The SNL40 Anniversary Had Taylor Swift, Betty White & Bradley Cooper in One Sketch
NBC's three-hour 2015 special featured A-listers playing classic Saturday Night Live characters and so. many. cameos. Revisit the night below.
On Sunday, February 16, Saturday Night Live celebrates a half-decade on the air with the live, three-hour SNL: The Anniversary Special. The ever-growing list of celebrities and former cast members is practically a mile long, and you might be wondering what to expect when it comes to the evening's programming. Will there be sketches? Musical performances? Awards show-style montages?
The answer is: Yes, probably — but because SNL is famous for serving up surprises in real time, you'll simply have to watch at 8 ET/5 PT to see what the months-in-the-making special really has in store. "I believe every famous person in the universe will be there," Season 50 cast member Mikey Day told TODAY back in June 2023. "It’s wild.”
But that doesn't mean it's not worth looking back at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary special, which aired in February 2015, to see what they did back then. Not least because it's fun to revisit the many highlights, from a monster "The Californians" sketch featuring (deep breath) Taylor Swift, Betty White, Bradley Cooper, Kerry Washington, and original cast member Laraine Newman to Melissa McCarthy taking on Chris Farley's iconic Matt Foley character.
RELATED: Everything to Know About SNL50: The Anniversary Special
Read on for a recap of SNL40's anniversary show.
The SNL40th Anniversary Special intro: Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake's rap tribute to classic sketches
The cold open to the SNL 40th special starred Fallon — who'll be hosting 2025's SNL50: The Homecoming Concert on February 14 — and his pal and collaborator Justin Timberlake. The two performed a rapped homage to beloved moments from the show over the years, packing a gazillion references into those bars.
It also featured a special appearance from a certain "superstar" character.
RELATED: How Justin Timberlake Convinced Beyoncé to Do SNL's "Single Ladies" Sketch
Dan Aykroyd performed his Bass-O-Matic sketch from SNL Season 1
Dan Aykroyd, one of the original The Not Ready for Prime Time Players, donned his checkered suit and fired up the ol' Bass-O-Matic. That's good bass!
Celebrity Jeopardy! SNL40th Edition
Written by Seth Meyers and Steve Higgins, this special edition of Higgins' "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketches starred Will Ferrell, Darrell Hammond, Kate McKinnon, Jim Carrey, Alec Baldwin, and the late Norm MacDonald as Burt Reynolds, aka Turd Ferguson.
Pete Davidson and Leslie Jones introduced a montage of SNL auditions
The show's auditions montage featured snippets of tryouts from "people that Lorne hired, and a few maybe he should've." Among them were famous cast like Bill Hader, Gilda Radner, Jay Pharaoh, and Phil Hartman (check out Seth Meyers' Hugh Grant impression!), plus Jim Carrey, Stephen Colbert, Zach Galifianakis, Kevin Hart, and more.
Check out Episode 1 of Peacock's Beyond Saturday Night docuseries for more SNL audition stories.
Miley Cyrus and Paul McCartney performed
Cyrus, who is participating in both the Radio City Music Hall Homecoming concert and the February 16 special, performed an astounding cover of Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."
"The Californians" with Taylor Swift, Betty White, and...everybody
You haven't lived until you've heard Swift's exaggerated southern California accent.
"Weekend Update" with Melissa McCarthy as Matt Foley and Emma Stone as Roseanne Roseannadanna
Uniting "Weekend Update" anchors Jane Curtin, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey — also featuring Ed Norton as Stefon plus so much more — this was one for the books.
Andy Samberg and Adam Sandler's "That's When You Break"
Introduced by Zach Galifianakis in a Sia wig (it was 2015!), this Digital Short had two SNL superstars teaming up for a musical tribute to that magical moment when a cast member breaks into laughter.
