On Sunday, not Saturday, Feb. 16, Saturday Night Live hosted its 50th anniversary special. The special consisted of two and a half hours of musical tributes, celebrity guests, and various callbacks to old sketches. Cast members, past and present, made special appearances in both the main show and the sketches, sparking excitement and applause from the audience. Though the night was star-studded and full of laughs in SNL fashion, some sketches didn’t land. But, alas, the anniversary special was a hit and surely sparked nostalgia and intense feelings for those who know and love SNL. There were dozens of memorable moments, but here are the ten most notable.
- Adam Sandler’s Song
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My favorite segment of the night was when Adam Sandler performed a song highlighting the most memorable and iconic moments from the past 50 years. During the second half of the song, clips from previous seasons play while Sandler sings, reminiscing on the memories. For anyone who is a fan of the show, this was the best way to commemorate and honor all the laughs from over the years.
- Audience Q&A
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This nearly ten-minute segment featured previous cast members and SNL icons Amy Poehler and Tina Fey conducting a Q&A with the audience, all of which were celebrities that consisted of old cast members, hosts, and musical guests. In the lineup of members were Jon Lovitz, Ryan Reynolds, Julia Louis-Freyfus, Cher, Jon Hamm, and dozens of others who graced the stage of Studio 8H.
- Steve Martin’s Opening Monologue
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Steve Martin, what a guy! His opening monologue followed a performance by Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter, who sang Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound.” Martin was joined by John Mulaney and his Only Murders in the Building co-star Martin Short.
- Meryl Streep’s First Appearance
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In its 50-year run, the renowned and talented Meryl Streep has never set foot on the SNL stage. This changed on Sunday when she was featured in another installment of the “Close Encounter” sketch that has been making reoccurrences since 2015. She starred alongside Kate McKinnon, Pedro Pascal, Woody Harrelson, Hamm, and Aidy Bryant.
- Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard’s Tribute to Sinéad O’Connor
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Of the few musical guest performances during the anniversary special, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard teamed up for a performance that honored the late Sinéad O’Connor. In October 1993, O’Connor was featured as a musical guest on the show. In her performance, she held up a photo of Pope John Paul II and shredded it. Into the mic, she said, “Fight the real enemy,” and dropped the pieces of the photo to the ground as a way to protest the Catholic Church. She was then banned from SNL. Since then, the show has admitted to mishandling the situation. At the anniversary, Cyrus and Howard sang O’Connor’s version of “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
- Scared Straight
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This was easily one of my favorite sketches of the night. With what I would consider four SNL icons, this sketch blended all of their comedic styles perfectly. Consisting of Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Mikey Day, Marcello Hernandez, and Michael Longfellow, this sketch was chaotic and just downright fun.
- Emma Stone’s Red Carpet Popcorn Dress
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Though this didn’t technically happen during the SNL anniversary special, and rather on the carpet beforehand, Emma Stone showed up in a beautiful red Louis Vuitton gown with her husband, Dave McCary, a former writer for SNL. The best part of the dress? The giant pockets were filled with popcorn!
- The return of Domingo
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The recurring SNL character “Domingo” reappeared for the anniversary special in the third installment of sketches about bridesmaids and the brides’ love for Domingo. The first sketch, being fairly new, aired just a few months ago, on Oct. 12, 2024, with Ariana Grande as the host. The sketch had an impressive lineup of stars, consisting of SNL cast members Hernandez, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Chloe Fineman, as well as Carpenter, Short, Andy Samberg, Pascal, and Bad Bunny.
- New York City Musical
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Another familiar sketch, the “New York City Musical,” graced the stage yet again, reappearing each time Mulaney hosted. This one was even more densely packed with stars, including Mulaney, Pete Davidson, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Adam Driver, David Spade, Maya Rudolph, and many others.
- Sketches that Have “Aged Horribly”
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Though I wouldn’t call this one of the night’s best moments, it was interesting for the show to call out its previous problematic and offensive sketches — and there were many of them. Presented by Tom Hanks, the anniversary special consisted of a segment that pointed out the show’s long history of racism, sexism, homophobia, and various other tasteless and problematic “jokes” that have aired over the years. The clips of old episodes can be jarring if you’re unfamiliar with the show’s problematic past. However, it’s great that these mistakes are recognized; I think it is important that this doesn’t excuse the show’s history of atrocities. Though I do admit, it was done in typical SNL fashion.
Whether you’re a fan of the sketch comedy series or not, the SNL 50th Anniversary Special was a fun-filled night that honored the past and present cast members, crew, celebrity hosts, musical guests, writers, and characters and sketches that have been performed on that stage year after year for the past five decades.
Here’s to 50 more!