Mark Your Calendar for These SNL 50 Anniversary Events, Specials, and Episodes
The show's many celebrations of the half-century milestone have led up to the SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Sunday, February 16.
The 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live is a historic event a half-century in the making.
So it's only fitting that NBC has been celebrating the impact of the iconic late night series with multiple specials, an in-depth docuseries, and even an immersive Live from New York: The SNL Experience event, which let lucky fans take a seat at the "Weekend Update" desk and play Host of their own SNL episode.
Here's your guide to every SNL50 anniversary celebration in 2025, as we barrel toward an exciting weekend that kicks off with a Radio City Music Hall concert event and the big anniversary special.
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February 14: SNL50: The Homecoming Concert
Hosted by cast alum and Tonight Show Host Jimmy Fallon and produced by Lorne Michaels and Mark Ronson, SNL50: The Homecoming boasts a monster lineup of former SNL Musical Guests:
- Arcade Fire
- Backstreet Boys
- Bad Bunny
- Bonnie Raitt
- Brandi Carlile
- Brittany Howard
- Chris Martin
- David Byrne
- Dave Grohl
- Eddie Vedder
- Jack White
- Jelly Roll
- Lady Gaga
- Miley Cyrus
- Post Malone
- DEVO
- Mumford & Sons
- Preservation Hall Jazz Band
- The B-52s
- The Roots
The concert will take place at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, and you can stream it live on Peacock at 8pm ET/5pm PT on February 14.
February 15: Watch the very first episode of Saturday Night Live on NBC
Revisit where it all began — back when the show was called NBC's Saturday Night — with NBC's special presentation of SNL's October 11, 1975 first episode.
Hosted by George Carlin featuring performances by Musical Guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian, the episode starred the Not Ready for Prime Time Players with appearances by comedian Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson's Muppets.
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Watch the first-ever SNL telecast on Saturday, February 15, at 11:30 pm ET/PT on NBC and Peacock, following an encore broadcast of Ladies & Gentleman...50 Years of SNL Music at 8pm ET/PT.
February 16: SNL50: The Anniversary Special and red carpet event
The celebrations will culminate with the three-hour primetime SNL50: The Anniversary Special. The star-studded event will feature a half-century worth of sketches, cast members, Hosts, and other collaborators, in what will surely be one extraordinary evening.
The program is set to air live across time zones on NBC and Peacock on Sunday, February 16, starting at 8ET/5pm PT.
And don’t miss the live one-hour red carpet ahead of the special starting at 7ET/4pm PT, airing on NBC, E!, and Peacock.
Who is hosting the red carpet for the SNL50: The Anniversary Special?
Willie Geist and Leslie Jones, with correspondent Matt Rogers. Their broadcast will air live on NBC, E!, and Peacock at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
Willie Geist is a familiar face to NBC viewers: He has hosted Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist since April 2016. He is also a co-host on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, as well as a regular host of TODAY, and a contributor to various programs across NBC News.
Leslie Jones is a stand-up comedian, author, and an SNL cast member from 2014-2019, for which she earned three Emmy Award nominations.
Jones has also appeared in movies including Sing, Coming 2 America, and Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters.
Matt Rogers is an actor, comedian, presenter, and co-host of the long-running Las Culturistas podcast with SNL cast member Bowen Yang. His film and TV credits include No Good Deed, Fire Island, and I Love That For You.
Chicken Shop Date's Amelia Dimoldenberg to host SNL's livestream
Amelia Dimoldenberg will host SNL's livestream of the red carpet online, which you can watch on the show's YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok accounts.
The English presenter is creator and host of the popular web series Chicken Shop Date, where Dimoldenberg has interviewed a wide range of celebrities including Cynthia Erivo, Paul Mescal, SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, and Cher.
Who will be on the SNL:50 The Anniversary Special?
An array of beloved past Hosts and Musical Guest are set to participate in the special, including:
- Adam Driver
- Ayo Edibiri
- Bad Bunny
- Dave Chappelle
- John Mulaney
- Kim Kardashian
- Martin Short
- Miley Cyrus
- Paul McCartney
- Paul Simon
- Pedro Pascal
- Peyton Manning
- Quinta Brunson
- Robert De Niro
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Scarlett Johansson
- Steve Martin
- Tom Hanks
- Woody Harrelson
As NBC confirmed on February 10, here are the former cast members who will participate in the show:
- Adam Sandler
- Amy Poehler
- Andy Samberg
- Chevy Chase
- Chris Rock
- Eddie Murphy
- Fred Armisen
- Garrett Morris
- Jane Curtin
- Jason Sudeikis
- Jimmy Fallon
- Kate McKinnon
- Kenan Thompson
- Kristen Wiig
- Laraine Newman
- Maya Rudolph
- Molly Shannon
- Pete Davidson
- Seth Meyers
- Tina Fey
- Tracy Morgan
- Will Ferrell
- Will Forte
Questlove's Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music documentary
On January 27, NBC premiered the documentary Ladies & Gentleman ... 50 Years of SNL Music, co-directed by Oz Rodriguez and The Roots drummer, Tonight Show bandleader, and Oscar-winning filmmaker Questlove.
