In a night filled with nostalgia and humor, there was plenty to love (and little to loathe) about 'SNL50,' the star-studded 'Saturday Night Live' 50th anniversary special. Here are the best and worst moments.
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The best and worst moments from the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special
In a night filled with nostalgia and humor, there was plenty to love (and little to loathe) about "SNL50."
By
Andy Hoglund
Updated on February 17, 2025 12:17AM EST
71Comments
Tracy Morgan and Eddie Murphy in 'Black Jeopardy' sketch.
Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary is one of this year's milestone celebrations, marked by decades of iconic sketches, unforgettable musical performances, and a host of legendary guest appearances. Sunday's event brought together
beloved cast members from past and present, a culmination of the show's enduring influence on comedy and pop culture. It was, in other words, the ultimate victory lap — a night packed with nostalgia, humor, and surprise moments. Here are the best and worst moments from
SNL50: The Anniversary Special
01of 20
BEST: SNL lore
Martin Short and Steve Martin on 'SNL50'.
From the opening moments featuring the likes of
Paul Simon and
Steve Martin,
SNL50 sought to weave in legends from the show’s early years, including an opening montage featuring cast photos from different
SNL eras.
In his monologue, Martin also gave a nod to the show’s writers, featuring a cutaway to a few familiar faces, including Jim Downey and Robert Smigel. He was later joined on stage by former
SNL cast member
Martin Short and former
SNL writer
John Mulaney, which made for a nice blend of generations.
02of 20
WORST: Corporate brand synergy
Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader in a Volkswagen ad featuring 'The Californians'.
Saturday Night Live/Youtube
During the show’s NYC musical sketch, John Mulaney lamented the decline of the New York arts and music scenes, noting that "the city is a bunch of TD Banks." A good point, but one at odds with the messaging in the lead-up to the anniversary special, which was littered with cross-pollinated brand messaging.
Once upon a time,
Lorne Michaels frowned on his stars cozying up to high-profile commercial work, out of a concern it would undercut their role as satirists. Today, it's a different story. During the
SNL50 red carpet special and beyond, we were treated to an Allstate commercial with the Please Don’t Destroy crew; Capitol One ads via Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon's
"Delicious Dish" revival; a T-Mobile "rap" featuring
Kenan Thompson and
Marcello Hernández. But that's not all...
There was Maybelline's red carpet sponsorship and new ad campaign with
Cecily Strong and
Vanessa Bayer;
Bowen Yang and
Sarah Sherman going full metal in a new campaign for CeraVe; and
Volkswagen debuted a new commercial featuring "The Californians" characters. Everyone's got to make a living, but it was too much.
03of 20
BEST: 'Black Jeopardy' cameos
Kenan Thompson, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, and Eddie Murphy play 'Black Jeopardy'.
NBC
In the "Black Jeopardy" sketch, one of the night's surprises was seeing
Tracy Morgan as one of the show contestants — and, as a rival participant, the legend
Eddie Murphy… as Morgan!
Showtime at the Apollo and
In Living Color references were the icing on the cake.
Next up: Tom Hanks returned as MAGA voter Doug, who
previously appeared on the segment.
04of 20
WORST: Broadly named montages
Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Chris Rock, and Adam Sandler in 'SNL' montage.
Maybe
SNL40 said it best when it comes to succinctly honoring the show's best moments. In a long, curious pre-tape, genuinely classic moments were interspersed with modern hackery. When your thesis statement let's you pack in practically anything — from Chevy Chase pratfalls to “
Love (s a Dream” to forgettable recent scenes, like Chris Rock's surgeon being sprayed with blood by Adam Sandler — maybe just call your segment "Montage."
05of 20
BEST: Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey
Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey.
nbc
"Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey" was a segment on
SNL consisting of surreal one-liner jokes written and orated by the former
SNL writer that aired in the '90s, so hearing the music, that Phil Hartman voiceover, and Handey's demure narration during the anniversary show really took us back. It was easily one of the night's best surprises.
06of 20
BEST: Adam Driver's face
Julia Louis-Drefus and Adam Driver on 'SNL50'.
NBC
After
Julia Louis-Dreyfus explained that her emotional support dog took Jon Lovitz's seat in 8H, the
Veep star turned her attention to
Adam Driver's steely, stoic gaze, which she claimed masked his attraction to her. Iconic!
07of 20
BEST: Aubrey Plaza!
Aubrey plaza on 'SNL50'.
Aubrey Plaza has been laying low since the tragic
death of her husband Jeff Baena, who died by suicide on Jan. 3. So it was moving to see her introduce Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard's cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U.”
08of 20
WORST: Show hypocrisy
Sinead O'Connor rips up photo of the Pope on 'SNL'. Yvonne Hemsey/getty
Speaking of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the show honored a track famously performed on
SNL by Sinead O’Connor, who
died in 2023. Famously, the show cut O'Connor loose after
she ripped up a picture of the Pope in protest of the church’s child sex abuse scandals.
09of 20
BEST: (Drunk) Update couple
Drunk Uncle and the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party visit Weekend Update.
The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party (Cecily Strong) announced she's having a baby with Drunk Uncle (
Bobby Moynihan)! It was fun to see Moynihan riff on show history. One qualm: No Drunk Girl?
10of 20
WORST: (Canadian) Update couple
Vanessa Bayer and Fred Armisen on 'SNL50'.
