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SNL50: The Anniversary Special

February 16, 2025 · 152 minutes
· Written by: Tina Fey, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Bryan H. Tucker · Cinematography: Neal Marshad · Editing: Ryan McIlraith, Sean McIlraith · Costume Design: Tom Broecker · Production Design: Joe DeTullio, Keith Raywood, Akira Yoshimura
Live from New York, it's one night 50 years in the making. Celebrate the incredible 50th anniversary of the award-winning, record-breaking, history-making series with legendary stars, live musical performances and iconic sketches during an unmissable primetime event. The special followed the format of a typical Saturday Night Live episode, extended to 3½ hours instead of the usual 1½, and included a cold open, a monologue, sketches, a short film, commercial parodies, and musical performances.
Cast & Characters
Adam Driver, Ayo Edibiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Martin Short, Meryl Streep, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro, Sabrina Carpenter, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Woody Harrelson
Production Notes

Meryl Streep made her first-ever appearance during the long-running sketch show’s starry 50th anniversary special. She joined a recurring “Close Encounter” sketch, featuring “SNL” alum Kate McKinnon, whose character describes her NSFW alien abduction. The sketch included Woody Harrelson and Pedro Pascal, who got abducted by the aliens with McKinnon, but describe a much more pleasant experience. They are questioned by military officials played by Jon Hamm and Aidy Bryant. Streep entered the scene as McKinnon’s character Colleen Rafferty’s mother, wearing an outfit similar to Colleen’s signature pastel Hawaiian shirt, complete with a cigarette in one hand and a styrofoam cup in the other. Colleen Senior describes her own X-rated alien abduction, going on to mention how the aliens “lost interest” and stuffed her in a closet. When Streep-as-Colleen Sr. tells her escape tale, Pascal leans over to flirtatiously tell her she’s a “good mother.” “Yeah, well, a good mother can also be a bad girl,” she says to him, turning in her seat suggestively toward him.