If you were looking for the biggest party in television history, you basically found it in February 2025. Honestly, the buzz was everywhere. People kept asking when did snl 50 air because for a show named Saturday Night Live, the big anniversary special actually broke its own golden rule.
The three-hour primetime event, officially titled SNL50: The Anniversary Special, aired live on Sunday, February 16, 2025. It kicked off at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Yeah, Sunday. Moving the show off its namesake night was a gamble, but when you’re celebrating half a century of staying relevant, you can kinda do whatever you want.
The Massive Weekend That Took Over New York
You've gotta realize that this wasn't just a single night of television. It was more like a takeover of Rockefeller Center. NBC turned the entire weekend into a marathon of nostalgia. It started on Friday, February 14, with the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert at Radio City Music Hall.
That concert was wild. Imagine seeing Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Questlove all under one roof just to say "happy birthday" to a sketch show. Then, on the actual Saturday (the 15th), they re-aired the very first episode from 1975 featuring George Carlin. It felt like a time capsule.
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But the main course was definitely that Sunday night.
Why the Sunday Air Date?
Most people expected the show to air on Saturday. It makes sense, right? But NBC and Lorne Michaels pushed it to Sunday to ensure a massive, three-hour "event" feel that wouldn't compete with the usual late-night weekend shuffle.
By the time the red carpet started at 7:00 p.m. ET, the star power was already off the charts. Willie Geist and Leslie Jones were out there dodging A-listers. You had everyone from Meryl Streep to Kim Kardashian walking into Studio 8H. It was the kind of guest list that makes a regular awards show look like a middle school talent show.
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What Happened During the SNL 50 Anniversary Special?
The show didn't just play old clips. That would have been boring. Instead, they brought back legends to do new versions of their most famous characters.
- Weekend Update: Colin Jost and Michael Che shared the desk with legends like Bill Murray, who actually ranked his favorite anchors.
- The Return of "Stefon": Bill Hader came back, and yes, he still couldn't keep a straight face.
- Musical Mashups: We saw Paul McCartney and Paul Simon together. It was surreal.
The ratings were huge. Over 13 million people tuned in, which, in 2025, is basically like everyone in the country watching at the same time. It reminded everyone why this show matters. It’s a cultural mirror. Sometimes it’s a bit cracked, and sometimes it’s messy, but it’s always there.
Beyond the Main Event: The 50th Season
It’s easy to forget that when did snl 50 air refers to more than just the special. The actual 50th season premiered much earlier, on September 28, 2024, with Jean Smart hosting. That season was a gauntlet. They had to navigate a massive presidential election, which meant Maya Rudolph was basically living at 30 Rock to play Kamala Harris.
If you missed the live broadcast back in February, you can still catch the whole thing. Peacock has the "SNL 50" hub which includes the special, the red carpet, and even the "Beyond Saturday Night" documentary series that went behind the scenes.
Actionable Insights for SNL Fans
If you're trying to dive deeper into the legacy now that the big 5-0 has passed, here is how to navigate the archives:
- Watch the Questlove Documentary: Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music is the best way to see how the show changed the music industry. It’s on Peacock.
- Check the Digital Shorts: The 50th season featured a lot of "Please Don't Destroy" clips that are already becoming classics.
- Visit the Museum: If you're in New York, the immersive SNL experience at Rockefeller Center is worth the trip, though tickets are usually a nightmare to get.
Honestly, the show has survived "dying" about a thousand times according to critics. But after seeing the 50th-anniversary turnout, it's pretty clear that as long as Lorne Michaels is at the helm, the lights in Studio 8H aren't going out anytime soon.
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Whether you love the current cast or you're one of those "it hasn't been good since the 90s" people, you can't deny the impact. February 16, 2025, was just the exclamation point on a 50-year sentence that hasn't ended yet.