Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter duetted on Simon’s “Homeward Certain” to open the present, five-decade “Saturday Night time Dwell” luminary Steve Martin delivered the monologue, and Paul McCartney gave an epic closing to a fiftieth anniversary particular celebrating the sketch establishment that was overflowing with well-known former solid members, celebrity hosts and legendary company.
The 83-year-old Simon has been important to “SNL” since its earliest episodes in 1975, and advised the 25-year-old pop sensation of the second Carpenter that he first carried out “Homeward Certain” on “SNL” in 1976.
“I used to be not born then,” Carpenter mentioned, getting amusing. “And neither had been my dad and mom,” she added, getting a much bigger snigger.
Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon carry out “Homeward Certain” throughout “SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration on Feb. 16, 2025.
Todd Owyoung / NBC by way of Getty Photographs/ SNL50: THE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
McCartney closed with the not often carried out tune cycle from the Beatles’ “Abbey Highway,” “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The Finish,” with its wistful ending, “the love you’re taking, is the same as the love you make.”
Lil Wayne and Miley Cyrus had been among the many evening’s different musical company, although the present’s musical legacy additionally had its personal evening with a Radio Metropolis Music Corridor live performance on Friday.
“SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration” aired reside from New York, after all, on NBC and Peacock. The popular culture juggernaut has launched the careers of generations of comedians together with Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell, who all appeared in early sketches.
And the night included epic cameos that included Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Keith Richards.
Martin, one of many reveals most prolific hosts and company because the first season in 1975, tried to maintain it present within the monologue even on a backward-looking evening.
Martin mentioned when the present’s creator Lorne Michaels solely advised him he’d be doing the monologue, “I used to be truly vacationing on a buddy’s boat down on the Gulf of Steve Martin.”
Pictured left-to-right are Steve Martin, Mikey Day and Martin Quick through the monologue on the “SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration” on February 16, 2025.
Todd Owyoung / NBC by way of Getty Photographs / SNL50: THE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
He was joined by former “SNL” luminaries and frequent hosts Martin Quick and John Mulaney, who seemed on the star-studded crowd stuffed with former hosts in the identical Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza that has been the present’s longtime house.
“I see among the most troublesome individuals I’ve ever met in my complete life,” Mulaney mentioned. “Over the course of fifty years, 894 individuals have hosted ‘Saturday Night time Dwell,’ and it amazes me that solely two of them have dedicated homicide.”
Later, on the evening’s “Weekend Replace,” anchor Colin Jost mentioned there are such a lot of former hosts and musical company that wished to see the present that many needed to be seated in a neighboring studio and a few needed to watch “from the Metropolitan Detention Heart in Brooklyn” as a photograph of Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared.
Martin took a jab on the always-difficult-to-wrangle Invoice Murray in his monologue.
“We wished to guarantee that Invoice could be right here tonight,” Martin mentioned, “so we did not invite him.”
Murray appeared on “Weekend Replace” to rank the present’s anchors since they started with Chevy Chase. He poked on the whiteness of the group by first rating its Black anchors, a listing of only one, present co-anchor Michael Che.
Pictured left-to-right are Invoice Murray, anchor Colin Jost and anchor Michael Che throughout Weekend Replace on the “SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration” on February 16, 2025.
Theo Wargo / NBC by way of Getty Photographs / SNL50: THE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
The extravaganza got here after months of celebrations of “Saturday Night time Dwell,” which premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with an unique solid that included John Belushi, Chase and Gilda Radner.
It is grow to be appointment tv over time because the present has skewered presidents, politics and popular culture.
“It’s a honor and a thrill to be internet hosting weekend replace for the fiftieth and if it was as much as our president last season of SNL,” Jost mentioned.
The present had its typical ending, with all concerned wanting exhilarated and exhausted on the studio stage. This evening it was so crowded with luminaries it seemed prefer it would possibly break. Led by Quick, all of them applauded in tribute to Michaels, who created the present and has run it for 45 of its 50 years.
