It’s hard to believe, but this year, Saturday Night Live turns 50 years old. Created by Lorne Michaels, the show premiered on Oct. 11, 1975 and while it didn’t go quite as smoothly, it certainly became a cultural phenomenon. Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, George Coe, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O’Donoghue, Gilda Radner, and host George Carlin were the first to appear on the legendary show. And now, as its 50th anniversary special approaches, NBC has released a partial list of major A-list actors, musicians, and celebrities who will appear.
SNL50: The Anniversary Special will feature a who’s who of major celebrities, per Variety. They include Sir Paul McCartney, Tom Hanks, Kim Kardashian, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Scarlett Johansson, Dave Chappelle, Miley Cyrus, Paul Simon, Robert De Niro, Sabrina Carpenter, Pedro Pascal, Bad Bunny, Quinta Brunson, Peyton Manning, Woody Harrelson, Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, and John Mulaney. More stars will be announced soon.
NBC is Celebrating 50 Years of SNL with Multiple Specials and Documentaries
Leading up to the SNL 50th Anniversary show, NBC released some specials and documentaries to commemorate the history of the show. The four-part documentary SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night showcased interesting facts about the show’s history, including how auditions are done, hilarious sketches, the “weird” 11th season following a major cast shakeup, and certain sketches that live in infamy.
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Musical guests were also a major part of the show, and a new documentary called Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (drummer of The Roots), debuted in late January and focused on the legacy of those performances. There were some legendary performances, and even some infamous ones, including the late Sinéad O’Connor tearing up a photo of the Pope, Ashlee Simpson being outed as a lip-syncer live on the show when the vocal track failed, and others. This author would sometimes tune in just to watch certain bands like the Beastie Boys, Soundgarden, The Strokes, and more.
Additionally, there will be a special concert called the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert with host Jimmy Fallon happening at Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 14. You’ll be able to watch a livestream of the special on Peacock. Bands and musical guests will include a variety of genres, and include The B-52s, The Roots, David Byrne, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Backstreet Boys, Chris Martin, DEVO, Jelly Roll, Mumford & Sons, Post Malone, Robyn, Brittany Howard, Bad Bunny, Arcade Fire, Bonnie Raitt, Brittany Howard, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and others.
It has also spent decades launching the careers of its sketch comedy actors into true stars, including Aykroyd, Chase, Murray, Curtain, Adam Sandler, Mike Meyers, Dana Carvey, Eddie Murphy, David Spade, the late Chris Farley, and others. The first big spinoff movie was Wayne’s World, a popular sketch show that became a box office hit in early 1992, and even brought Queen back into the spotlight, following legend Freddie Mercury’s untimely death.
SNL50: The Anniversary Special will be a three-hour live show and will air on Feb. 16 on NBC.
Release Date
October 11, 1975
Network
NBC
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Al Roker
Self / Margaret Jo McCullin / Various
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