The SNL 50 Anniversary Special's 6 Best Moments, Ranked

Even though it was a Sunday night, the 50th anniversary special of "Saturday Night Live" hit the airwaves on NBC and Peacock on February 16, 2025, packed with hilarious stars from across every generation of "SNL" and fully filled with cameos from some of their most famous and beloved hosts from over the years. 200 extra seats were added to the historic Studio 8H in 30 Rockefeller Plaza in order to accommodate the event's massive crowd, and there was even an overflow room (and if you got stuck in there instead of the main studio, you may want to question your power in Hollywood).

The result was quite spectacular, from the laughs featuring your favorite cast members to the special appearances by the likes of Adam Driver, Meryl Streep, Pedro Pascal, Sabrina Carpenter, Tom Hanks, Miles Teller, Scarlett Johansson, Nathan Lane, Paul Rudd, Ayo Edebiri, Robert De Niro, and even a self-aware appearance by Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively amidst their "It Ends With Us" controversy. Though the overall event wasn't necessarily as celebratory or self-congratulatory as the 40th anniversary special in 2015, that may have actually been a good thing. Instead, this felt more like a blockbuster episode of "SNL" — one that pulled out all the stops and brought back some beloved sketch formulas, including star-studded surprises and even some unexpected crossovers.

After over two and a half hours of "SNL" packed into the evening (three and a half with commercials), here are the six best moments from the "SNL 50" anniversary special.

Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler were both quite prominent throughout the "SNL 50" anniversary special, with Poehler getting a full Q&A segment alongside Tina Fey on the main stage and Rudolph joining John Mulaney's big 50-year New York City musical (more on that later), but the two also got to reunite for a revival of the talk show sketch "Bronx Beat." As salt-of-the-earth New Yorkers Jodi and Betty, Rudolph and Poehler dusted off their big city accents and attitudes to host a new edition of the recurring sketch, and they had a couple big special guests.

First, Miles Teller was called in from the audience to be interviewed on stage. Obviously, Jodi and Betty were both very happy to see how handsome Teller was, but they got even more excited when they realized he was from "Top Gun 2," and they refused to call it "Top Gun: Maverick," no matter how many times Teller tried to correct them. Recollecting how Teller got to tussle with Tom Cruise was almost too much for them to handle, but Jody and Betty eventually got over it and sent Teller back to his seat in the audience.

However, the best part of this returning bit was the meeting of two eras of "SNL," when Mike Myers emerged as "Coffee Talk" host Linda Richman, donning her signature sparkly, purple sweater and curly black hair. "Coffee Talk" and "Bronx Beat" joining forces feels like such a no-brainer, I can't believe that it wasn't done before. Yes, Myers ends up getting a little verklempt, and having these three legends together like this couldn't have gone any better. 

Two of the biggest stars of "SNL" came together in a sketch revival that yours truly was absolutely tickled to see. Kenan Thompson reprised his role as Lorenzo McIntosh, a reformed criminal who speaks to youths in an effort to show them that a life of crime isn't the right path to follow ... although McIntosh has a habit of getting carried away with the threats of prison life and unrealistic pop culture references used as examples of his former criminal activities. This time, however, McIntosh was joined by a couple additional doses of inspiration: Eddie Murphy as "All the Way" Ray May and Will Ferrell as "Big Red."

Murphy only made a brief appearance during the 40th anniversary of "SNL," as the former cast member had a bit of a grudge with the sketch show after some jokes were made at his expense during a few lows in his career. But after that door was opened for reconciliation, Murphy finally returned to host a hilarious Christmas episode in 2019. For the "SNL 50" special, he had two big roles: one as Tracy Morgan on "Black Jeopardy" and the other here, where he got to shout at current cast members Marcello Hernandez, Mikey Day, and Michael Longfellow. Needless to say, it was good to have Murphy back.

In a fun twist on the "Scared Straight" formula, after some inappropriate "Harry Potter" double entendres, Murphy gets meta and alludes to "The Nutty Professor," which the crowd absolutely ate up. Then the sketch got kicked up a notch with Ferrell's unexpected appearance as the third convict, "Big Red," whose nickname comes from being well-read. "Big Red" is wearing the spring uniform, and the mere sight of Ferrell in that jumpsuit with short shorts is almost enough to break Thompson. Ferrell's appearance also gets a bit meta, though ultimately (hilariously) flubbed, as he makes reference to his beloved Christmas movie "Elf." It makes for some funny breaking among the cast members, and despite the missteps, it's still one of the funniest bits of the entire night. 

While "Saturday Night Live" may be the most coveted job in comedy, it's also one of the most stressful. Any cast member will tell you about the long nights required to put a new episode together every week, and most of them will agree that Tuesday night is the most difficult. That's the night that all the sketches are written, and pretty much everyone is pulling an all-nighter, trying to get down the funniest sketches on paper for that week's host. In fact, the reason Bill Hader didn't return for the "SNL" anniversary special is likely because of the anxiety working on the show gave him during his entire tenure there. Sure, he has fond memories and doesn't regret it, but since he politely declined an invitation to return, he likely still has a bit of PTSD from his time on the series.

