‘SNL50’ live updates: Recap of the massive 3-hour ‘Saturday Night Live’ special — from Domingo to Debbie Downer

It seemed fitting that Paul McCartney closed out the "SNL" 50th anniversary show with a classic Beatles medley: "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End."

The entire audience sang and danced their way through the high-energy performance that proved 82-year-old McCartney can still bring down the house.

While "SNL50" was supposed to clock in at three hours and run from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, the show is running over.

Paul McCartney took the stage at around 11:15 p.m.

Re-creating the “Scared Straight” sketch, a police officer (Jason Sudeikis) calls in ex-convicts (Kenan Thompson and Eddie Murphy) to scare three teenage delinquents (Marcello Hernandez, Mikey Day and Michael Longfellow).

Thompson and Murphy are meant to frighten the three teens by talking about their experience in prison, but keep bringing up inappropriate scenarios.

At one point, Will Ferrell enters as another ex-convict, dressed in a prison uniform with short shorts. He tells the story about how his beloved “Elf” character Buddy ended up in prison.

On several occasions the cast broke character, with Thompson and Murphy having trouble keeping a straight face as Ferrell continued his bit to round out the sketch.

Debbie Downer made her glorious return on “SNL50” as a bartender, serving a celebrity crew made up of Drew Barrymore, Ayo Edebiri, Robert De Niro and Jimmy Fallon.

After annoying De Niro with her facts on microplastics, she delivered her final few zingers, which doubled as callbacks to the famous sketch where everybody lost it — “Debbie Downer at Disney World.”

She told the crowd, “It’s official, I can’t have children,” before looking at Fallon and noting that she thinks she may have already told him that. (She did.) She then returned to one of her favorite topics: feline AIDS.

Everyone got verklempt when Mike Myers made a surprise cameo, reprising his famous role as Linda Richman, the Zabar's-loving New Yorker whose highest compliment is that it's so good, it's like "buttah."

Modeled after his mother-in-law, Myers' Richman was one of the most popular "SNL" sketches of the 1990s. Myers joined Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph on an episode of "Bronx Beat," where Poehler and Rudolph reprised their roles as Betty Caruso and Jodi Deitz.

"What an incredible night," said Rudolph in her best Bronx voice, before calling up Miles Teller from the audience to join them on the couch. The pair did a little flirting and talked about drinking wine, before inviting Myers (as Linda Richman) to chat about the state of the world.

Naturally, the sketch wrapped with a couple rounds of Betty and Jodi's famous tagline, "Sweata weatha."

Tom Hanks took the stage during “SNL50” and took a somber tone to introduce an in-memoriam sketch. Specifically, in-memoriam of the type of jokes that would not air on “SNL” today.

Accompanying a montage of problematic moments, jokes, makeup choices, accents and more were labels for the joke subjects that are no longer with us (for good reason). Here were the honorees:

• “Sexual harassment
• Ethnic stereotypes
• Ethnic stereotypes and sexual harassment
• Underage sexual harassment
• Animal cruelty
• Body shaming
• Slut shaming
• Gay panic
• Ableism
• Sexism
• Questionable makeup
• Problematic guests”

Lil Wayne was joined by The Roots to jam to some of the rappers biggest hits, from “Uproar” to “A Milli.” They also performed Lil Wayne’s popular tracks “Lollipop,” “6 Foot 7 Foot” and “Mrs. Officer.”

Following the tradition of 2018’s “Diner Lobster” sketch, John Mulaney returned for “SNL50” to again tell a chaotic musical, spoofing Broadway staples while telling a story about the dark side of New York City.

In one moment, Lin-Manuel Miranda bounded onstage in his “Hamilton” costume to sing “My Shot” from his hit 2015 musical.

Other songs include “Cocaine and Some Vodka” (to the tune “Hakuna Matata” and performed by Nathan Lane), “I Dreamed A Dream” (with Kristen Wiig performing as a green M&M mascot), “Suddenly E-Bikes” (sung by Scarlett Johansson to the tune of “Suddenly Seymour”), and “One Day More,” with Kenan Thompson as, of course, the diner lobster.

After appearing in the "SNL" 40th anniversary, Jack Nicholson returned for another cameo, this time to introduce Adam Sandler. Strumming his acoustic guitar, Sandler performed a touching and funny tribute to Lorne Michaels and 50 years of "Saturday Night Live."

Among his lyrics were crack-ups like, "Everyone in this room has something in common/ None of us were allowed to use the little bathroom in Lorne's office."

"'Saturday Night Live' has been on for 50 years," he crooned, joking about 30 years of "Drunk Wally holding the cue cards upside down," and Steven Spielberg looking at the monitors, not laughing, and watching sketches that he "obviously hated."

