‘Saturday Night Live’ anniversary special opens with Paul Simon, Sabrina Carpenter and Steve Martin

By Canadian Press on February 16, 2025.

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter opened the 50th anniversary special celebrating “Saturday Night Live” with a duet of his song “Homeward Bound.”

The 83-year-old Simon has been a constant on “SNL” since its earliest episodes in 1975, and performed on the first show after the 9/11 attack. He was joined by the 25-year-old pop sensation of the moment, Carpenter.

“I sang this song with George Harrison on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1976,” Simon said.

“I was not born then,” Carpenter said, getting a laugh. “And neither were my parents,” she added, getting a bigger laugh.

Fifty seasons of “Saturday Night Live” sketches, songs and special guests are being celebrated for the special’s landmark anniversary.

Steve Martin, one of the shows most prolific hosts and guests since the first season in 1975, delivered the opening monologue, and even on a backward-looking night the show tried to keep it current.

Martin said when the show’s creator Lorne Michaels only told him he’d be doing the monologue, “I was actually vacationing on a friend’s boat down on the Gulf of Steve Martin.”

He was joined by his frequent collaborator and former cast member Martin Short.

Martin asked the Canadian Short if he’d brought his passport, and when he said “no,” Martin shouted for ICE to come drag him off.

John Mulaney, another popular host and a former longtime writer on the show, also joined him, and looked out at the star-studded crowd, where many former hosts sat in the same Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza that has been the show’s longtime home.

“As I look around, I see some of the most difficult people I have ever met in my entire life,” Mulaney said. “Over the course of 50 years, 894 people have hosted ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder.”

The pop culture juggernaut has launched the careers of generations of comedians, from Bill Murray to Eddie Murphy and Tina Fey to Kristen Wiig.

Many of them were on hand for “SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration,” airing live from New York, of course.

Martin took a jab at the always-difficult-to-wrangle Murray in his monologue.

“We wanted to make sure that Bill would be here tonight,” Martin said, “so we didn’t invite him.”

The three-hour extravaganza comes after months of celebrations of “Saturday Night Live,” which premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with an original cast that included John Belushi, Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner.

It’s become appointment television over the years as the show has skewered presidents, politics and pop culture and been a platform for the biggest musical stars of the moment. As streaming has altered television viewing, “SNL” sketches, host monologues and short comedy films remain popular on social media and routinely rack up millions of views on YouTube.

While NBC has revealed some of the stars expected to appear, many of the special’s moments, cameos and music performances remain a surprise.

On Sunday, NBC announced more guest appearances including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Leslie Jones, Billy Crystal, Cher, Mike Myers and Alec Baldwin, who holds the title of the person who’s hosted “SNL” the most times.

Where is the ‘SNL’ 50th anniversary tribute show airing?

NBC is airing “SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration” live across the country Sunday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific. It will re-air immediately after on the West Coast. The anniversary show will also stream on Peacock.

Which ‘SNL’ alums are slated to appear?

NBC says in addition to Murphy, Poehler, Fey and Sandler, you can expect: Andy Samberg, Chris Rock, Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Pete Davidson, Seth Meyers, Tracy Morgan, Will Ferrell and Will Forte.

Some members of the original cast, known as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, will appear, including Chase, Laraine Newman, Garrett Morris and Jane Curtin. A publicist for Dan Aykroyd, the other remaining surviving member, did not respond to a request for comment on whether he would attend.

Which former hosts will appear on ‘SNL 50’?

Other prolific and returning hosts range from actors like Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson (who is married to current “SNL” cast member Colin Jost) to athletes like Peyton Manning. Also appearing are Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Kim Kardashian, Pedro Pascal, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro and Woody Harrelson.

How will ‘SNL’ honor its musical legacy?

In some ways, it already has. Radio City Music Hall on Friday hosted the star-packed “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” with a lineup that included Cher, Miley Cyrus, Arcade Fire, David Byrne, Post Malone and Nirvana.

Sunday’s special will include appearances by Paul McCartney, Bad Bunny, Cyrus and other music stars, though the show hasn’t said whether all will perform. McCartney has used New York’s Bowery Ballroom as a warm-up spot, hosting three surprise shows this week.

The musical legacy of “SNL” is also explored in the documentary “Ladies and Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music,” from the Oscar-winning Questlove. It’s currently streaming on Peacock.

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Writer John Carucci contributed to this report.

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For more coverage of the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live,” visit: https://apnews.com/hub/saturday-night-live

The Associated Press