Many generations enjoy a new Saturday Night Live (SNL) episode weekly from their couches. The show is currently in its 50th season. SNL held a 50th anniversary special on Feb. 16, 2024, to honor this milestone. The special featured many hilarious moments, including appearances by former cast members who reflected on past seasons.
The Homecoming Concert
The excitement for the anniversary special started on Valentine’s night with the Homecoming Concert, which featured great music, humor and celebrity appearances. The show took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and saw amazing performances from artists like Bad Bunny, Cher, Snoop Dogg and Miley Cyrus.
In addition to serious musical performances, the night featured humorous songs typical of SNL’s style. Viewers saw the return of Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer’s characters, Marty Culp and Bobbi Mohan-Culp. The Culps came together to perform hilarious covers of popular songs, including “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar and “Good Luck, Babe” by Chappell Roan, in an attempt to be what they called “Brat.”
Lady Gaga took fans through emotional whiplash with her performance of “Shallow,” a deep, emotional song from the singer’s 2018 film “A Star is Born.” This heartfelt song was followed by a performance of the 2009 skit “Dick in a Box,” which is a witty song. Overall, fans enjoyed Gaga’s performance.
The evening was an excellent way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with great music and lots of laughter.
The Anniversary Special
However, the most important event took place Sunday evening with the three-hour anniversary special. The night was a success with appearances from past and current cast members to some of the biggest stars. Viewers were able to enjoy an amusing monologue by Martin Short and John Mulaney, comedic skits with various stars and musical performances from popular artists.
The skits were celebrity cameo-filled. Fans saw the return of Domingo, a popular character of Marcello Hernández. Domingo initially appeared in a sketch with singer Ariana Grande, and shortly after, he made a return with Charli XCX. It seems fitting that the writers of SNL would bring him back once again to star alongside Sabrina Carpenter. The skit has blown up on social media yet again.
Another popular skit from the evening included the “Weekend Update.” This segment appears weekly on the show, hosted by Colin Jost and Michael Che. The fake news segment is consistently a favorite among audiences, and the anniversary special was no exception. Bill Murray was a guest on the segment where he ranked past Weekend Update hosts from best to worst. However, neither he nor Jost appeared on the list. The segment also saw appearances from Bobby Moynihan, Cecily Strong, Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer.
One standout moment from the evening included Amy Poehler and Tina Fey’s audience Q&A. The two stood before the crowd and invited questions, all of which were scripted. At one point, Ryan Reynolds stood up to ask a question. When Poehler and Fey asked how he was doing, he replied, “Great. Why? What have you heard?” This was a reference to the recent drama involving his wife, Blake Lively, and director Justin Baldoni.
The evening was filled with laughter and nostalgia. Current and past cast members reunited to put on a great show honoring the years of hard work and dedication put into SNL. The celebrity cameos were exciting, and the 50th anniversary of SNL was a great success.
The post SNL Celebrates 50 Years of Comedy with Anniversary Special first appeared on The Daily Utah Chronicle.