Including interviews with current and former cast and musicians like Dave Grohl, Elvis Costello, Billie Eilish and more, the documentary explores some of the show's 900-plus Musical Guests, and delivered "untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking and news-making musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years."
The 50 Years of SNL Music documentary is currently streaming on Peacock, and you can catch a re-air on NBC this Saturday, February 15 at 8/7c.
RELATED: Questlove's SNL Music Documentary Cold Open: The Songs in the Six-Minute Intro
Peacock's Beyond Saturday Night Docuseries
The all-access four-part docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night premiered on January 16, 2025, and is now available to stream only on Peacock. Each episode takes a deep dive into a different aspect of SNL, from the writers' room to the audition process, and more.
Executive-produced by Morgan Neville, the Academy and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker behind documentaries Piece by Piece and 20 Feet From Stardom, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night features rare behind-the-scenes footage of the iconic late night series, celebrity interviews, and more than 60 contributors — including former cast members and writers — reflecting on working on the show.
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Episode 1, "Five Minutes," includes footage of beloved cast's auditions, as well as tryouts from hopefuls who didn't get hired — but did become famous. Episode 2 followed the show's writers over a week as they craft pitches into finished sketches, while Episode 3 is fully devoted to Will Ferrell's iconic "More Cowbell" sketch.
Finally, Episode 4, "Season 11: The Weird Year," probes what happened when SNL creator Lorne Michaels returned to helm the show after a brief absence, assembling a brand-new cast that included Joan Cusack and Robert Downey, Jr.
All four episodes of Beyond Saturday Night are streaming Peacock now.
50 Seasons in 50 Days: The sketches
The team behind SNL has selected one sketch from every single season to represent a facet of the show's legacy, offering a retrospective of 50 seasons in 50 days.
The countdown continues until the SNL50 anniversary special on February 16. Check out each of the show's picks to date below, and learn more about the making of each one as you watch:
Season 50: Domingo Went Viral in SNL's "Bridesmaid Speech" Sketch with Ariana Grande
Season 49: SNL's "Beavis and Butt-Head" Sketch Won Emmys for Ryan Gosling's Transformation
Season 48: Pedro Pascal Took a Wild Ride to Rainbow Road in SNL's "HBO Mario Kart Trailer"
Season 47: SNL Brought Broadway Underground with "Subway Churro"
Season 46: Yeet Skrt: Timothée Chalamet Dropped Bars in SNL's "Rap Roundtable" Sketch
Season 45: SNL's Creative "What Up With That: At Home" Edition Was Packed with Cameos
Season 44: Matt Damon Recreated Brett Kavanaugh's Hearing in SNL's Season 44 Cold Open
Season 43: SNL's "Papyrus" Sketch with Ryan Gosling Made James Cameron "Double Down" on the Font
Season 42: Why SNL's "Black Jeopardy" Sketch with Tom Hanks Was Called "Sneakily Profound"
Season 41: Why SNL's Larry David "Totino's" Sketch Took the Super Bowl Ad to a "Creepy Level"
Season 40: Seth Meyers and Steve Higgins Wrote "SNL 40: Celebrity Jeopardy" for a Legendary Cast
Season 39: SNL's "(Do It on My) Twin Bed" Dropped Cast's — and Jimmy Fallon's — Childhood Photos
Season 38: John Mulaney Purposely Made Bill Hader Break in "Stefon on Halloween's Hottest Tips"
Season 37: Lindsay Lohan's "Disney Housewives" SNL Sketch Got a Glowing Review From Andy Cohen
Season 36: Katy Perry Was a Teenage Dream in SNL's "Bronx Beat: Maureen Diccico" Sketch
Season 35: Why Kristen Wiig Called the Garth and Kat Sketch Her Most "Freeing" SNL Experience
Live from New York: The SNL Experience
From January 30 to Sunday, February 2, fans were able to "host" their own episode of Saturday Night Live in "Live from New York: The SNL Experience." The limited-time immersive attraction let fans live out their SNL dreams by having them lead the long-running late night show, from bursting through the Studio 8H stage doors to anchoring "Weekend Update" and hanging out in the "Wayne's World" basement.
Read a full recap of The SNL Experience here.
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Originally published Jan 15, 2025.