Other funny moments in Sandler's "50 Years of 'SNL'" include asking an intern to pick up his laundry at 2:30 a.m, only to find out the intern was "Martin Scorsese's kid," and 50 years of wondering who's going to take over when Michaels retires.

Sandler then paid tribute to the show's many past cast members including Eddie Murphy, Jan Hooks, Michael McKean, Billy Crystal, Chris Farley, Norm Macdonald and others.

Sandler ended his song with the bittersweet lyric, "50 years of one of us getting to say, 'Live from New York, it's Saturday Night,''' then brought the audience to its feet with his final words, "50 years of the best times of our lives."

Ms. Rafferty — and Mrs. Rafferty — just cannot catch a break.

The mother-daughter duo, played (for the first time!) by Meryl Streep and again by Kate McKinnon, recounted their harrowing experiences being abducted by aliens during an interview at the Pentagon.

Aidy Bryant and Jon Hamm were the investigators conducting the interview. They asked an assortment of characters about their experience. While Pedro Pascal and Woody Harrelson raved about the experience, it was a little different for Ms. Rafferty, per usual.

The sketch marked the character's fifth time getting abducted.

The “Close Encounter” reprise surprisingly marked Streep’s first time acting on “SNL.”

Bill Murray, “SNL” cast member from 1977 to 1980, ranked the many hosts of “Weekend Update” during a skit on “SNL50.”

First, in honor of Black History Month, he did a ranking of the best Black "Weekend Update" anchors, putting Michael Che at No. 1 — the only spot due to the role's historic lack of racial diversity.

He then ranked other people who have sat in the anchor chair. Here was his (biased) list:

1. Brian Doyle-Murray
2. Norm Macdonald
3. Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd
4. Chevy Chase
5. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
6. Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon
7. Seth Meyers
8. Dennis Miller
9. Kevin Nealon
10. Colin Quinn

Former cast member, Jim Belushi, posted a behind-the-scenes of what tonight's "SNL" audience was doing right before the anniversary show began. While the band performed a lively rendition of the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin,'" Belushi panned the crowd, which included Peyton Manning, then turned the camera on himself, saying, "It's about to start, here we go!"

Jim Belushi's older brother, John Belushi, was an original cast member on "SNL" from 1975 to 1979, starring in memorable sketches including "Samurai Deli" and "The Wolverines."

In the “SNL50” “Weekend Update” segment, anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che made a variety of jokes on “Saturday Night Live” news over the years.

During one of the interview portions of the segment, Cecily Strong re-created her character, "the girl you wish you hadn’t started a conversation with at a party.” When Che commented on her clear baby bump, Strong appeared offended he assumed she was pregnant.

When they asked who the father of the baby is, Bobby Moynihan rolled out in a chair to reprise his character, Drunk Uncle. He appeared to break at one point, as Che and Jost couldn’t stop laughing.

Seth Meyers, a previous “Weekend Update” host, then welcomed “Lorne’s best friends from growing up,” played by Vanessa Bayer and Fred Armisen. The two whispered bad traits about producer Lorne Michaels while acting as his close friends.

Another former “Weekend Update” anchor, Bill Murray, joined the segment to rank the top anchors of all time.

In a soulful tribute to Prince, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard sang a duet of "Nothing Compares 2 U."

Written by Prince, the song was made famous by Irish singer-songwriter, Sinead O'Connor, who hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her version in 1990. O'Connor famously appeared on "SNL" in 1992, ripping a photograph of Pope John Paul II after her live performance. The moment remains one of the most memorable in "SNL" history.

During the audience Q&A, Ryan Reynolds rose from his seat beside Blake Lively to ask a question of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

When asked how he’s been, Reynolds responded, “Why? What have you heard?”

Lively and Reynolds have notably been at the center of a public legal battle with Lively’s “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni.

Two former "SNL" icons, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, took questions from a star-studded audience.

Quinta Brunson, a self-proclaimed "SNL superfan" complimented Fey and Poehler for not aging. She asked for their "secret." Then, the pair acknowledged they wrote the question.

The "Abbott Elementary" star also asked what Tim Meadows whispered to musical guest Sade in 1993. Meadows then rose from his seat in the audience and said he likely asked if Sade wanted to "drink some Zima in my dressing room," play "Mortal Kombat" and watch the Menendez trial.

Nate Bargatze asked if the woman who took his pants off while he hosted "works here." Fey and Poehler introduced Donna, whom they said has been "dressing every host since 1997."

Other icons like Cher, Keith Richards, Bad Bunny, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Seth Meyers and more also made cameos.

Peyton Manning rounded out the questions by asking if "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels plans to retire after 50 years with the show. When Fey and Poehler denied the rumors, Manning issued a warning to Michaels.

