).^[4]

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Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10.^[24] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the episode a score of 66 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[25]

Joe Berkowitz of Vulture wrote, "SNL50 had three jobs: capture the significance of the milestone, pay respect to those who made it possible, and be funny. It handily managed all three, often at once."^[26] At Entertainment Weekly, Andy Hoglund critiqued the show's cozy relationship with corporate "brand synergy" - as well as its "hypocritical" tribute to Sinead O'Connor - while recognizing its effective use of lore and returning cast members, particularly Eddie Murphy.^[27]

Accolades

More information Year, Award ...

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2025	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special	Writers of SNL50^[d]	Pending	^[28]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Variety Special (Live)	Producers of SNL50^[e]	Pending
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special	Liz Patrick	Pending
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics	Dan Bulla & Adam Sandler (music & lyrics) for "50 Years"	Pending
Outstanding Music Direction	Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis and Eli Brueggemann	Pending
Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment)	Editors of SNL50^[f]	Pending
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program	Hairstylists of SNL50^[g]	Pending
Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special	Lighting technicians of SNL50^[h]	Pending
Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special	Production Designers of SNL50^[i]	Pending
Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program	Makeup artists for SNL50^[j]	Pending
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special	Sound Mixers of SNL50^[k]	Pending
Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special	Technical team for SNL50^[l]	Pending

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Notes

Che explains that Norm Macdonald lost his job due to too many jokes about O.J. Simpson, and Che then sincerely mentions that he admired NFL football player and actor Simpson.
previously performed by Simon and George Harrison on the November 20, 1976 episode
with a shout out to, and on screen appearance by, NBCU Director of Production Health Services: nurse Theresa Hayde (for 35 years.)
James Anderson, Dan Bulla, Megan Callahan-Shah, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Mike DiCenzo, James Downey, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fowlie, Alison Gates, Sudi Green, Jack Handey, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Dennis McNicholas, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Jake Nordwind, Ceara O'Sullivan, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Bryan H. Tucker, and Auguste White
Lorne Michaels, executive producer; Javier Winnik, supervising producer; Erin Doyle, Tom Broecker, Caroline Maroney, Colin Jost and Michael Che, producers; Steve Higgins and Erik Kenward, produced by
"Physical Comedy" – Ryan Spears, Paul Del Gesso, Christopher Salerno, Daniel Garcia, Sean McIlraith, and Ryan McIlraith
Jodi Mancuso, Cara Hannah, Inga Thrasher, Amanda Duffy Evans, Chad Harlow, Gina Ferrucci, Brittany Hartman, and Katie Beatty
Geoffrey Amoral, Rick McGuinness, William McGuinness, Trevor Brown, Tim Stasse, Frank Grisanti, and Reginald Campbell
Akira Yoshimura, N. Joseph DeTullio, Patrick Lynch, Melissa Shakun, Charlotte Hayes Harrison, Sabrina Lederer
Louie Zakarian, Jason Milani, Amy Tagliamonti, Rachel Pagani, Young Bek, Stephen Kelley, and Joanna Pisani
Robert Palladino, Ezra Matychak, Frank Duca, Doug Nightwine, Christopher Costello, Caroline Sanchez, Josiah Gluck, Jay Vicari, Tyler McDiarmid, Geoff Countryman, Devin Emke, and Teng Chen
Bill DiGiovanni, John Pinto, Paul Cangialosi, Anthony Tarantino, Dave Driscoll, Brian Phraner, Daniel Erbeck, Michael Knarre, Anthony Lenzo, Ansel Nunez, and Rick Fox

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References

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