Is the ‘SNL’ 50th anniversary on tonight? Fans have to wait until Sunday.
If you’re looking to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” Saturday night, you’ll have to wait another day. NBC’s special anniversary episode airs Sunday night − not on Saturday, as one might expect.
The live, three-hour special comedy show airs one day after the late-night comedy show’s first 1975 episode re-aired on NBC Saturday night.
Featured show guests for the Feb. 16 show include Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, 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 and Woody Harrelson.
Here’s what else to know about the highly-anticipated show and how to watch it.
On Feb. 10, NBC confirmed the following cast members will also appear on the special:
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The “SNL” 50th anniversary special telecast from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center is set for Sunday, Feb. 16. It will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Viewers can watch it on NBC or stream the show on Peacock.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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Saturday Night Live’s celebration of the classic comedy sketch series concludes this weekend with the SNL 50: The Anniversary Special.
The official 50th anniversary of SNL happens later this fall since the first episode of the iconic NBC series was on Oct. 11, 1975. Director Jason Reitman chronicled the crazy 90 minutes that preceded the first show in his 2024 movie Saturday Night when producer Lorne Michaels introduced the “Not Ready for Primetime Players”—John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Gilda Radner, Larraine Newman and Chevy Chase—to popular culture.
To commemorate the first 50 years of the show, NBC is hosting the SNL 50: The Anniversary Special, a three-hour program airing live from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center in New York City that will feature previous cast members and hosts, as well as several special guests.
The SNL 50: The Anniversary Special will air live Sunday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC-TV and stream on Peacock. If you go the streaming route, you must be a subscriber to the NBC Universal streaming platform to watch the SNL 50: The Anniversary Special.
Peacock has an ad-based subscription package for $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year and an ad-free subscription package for $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year. For a limited time, however, Peacock is offering new subscribers the $79.99 yearly package for $29.99 for a year.
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According to NBC, the network will also broadcast a special from the red carpet beginning at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The network said former Saturday Night Live cast member Leslie Jones will join Sunday TODAY host Willie Geist and comedian Matt Rogers to do interviews for the event.
The SNL 50: The Anniversary Special is the final event in Saturday Night Live’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the show. In January, Peacock began streaming the four-part docuseries SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night, which gave an intricate inside look at how the show comes together every week.
After that, Peacock started streaming the three-hour documentary Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music, which features interviews with musical acts past and present who have performed on Saturday Night Live. On Friday night, more than two dozen artists as well as previous SNL cast members appeared at Radio City Music Hall in New York City for the SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert event.
Sunday’s SNL 50: The Anniversary Special will feature several Saturday Night Live cast alumni along with previous hosts for the show and special guests.
Per Peacock, among the SNL alums appearing on the special are Adam Sandler, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Chevy Chase, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Fred Armisen, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon and Kate McKinnon.
In addition, SNL cast members past or present including Kristen Wiig, Kenan Thompson, Laraine Newman, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Pete Davidson, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Will Ferrell and Will Forte will appear.
Peacock also noted that among the special guests appearing on the 50th Anniversary special are Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, 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 and Woody Harrelson.
The SNL 50: The Anniversary Special will air live Sunday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC-TV and will simultaneously stream on Peacock.
Tim Lammers has been a Forbes contributor since March 2024. Before that, Tim accumulated more than 30 years of experience… Read More
Tim Lammers has been a Forbes contributor since March 2024. Before that, Tim accumulated more than 30 years of experience
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