"Lorne, never retire," Manning said, speaking to the camera. "It's brutal out here."

The bridesmaids are back, and this time they brought their favorite groomsmen (Bowen Yang, Andy Samberg, Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney), named three Scotts and a Dale. (Scottsdale, get it?) They all know Kelsey (Chloe Fineman) has got something on her mind and, obviously, it's Domingo — who just happens to be on hand as usual.

Sabrina Carpenter joins Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim and Sarah Sherman to sing a terrible-wonderful version of "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked," before moving on to perform a little Taylor Swift.

Pedro Pascal shows up as Domingo's older brother, Renaldo, then Bad Bunny, who gets some serious love from Molly Shannon, who also plants a memorable kiss on Martin Short.

The gang sings "Espresso," to which Carpenter says, "What even is this song?"

She's not one of those gals who like to tell her age, she's Sally O'Malley! Dressed head to toe in her signature red polyester outfit, Molly Shannon reprised one of her most-loved characters from "SNL," Sally O'Malley.

And, yes, she 1000 percent did her signature moves, and in true Sally O'Malley fashion, she proved she could kick, stretch and kick better than ever.

Shannon was joined on stage by Emma Stone, and the pair introduced a retrospective on some of the best physical comedy moments in "SNL's" 50-year history.

Leslie Jones is officially the first star to break character on “SNL50” while re-creating the beloved "Black Jeopardy" sketch.

Kenan Thompson returned as Steve Harvey to host the game show, while Eddie Murphy gave an impression of Tracy Morgan, who stood beside him playing a contestant.

Jones, who also played a contestant, briefly broke character amid Murphy's performance.

Chris Rock then made an appearance to ask the contestants a question. Instead of Jones, Morgan or Murphy's characters answering, Tom Hanks joined to reprise his character from a 2016 version of the "Black Jeopardy" sketch.

For the opening sketch of "SNL50," Kristen Wiig brought out her iconic character Dooneese.

During the legendary sketch, which originally aired in 2008, the four Maharelle sisters perform on "The Lawrence Welk Show." In Sunday night's rendition, Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardashian and Ana Gasteyer played three of the sisters, serenading Will Ferrell.

Suddenly, Wiig rolled in driving a mini-car as Dooneese, complete with her mini-hands, wide forehead and canine teeth.

The sketch ended with Ferrell nearly falling for Dooneese before she said something alarming that turns him off.

As one of the most tenured five-timers, Steve Martin opened the night with a monologue full of one-liners poking fun at his age, starting with a crack on being the "newest diversity hire" at "SNL."

Saying he'd just turned 79, Martin, who's hosted "SNL" a record-breaking 16 times, joked, "I feel like I'm 65, which is also not good," before following it with the zinger, "Do you think these hearing aids make my a-- look smaller?"

John Mulaney joined him on stage and surveyed the audience of his former castmates and celebrities before cracking, "I see some of the most difficult people I have ever met in my entire life."

Finally, Martin Short came on stage and the two joked about their longtime friendship and that they were so close they could "finish each other's careers."

The opening credits for "SNL50: The Anniversary Special" revealed the musical acts ahead:

• Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard
• Lil Wayne and The Roots
• Paul McCartney

Live from New York, "Saturday Night Live" the 50th anniversary special has begun!

To kick off the show, Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter gave a joint performance of Simon & Garfunkel's 1966 hit "Homeward Bound."

Introducing the song, Simon, 83, said that he previously sang the iconic song with George Harrison on “SNL” in 1976.

“I was not born then,” Carpenter, 25, quipped. “And neither were my parents.”

Colin Jost and his wife, Oscar-winner Scarlett Johansson, arrived in style at the "SNL50" red carpet.

All smiles, Jost sported a tuxedo while Johansson donned a mid-length black dress, complete with sparkling silver stones.

Johansson, who has hosted "SNL," has been known to support her husband on the show. During a December 2024 "Weekend Update" segment, Johansson stood backstage and reacted as Jost said NSFW jokes about her during Jost and Michael Che's annual joke swap.

Despite the dreary weather in New York, the stars lit up the night on the "SNL" red carpet. Along with "SNL" cast members, plenty of past guest hosts and other supporters are on hand to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds arrived on the "SNL" 50th anniversary red carpet, marking their first joint carpet appearance since the filing of several lawsuits involving Lively and her "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni.

Read more about the ongoing legal saga between Baldoni and Lively here.

Adam Sandler recalled his earliest memory of learning about "Saturday Night Live" on the "SNL50" red carpet.

Speaking with TODAY.com, Sandler said he remembers "all the kids in the schoolyard talking about the bees. And I remember pretending I know what they were talking about."