Alec Baldwin, the present’s most frequent host with 17 stints, appeared to introduce a night of economic parodies, seven months after his trial was halted and an involuntary manslaughter cost was dropped within the taking pictures of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Alec Baldwin and spouse Hilaria Baldwin attend “SNL50: The Anniversary Particular” on Feb. 16, 2025 at 30 Rockefeller Heart in New York Metropolis.
Taylor Hill / FilmMagic
Aubrey Plaza made one in all her first public appearances because the January demise of her husband when she launched Cyrus and Howard’s efficiency.
The 87-year-old Nicholson was as soon as a relentless within the entrance rows of the Oscars and Los Angeles Laker video games, however is never seen out anymore. He launched his “Anger Administration” co-star Adam Sandler, who sang in his signature model concerning the present’s historical past. He gave a roll-call of solid members, giving particular consideration to a number of who’ve died, together with his mates Chris Farley and MacDonald together with Radner, Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman.
It ended with, “six years of our boy Farley, 5 of our buddy Norm.”
The present did not have a proper “in memoriam” part, although it pretended to when 10-time host Tom Hanks got here out somberly to mourn “SNL characters and sketches which have aged horribly.”
A montage started with the late Belushi’s “Samurai” character. The phrase “Yikes” appeared on display in a sketch that included Mike Myers and a younger Macaulay Culkin in a bath. A “physique shaming” label appeared over the beloved sketch of Farley and the late Patrick Swayze as Chippendale’s dancers, and “slut shaming” appeared over one of many present’s earliest, catchphrases, Dan Aykroyd saying “Jane, you ignorant slut” to Jane Curtin. The present-day Aykroyd was a notable absence.
The oldest former solid member, 88-year-old Garrett Morris, appeared to introduce a movie that confirmed the entire unique solid.
“I had no concept y’all that I’d be required to take action many reunion reveals,” he mentioned.
The primary sketch featured a mash-up of former solid members and hosts. Fred Armisen hosted a “Lawrence Welk Present” that featured Ferrell as Robert Goulet.
Former hosts Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson – Jost’s spouse – gave an up to date model of the elegant singing Maharelle Sisters with former solid members Ana Gasteyer and Wiig, who supplied the standard punchline “And I am Dooneese” with a balding head and creepy, tiny doll arms.
It was adopted by “Black Jeopardy,” hosted by the present’s longest operating (and nonetheless present) solid member, Kenan Thompson, who known as the sport present the one one “the place each single viewer totally understood Kendrick’s halftime efficiency.”
It showcased most of the present’s most distinguished Black solid members by means of the years together with Tracy Morgan and Murphy, doing a Morgan impression.
“Large Canine gonna make some huge cash!” Murphy-as-Morgan shouted.
Pictured left-to-right are Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson and Eddie Murphy through the “Scared Straight” sketch throughout “SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration” on Feb. 16, 2025.
Chris Haston / NBC by way of Getty Photographs / SNL50: THE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
Streep walked on because the mom of McKinnon’s fixed alien abductee Miss Rafferty, with the identical unfold legs and vulgar method.
Streep’s fellow all-time-great actor Robert De Niro paired with Rachel Dratch in a “Debbie Downer” sketch with its conventional trombone accompaniment.
Former solid member Amy Poehler and former lead author Tina Fey, who partnered as “Weekend Replace” anchors, led a Q-and-A with viewers questions.
Ryan Reynolds stood, they usually requested him the way it’s going.
“Nice, why?” he mentioned defensively. “What have you ever heard?”
Reynolds and spouse Blake Vigorous, sitting subsequent to him, have been locked in a heated authorized and media battle along with her “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Adam Driver, Cher, Unhealthy Bunny, Peyton Manning and Richards had been additionally featured within the bit.
Poehler additionally paired with Rudolph for a revival of their mock discuss present “Bronx Beat,” that featured Mike Myers as his mother-in-law-inspired, Streisand-loving character “Linda Richman.”
“Take a look at you, each of you, you appear like buttah,” Myers mentioned.