All The Best Sketches and Speeches From The SNL 50th Anniversary Show

For the last 50 years, Saturday Night Live has been an institution in comedy. Sure, there are ups and downs, but you knew if you needed a laugh, you could tune in on a Saturday (or catch it streaming) and get one.

We covered all the best SNL skits over the years, so we get it.

Now, generations of stars and people have come to rely on the show not only as a launchpad for some of our most famous actors and comedians but as a refuge.

On Sunday, SNL celebrated its 50th anniversary with a huge show, bringing back many of the cast members over the last 50 years and performing live sketches and music.

The episode was a ton of fun.

Let’s jump into it.

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The Monologue

Over the years, the monologue has been a staple of SNL. In the 50th, they pulled no punches with Steve Martin and John Mulaney coming out to do a special chat before getting into it all.

Musical Opening

SNL had an amazing musical special on Friday the 14th, which you can watch on Peacock. But during the live show, they also had musical guests. My favorite was Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon.

Black Jeopardy

Legitimately a sketch full of legends, this felt like what SNL does best, poke fun at itself, poke fun at the culture, and piss some people off.

Domingo’s Back

I legitimately love the new Domingo sketches. They crack me up, and this one didn’t disappoint.

All The Weekend Update Legends

Growing up, Weekend Update was my favorite part of SNL because it took the biggest news stories and made fun of them. Having most of the anchors back made for a lively affair.

Lawrence Welk

The Kardashian cameo aside, I come back to this all-timer sketch, and seeing it updated for the 50th cracked me up.

Ask the Audience

SNL is at its best when it’s messing with the people in the audience and breaking the 4th wall. Tina and Amy are two of the most important cast members, and I loved this little aside where they gave credit to the crew, too.

Digital Short  

Over the years, the digital shorts have become a quiet highlight for me. From the epic Lonely Island days to Please Don’t Destroy, the 50th did not disappoint when it was time to cut to a pre-recorded bit.

Chad

There’s just something about Pete Davidson that makes him such a hot from this show. I loved seeing him get his flowers with this offbeat story.

Sandler’s Song

Impossible to have a dry eye while seeing Sandler publicly mourn the people we lost while also reminding us that he’s one of the funniest people on the planet.

In Memoriam

Not every SNL bit worked over the years, but they always attempt to do something funny, right now. Even if they’re not sure what the cultural or social mores will be in a few years or months. To me, that’s the essence of comedy. So I appreciated them owning this stuff.

Summing Up the SNL 50th 

I really loved this special and thought it put together some of the funniest people of all time and allowed them to be the stars. SNL is truly a pillar in our culture, and it’s hard to imagine a world without it.

The world really needs to laugh right now and I felt like this was an emotional and hilarious look into why comedy is important.

Let me know what you think in the comments.