SNL50: The Anniversary Special and Red Carpet LIVE UPDATES

And with a performance by Paul McCartney and a sweet goodnights speech from Martin Short — featuring the most crowded Studio 8H stage moment in history? — that's a wrap on SNL50: The Anniversary Show. Thanks for watching along!

Wonderful to see original cast member Garrett Morris, who jokes that when he joined in 1975 he never expected to be captive to so many reunions.

Morris introduced "Don't Look Back in Anger," the Season 3 short that found John Belushi in makeup to look elderly as he visited the graves of his former cast mates. The sketch is of course particularly poignant now, as Belushi died in 1982, while Gilda Radner died of cancer in 1989.

Jason Sudeikis' police officer character brings two inmates (Eddie Murphy and Kenan Thompson) to talk to three "30 year old children" (Season 50 cast members Michael Longfellow, Mikey Day, and Marcello Hernández) in SNL50's "Scared Straight."

Then Will Ferrell struts in — all leg — as an inmate named "Big Red," whose life story sounds suspiciously like Buddy's in Elf. 

Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Marcello Hernandez, Mikey Day, Michael Longfellow during the “Scared Straight” sketch on SNL50: The Anniversary Show on February 16, 2025. Photo: Chris Haston/NBC

Ayo Edebiri, Drew Barrymore, and Robert De Niro met Debbie Downer (Rachel Dratch) for their first time and Bobby is having none of it. Jimmy Fallon, who co-starred in the very first Debbie Downer sketch, was also on hand — and Dratch worked in a callback to when he broke during the original when she announced that she can't have children.

"But I told you that before, Jimmy," Dratch said.

Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph reunite for a "Bronx Beat" in which they sat down with actor Miles Teller before a walk-on from Mike Myers' Linda Richman — who loves "sweata weatha" as much as they do. 

And in case anyone was getting sleepy an hour and 40 minutes into the telecast, The Roots backed Lil Wayne to deliver an energizing medley of his hits including "A Milli," "6 Foot 7 Foot," and "Mrs. Officer."

When Chad met original Not Ready for Prime Time Player Laraine Newman, sparks flew. Well, technically, a stage light fell. 

John Mulaney's New York musical took a tour of NYC with a sprawling cast led by Pete Davidson and David Spade. 

Maya Rudolph played a syringe opposite Adam Driver, while Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte did an extremely solid Les Miserables parody (as did Kristen Wiig, as a green M&M who's seen better days). 

Kate McKinnon showed up as Rudy Giuliani to take a Hamilton-seque look at his mayoral era (with help from Lin-Manuel Miranda himself), Sarah Sherman played Mike Bloomberg, while Devon Walker stepped up as Eric Adams. 

"And somehow, New York feels like it's back in the seventies," Mulaney narrated, as Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, and James Austin Johnson duetted a ballad about roving e-bikes set to Little Shop of Horrors' "Suddenly Seymour."

Kenan Thompson's lobster made a wonderful return as the diner lobster, while actual Les Miserables star Nick Jonas joined Ana Gasteyer, Taran Killam, Maya Rudolph and...everyone for a gritty rework of Les Miserables' "One Day More."

Cecily Strong's Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party is back — and pregnant, like Strong herself — and huge reveal: The father is Drunk Uncle (Bobby Moynihan)! 

Seth Meyers returned to talk with Lorne's friends from high school (Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer) before Bill Murray returned to rank the best "Weekend Update" correspondents of all time. While the late Norm MacDonald took second place, Murray faked Colin Jost out before revealing his top pick is his own brother, Brian Doyle-Murray. 

After a hilarious, star-studded Q&A hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Bowen Yang, Andy Samberg, and Sarah Sherman joined forces for a pretaped musical sketch about the special sort of nerves that every single person involved with making SNL feels at one point or other (callback to Dan Aykroyd's Bass-O-Matic sketch!)

