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“Saturday Night Live” 50th Anniversary Moments

Olivia Clark Student Contributor, Pennsylvania State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at PSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

“Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night Live!”

The SNL cast has been making us laugh with memorable skits that have remained iconic for 50 years. 

Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary was an unforgettable weekend of specials, full of beloved comedians and celebrities in attendance creating an exceptional ambiance. You can feel the love and talent fill the room. 

This night was a perfect blend of nostalgia and humor, with classic moments and hilarious surprises that kept viewers laughing all night. 

Jimmy Fallon hosted the kickoff homecoming concert on Feb. 14 with 25 artists that hit the stage at Radio City Music Hall. 

Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dog, Bad Bunny and Chris Martin are just some of the talents that performed.

Even Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer performed a comedic bit to the song “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. 

Steve Martin took the stage for the opening monologue for the 50th Anniversary special on Sunday night, Feb. 16 which ran nearly three and a half hours full of nostalgic bits and hysterical moments. 

Alums, former hosts, and many other celebrities were in the audience to celebrate this milestone. 

Martin Short and John Mulvaney briefly joined Martin on stage when they joked that over 50 years of SNL, 894 people hosted and only two of them committed murder. 

Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon opened the special with “Homeward Bound.” There were also musical numbers from Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, Lil Wayne and Paul McCartney. 

Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell and Kate McKinnon are just some who brought back their classic characters. 

Ferrell, one of my all-time favorite comedians, was on a roll Sunday night in his segments. 

Ferrell gets into character so well which makes him that much funnier. His “Elf” shoutout in this segment was my favorite part. 

Sunday night, we even got a Domingo Vow Renewal. 

Marcello Hernández’s Domingo meets Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny with a duet from Sabrina Carpenter. This might have been the best moment of the night. 

Molly Shannon and Martin Short as the parents of bride Kelsey (Chloe Fineman), Sabrina Carpenter led the musical parody of Wicked’s “Defying Gravity” and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.”

Adam Sandler performed a sentimental original song which shouted out the show’s crew from over the years. 

“SNL50” delivered another Kate McKinnon alien abduction skit with other big names making a surprise appearance, including Meryl Streep, Jon Hamm, Pedro Pascal and Woody Harrelson. 

I haven’t laughed this hard at something in a long time — one of my favorite moments of the night. 

Close Encounters, the alien abduction is a recurring sketch on SNL when McKinnon and Ryan Gosling play an iconic alien abductee duo. It was great to see them bring it back for “SNL50.”

Paul McCartney closed this honorable night singing three songs from The Beatles album “Abbey Road” — performing a medley of songs from The Beatles last recorded album. 

@spin

This was special 🥺 (📹 via @Saturday Night Live – SNL) #SNL50 #PaulMcCartney #TheBeatles #snl #latenight

♬ original sound – SPIN
“Golden Slumbers” to close out “SNL50.”

Martin Short closed out the “SNL50” goodbye message standing amongst all the cast members throughout 50 years. 

“If you want to know what it takes to make a show like this last for 50 years, it’s these people right around me.” Short said. It was the perfect wrap-up to end a sentimental and hilarious evening.

Olivia is a third-year student at Penn State studying Journalism. When she is not writing for Her Campus @ PSU, she is spending time with her friends and family, listening to music, and sipping on an iced coffee.