I love
Vanessa Bayer, but did not need to see the Lorne Michael's “
best friends from growing up” characters at the anniversary show. Instead, we needed Oscar winner Howard Shore here — who actually grew up with Lorne!
11of 20
BEST: Bill Murray ranks Weekend Update hosts
Bill Murray on 'SNL50'.
NBC
On Friday,
Bill Murray performed as Nick the Lounge Singer during the Homecoming Concert. At tonight's
SNL50, his anchor correspondent returned to list his favorite Update hosts. Beyond the classy tribute to
Norm Macdonald, Bill's shout-out to his own brother Brian Doyle Murray was amazing. (Gail Matthius was snubbed!)
12of 20
BEST: Self-aware in-jokes
Andy Samberg on 'SNL50'.
At times, the show displayed surprising self-awareness.
Andy Samberg's digital short on
SNL's long history of anxiety was incisive and smart — and featured a fun rapping cameo from
Chris Parnell!
Meanwhile, when
Ryan Reynolds raised his hand during the Q&A segment with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Fey asked him, "How's it going?" Poking fun at the
legal battle/PR nightmare he and his wife Blake Lively are currently dealing with, the actor quipped, "Why, what have you heard?"
13of 20
WORST: Diminishing returns on the Mulaney musical
Kate McKinnon as Rudy Giuliani on 'SNL50'.
NBC
I will accept the return of
Kate McKinnon's alien abductee character Colleen Rafferty, but her Rudy Giuliani was a huge miss to me during the 50th anniversary celebration. And for that matter, the John Mulaney musical ode to New York City does not compare to its original iteration, "Lobster Diner." There is a legacy around NYC that needs to be grappled with, but I'm not sure musical theater is the answer. For one thing, Lin-Manuel Miranda
just revisited Hamilton on
SNL a mere month ago. (However, it was cool seeing Paul Shaffer and guitarist G.E. Smith back!)
14of 20
BEST: The return of Chad (and Laraine Newman!)
Laraine Newman and Pete Davidson as Chad on 'SNL50'.
nbc
Laraine Newman reminiscing about the original Not Ready for Primetime Players years was very moving — but also funny, as her trips down memory lane were undercut by
Pete Davidson's thoughtless dope Chad.
Gilda Radner is gone. John Belushi is gone. Seeing Laraine hold the torch for them was fantastic, as was seeing her and fellow original cast member Jane Curtin
hold up a photo of Gilda during the goodnights of the 50th anniversary special
15of 20
BEST: Adam Sandler's '50 years' performance
NBC
Elsewhere,
Adam Sandler paid tribute to the show's many memories and team members, including its hard-working crew. He stole the show here. (And was introduced by
Jack Nicholson who was making a rare public appearance!). I will never say a bad word about something that name drops Tim Kazurinsky.
16of 20
WORST: Iconic Will Ferrell character usage
Will Ferrell as Robert Goulet on 'SNL50'.
The commercial parody montage was a reminder of how hilarious
Will Ferrell was during his time on the show — and how wasted he was wedged into the inexplicably placed
Lawrence Welk Show segment. He has a deep bench of characters, so I'm not sure
SNL50 made the right call tapping his Robert Goulet. (However, he does conduct himself later on with his
Elf-referencing "Scared Straight" appearance.)
17of 20
BEST: Mike Myers as Linda Richman
Mike Myers as Linda Richman on 'SNL50'.
NBC
The "Bronx Beat" sketch with Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph was perfectly fine, but immediately was elevated when
Mike Myers’ Linda Richman showed up. It was the first appearance of the Coffee Talk host since Myers hosted
SNL back in 1997. And Richman's random cameo recalled the famous moment when Barbra Streisand guest starred in the sketch back in 1992. This was cool. Plus, we got a Paul Baldwin reference! In 2025, in this economy? We are spoiled. Feast on this, friends.
18of 20
BEST: Garrett Morris introduces 'Don't Look Back in Anger'
Garrett Morris on 'SNL50'.
NBC
After uneven returns from Debbie Downer and "Scared Straight," the show regained its footing by having Garrett Morris introduce Tom Schiller’s brilliant short film, "Don't Look Back in Anger.:
19of 20
BEST: Tom Hanks' In Memoriam
Problematic sketches on 'SNL50'.
NBC (3)
Tom Hanks took a moment to "honor those countless members of the
SNL family taken from us too soon." He wasn't speaking of late cast members, but
SNL characters and sketches that have aged horribly as they featured ethnic stereotypes, sexual harassment, body shaming, animal cruelty, questionable makeup, slut shaming, sexism, and Adrien Brody in an "ethnic" wig, to name a few.
Infamous sketches like Uncle Roy and Canteen Boy were called out. (Did I miss "It’s Pat"?) But ultimately, as Hanks pointed out, the audience is at fault: "You all laughed at them. So if anyone should be canceled, shouldn't it be you, the audience?"
20of 20
BEST: Lil Wayne's music medley
Lil Wayne performs on 'SNL50'.
NBC
No disrespect to Sir Paul McCartney, but Dwayne Carter Jr. (a.k.a.
Lil Wayne) clearly had the superior musical medley of the night. Backed by the Roots, the rapper performed hits including “Uproar,” “Lollipop,” “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “Mrs. Officer,” and “A Milli.” (Fun fact: Wayne first appeared on the show back in 2004, when he was featured in Destiny's Child performance of “Soldier.”)
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