Thankfully, The Lonely Island (fresh off their incredible musical medley at "SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert") helped cushion the blow with a little 1980s-inspired music video that found Andy Samberg (and Akiva Shaffer and Jorma Taccone in very brief appearances) reassuring a nervous Bowen Yang that everyone who has ever worked on "SNL" felt crippling anxiety when they were on the show. That doesn't just include cast members like Will Forte, Taran Killam, James Austin Johnson, Kyle Mooney, and Beck Bennett, all of whom show up in the sketch. Meanwhile, Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon have the coolest cameos, reprising their roles as the hosts of NPR's Delicious Dish radio show, where the famous Schweddy Balls Christmas sketch originated. What makes this sketch truly special, though, is the tribute to everyone behind the scenes, who also get a chance to step in front of the camera.

If there was one moment that I thought Hader might make a surprise appearance, it was in this sketch, but the closest we cam was a literal graphic cameo by Hader as Stefon. But the entire bit was still fantastic. 

If you haven't been keeping up with "SNL" over the past six years, then you might not have been aware that whenever comedian and former "SNL" writer John Mulaney hosts the sketch comedy series, there has been a big musical sketch honoring the weirdest and grimiest parts of New York City. Whether it's lobster from a diner or a churro in the subway, Mulaney manages to dig into the heart of the Big Apple. So, since this was the 50th anniversary of "SNL," Mulaney was able to reach back into the New York of 1975 to kick off his latest musical sketch with some hot dogs and heroin, complete with Maya Rudolph as a needle filled with heroin and Adam Driver as a hot dog.

But that was just the beginning, because this sketch spanned the entire 50-year history of New York since "SNL" debuted. We hit the 1980s years filled with cocaine and some vodka, with a little help from Nathan Lane and the tune of "Hakuna Matata" from "The Lion King." Similarly, Jason Sudeikis appeared as Harvey Keitel's pimp from "Taxi Driver," with Kristen Wiig and Will Forte showing up as the green M&M and a grungy Elmo, complete with variations on songs from "Les Miserables." Other stops included Kate McKinnon throwing away her shot as Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a "Hamilton" riff and Scarlett Johansson taking a cue from "Little Shop of Horrors" to gripe about e-bikes with Paul Rudd.

The grand finale brought back Kenan Thompson as the famous Diner Lobster, along with Maya Rudolph as the Statue of Liberty and Taran Killam and Ana Gasteyer as NYC icons Pizza Rat and a pigeon, all for a "One Day More" send-off that brought so many famous faces on stage. That's "SNL" and New York, baby.

You might question me for ranking something so simple this high on a list like this, but Bobby Moynihan absolutely crushed his return as Drunk Uncle at the Weekend Update desk. Colin Jost and Michael Che helmed the desk for this anniversary edition of the fake news program. However, rather than skewering the headlines, they merely poked fun at "SNL" itself before bringing in some special guests for a rousing 15-minute edition of Weekend Update.

The return of Cecily Strong as The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With was superb, and the appearance of Vanessa Bayer and Fred Armisen as Lorne's Best Friends from Growing Up was hilarious, And yes, Bill Murray's bit ranking all of the Weekend Update anchors was perfectly dry and sarcastic, but it was Bobby Moynihan's Drunk Uncle that made me laugh the hardest. From his hate for "Captain America: Brave New World" (which might be in box office trouble) to crying about ripping the buttons on Jost's shirt, Moynihan was top notch. The formula for the character even got a little meta when he lamented not being Landshark (Chevy Chase's famous bit as a shark that attacked the desk), Tracy Morgan from Brian Fellow's Safari Planet, or "musical guest Timothée Chalamet" in his best impression of the late voiceover announcer Don Pardo. It's a bummer that he accidentally killed Sabrina Carpenter though. RIP.

(For some reason, Drunk Uncle didn't get broken out into his own video, but the bit starts at 4:58 above.)

However, the best moment from the "SNL 50" anniversary special was also its most heartfelt. Adam Sandler took the stage to perform an original song. However, this wasn't just a silly bit like the famous "Chanukah Song" or "Lunch Lady Land." Instead, this was a tribute to 50 years of "SNL" in the vein of his song about Chris Farley and his tribute to comedy, and he even got an introduction from Jack Nicholson, in a rare public appearance from the retired actor.

The song recollected the saga that is "SNL," from getting your sketch rejected to never being allowed to use the bathroom inside Lorne's office. But what helped make the song even more special were the tribute to little pieces of "SNL" that don't often get celebrated, such as Nurse Theresa (the medic who works for the show), Wally the cue cards guy, and Speedy Rosenthal, a longtime member of the "SNL" music department, who Sandler amusingly names as Lorne Michaels' successor.

One of the funniest references to lesser known "SNL" lore included Sandler singing about Steven Spielberg frequently stopping by the show and watching sketches with Lorne Michaels — and when it was clear that they didn't like the sketch in question, some writers would loudly proclaim that "Jaws" was overrated at the after party.

After that, the song gets more heartfelt by acknowledging that the original 1975 cast was the best who ever did it, and then it lists off some of the show's beloved and occasionally lesser celebrated cast members and how long they were on the series. From Eddie Murphy to Victoria Jackson, Melanie Hutsell, Phil Hartman, and everyone in between, the song also shouts out some of the best writers before settling on 45 years of Lorne Michaels. But the waterworks really come when Sandler hits a quick tribute to the late Chris Farley and Norm Macdonald before calling all of this the best years of their lives.

The best years of their lives have also given us some of the biggest laughs of ours, and as a longtime, die-hard fan of "Saturday Night Live," I couldn't have asked for a better celebration of the late night comedy institution. Here's to another 50 years.