By Ashley Ragone
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Studio 8H waxed nostalgic with some of New York’s finest comedic entertainers to celebrate 50 years of “Saturday Night Live.”
The three-hour special boasted cast members from the first season, including Garrett Morris and Laraine Newman, and newer members, like Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman. Several musical guests and celebrity hosts also attended, Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian among them. The audience seating was expanded to include the hundreds of people who have been involved with the show throughout the years.
Opening the night’s events, Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon performed a duet of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound.” Generations old and new collaborated heavily in bringing sketches back to life, including a reprise of Rachel Dratch’s character “Debbie Downer” who made her “SNL” debut in 2004. John Mulaney and Pete Davidson led another musical-based sketch, commenting on the hallmarks of New York City.
Adam Sandler, who performed several original songs on “SNL” throughout the 1990s, returned to deliver a tribute to the comedy show’s 50th year. He referred to the experiences of the show as the “best times of our lives,” attributed to creator Lorne Michaels.
“SNL” additionally celebrated more of its history through a montage dedicated to physical comedy, introduced by Molly Shannon’s character Sally O’Malley from 1999. Notable moments included several music-based sketches, Steve Martin’s “Dancing in the Dark” and a supercut of Chris Farley falling on several tables.
A John Belushi short film, “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” was also included in the special, originally airing in 1978. Belushi is aged significantly, reminiscing on his deceased castmates in a cemetery. He begins dancing on their graves, having outlived all of them; Belushi passed four years after its original airing.
History was not always looked on fondly, as Tom Hanks introduced the special’s “In Memoriam.” The segment was dedicated to the memory of all the prior sketches of questionable taste, including problematic moments of sexual assault and harrassment, racial stereotyping, controversial makeup, racist accents and distasteful guests.
Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard paid tribute to Sinead O’Connor, a 1992 musical guest, in a performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” O’Connor received significant backlash after tearing a picture of Pope John Paul II on-air, protesting the Catholic Church’s handling of abuse allegations.
In a more recent reference, Sabrina Carpenter teamed up with Marcello Hernandez to bring a new edition of the “Domingo” sketches, including Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny as brothers of Hernandez. The men sang about winning over several members of a family, referring to the original sketch that went viral on social media in 2024.
Notably missing in attendance were former cast members Bill Hader, Dan Aykroyd and Dana Carvey. During the final minutes of the special’s “Goodnights” curtain call, original cast members Jane Curtin and Newman held up a large picture in honor of the late Gilda Radner. Radner was also an original cast member who died in 1989.
The special is now streaming on Peacock, and videos of the sketches and performances are available on the “SNL” YouTube page.