And then, introduced by Aubrey Plaza, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard took the stage for a duet of "Nothing Compares 2 U," written by Prince but popularized by Sinéad O'Connor, whose controversial SNL appearance was revisited in Questlove's Ladies & Gentlemen...50 Years of SNL Music documentary.

Sabrina Carpenter officially joins the "Domingo" universe as Sophie, Kelsey's recently incarcerated relative, who introduces the Kel-Squad (Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Sarah Sherman) to sing a Wicked-ified new song that brings fresh information for poor Matthew (Andrew Dismukes). 

"Kelsey has made a commitment, so guess what? This just in: She's gonna try monogamy / She's finally learned what is monogamy, and we will hold her doooown," they sing in a parody of "Defying Gravity."

But they're not done — now, a Taylor Swift parody lets Matthew know that Domingo's very much on her mind (cue Marcello Hernández rolling up as the man of the hour).

"Como se di se 'open relationship?'" he and Carpenter sing. But in a wonderful surprise, Matthew's grooms have arrived! Meet three Scotts and Dale (Bowen Yang, Andy Samberg, Kyle Mooney, and Beck Bennett) here to sing a fresh "Espresso" parody.

"Wait: What even is this song?" Carpenter's Sophie asks. That's how we meet Matthew's new friend Renaldo (Pedro Pascal) and his hot cousin (Bad Bunny). 

And now: Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey.

Joined by Leslie Jones, Chris Rock, Kenan Thompson, Tracy Morgan himself, and the return of Tom Hanks as iconic "Black Jeopardy" guest Doug, the sketch included a meta joke in which nobody knew the name of Saturday Night Live. 

It was followed by a tribute to SNL's many, many pratfalls and gross-out moments — introduced by Five-Timer Emma Stone and Molly Shannon's Sally O'Malley. Both O'Malley and SNL are, you guessed it, "FIFTY! 50 years old."

Black Jeopardy – SNL50

Will Ferrell's Robert Goulet is back!

It also wouldn't be a "Lawrence Welk" sketch without the Maharelle sisters — this time played by Ana Gasteyer, Kim Kardashian, Scarlett Johansson, and of course, Kristen Wiig's legendary Doonese and her tiny, tiny hands (which performed a rousing drum solo on Kardashian's backside).

"Isn't love wonderful? And by wonderful, I mean visually upsetting," Fred Armisen's Lawrence Welk declares.

Who else should perform SNL's opening monologue but 16-time Host Steve Martin? 

"We wanted to make sure Bill Murray would be here tonight, so we didn't invite him," Murray joked, also shouting out the writers (who, in a gag, were left standing out in the rain — and yes, those are real SNL writers including Celeste Yim, Simon Rich, and Jim Downey!).

"As I look around, I see some of the most difficult people I have ever seen in my entire life," John Mulaney joked after joining Martin onstage, with the great Martin Short joining right after ("the only Canadian not on Schitt's Creek," Martin joked of Short).

Simon, a four-time SNL Host, introduces a song that he performed with George Harrison in 1976. 

"I was not born then, and neither were my parents," Carpenter joked, before delivering an absolutely gorgeous duet of Simon & Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound" with Simon. 

The SNL alums, Ghostbusters costars, and friends had a moment when they revealed that Leslie Jones at one point thought her cast mate's last name was "Middleton" until she learned otherwise.

"You're the queen!" the two told each other (agreed). 

"I cried at the 40th for sure, and I'll probably cry tonight," McKinnon teased, saying the musical numbers will make her particularly "emo."

Spotted on the carpet: Meryl Streep, a pregnant and radiant Cecily Strong, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Emma Stone and Dave McCary (they met on set of SNL!).

Paul Rudd tells Leslie Jones the amount of star power in the building is "overwhelming," while John Mulaney tells Willie Geist he still can't believe he "had to follow Nirvana" and Post Malone at Friday's SNL: The Homecoming Concert (which is available to stream on Peacock now).

The red carpet duo has already talked to Tina Fey, who shouted out the late Jan Hooks as an all-time favorite cast member, and Adam Sandler — both of whom will be in tonight's show.