One of "SNL's" signature early sketches was "The Killer Bees: Home Invasion," which aired in 1976 and saw Elliott Gould, John Belushi and Garrett Morris dressed as bees invade a home looking for pollen.

Sandler said he remembers kids talking about the show being "so cool" and their parents let them stay up "so late" for it.

"I was going, 'Yeah, me too, me too,'" Sandler said. "But I didn't know what they were talking about. And then when I saw it, I was like, 'Oooh, this is cool.'"

Before "SNL50," red carpet host Leslie Jones reminded Kate McKinnon of the hilarious way she used to mix up her name, calling the comedian another well known Kate: Kate Middleton.

Jones admitted when people would tell her the comedian doesn’t share a name with the Princess of Wales, she would respond, “Who is Kate Middleton?”

Laughing, McKinnon said she would tell her, she’s “a princess, b----.”

Though McKinnon might not be another member of the royal family, Jones said she’s her “queen,” regardless.

Let's run it back!

Current and former “SNL” cast members are showing how they looked when they began their time at the show, compared to themselves now.

Amy Poehler shared a TikTok video — following a popular trend of people showing their yearbook photos — of "SNL" stars now compared to their first headshots.

In Poehler’s version, she showed the cast members’ original black-and-white “SNL” photo before flashing to a video of them today.

Poehler's video featured a number of former players, including herself, Tina Fey, Jason Sudeikis, Andy Samberg, Maya Rudolph and Seth Meyers, among others.

Kenan Thompson and Colin Jost, who are both in the Season 50 cast, were also included in the compilation.

Later, while speaking with Willie Geist on the "SNL50" red carpet, Poehler said the 50th anniversary event feels like returning to "comedy high school."

Emma Stone isn't messing around. The "SNL" five-timer prepared for tonight's three-hour anniversary by bringing her own snack. Decked out in a red halter jumpsuit, the actor brought her own popcorn and an extra stash stuffed in her pants pockets.

Jimmy Fallon, a cast member on "SNL" from 1998 to 2004, made audiences laugh with his memorable impressions and countless character breaks. (Who can forget his total crack-up during the infamous "Cowbell" sketch with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken?)

"The Tonight Show" host recalled his "SNL" audition with a throwback post on X and paid tribute to the show's creator, Lorne Michaels.

"My SNL audition. I was so nervous. I want to thank Lorne Michaels for everything," he wrote.

The "SNL" alum also included former castmate Adam Sandler in his acknowledgments.

Peyton Manning is one of the most memorable athletes to host "Saturday Night Live," having appeared on the show three times.

Speaking with TODAY.com on the "SNL50" red carpet, he discussed what the show is really like behind-the-scenes.

"It's just a lot of work. Constant, kind of chaotic environment and last minute changes," he said.

"A lot like a football game. 'Hey, we're going to scratch that play, put this play in.' And, 'That sketch was a little long, we're going to cut that out,'" he added. "It's last minute and it's live. As a football player, one thing you can relate to is: live. There's nothing taped. You can't get a rewind in a live football game."

Cecily Strong, "SNL's" longest-running female cast member who starred on the show from 2012 to 2022, arrived to the "SNL50" red carpet wearing all black and cradling her baby bump.

Before Sunday's anniversary special, Strong assisted Bill Murray's reprise as Nick the Lounge Singer, performing alongside Maya Rudolph and Ana Gasteyer for his backing vocals.

The comedian announced her pregnancy on Instagram in November 2024.

The red carpet has opened ahead of tonight's 50th anniversary show! See past and present cast members and guest hosts as they arrive including Kate McKinnon, Amy Poehler, Martin Short, Chevy Chase, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd and other 'SNL' luminaries.

The read-through for “SNL50” looked packed with stars piling into 30 Rockefeller Center last week.

The official “SNL” X account shared a photo of the group sitting at a long table and captioned it, “SNL50 anniversary special read-thru!!!”

Among the current cast members on the show were former cast members Seth Meyers and Kate McKinnon. “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels sat at the head of the table as stars appeared to share smiles and laughs.

“Saturday Night Live” is celebrating its golden anniversary. Tonight’s 50th anniversary special is guaranteed to provide plenty of laughs, musical moments, memories and surprises. If you’re trying to guess what’s ahead, it might be helpful to rewind back to the 40th anniversary celebration to look for clues.

See below for highlights from the 2015 special:

Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake opened the "SNL" anniversary show decked out in tuxedos and top hats. The duo performed a musical number that covered some of the show’s most memorable sketches. Rachel Dratch made a cameo as Debbie Downer, and Molly Shannon reprised her famous role as nervous schoolgirl Mary Katherine Gallagher.

Steve Martin delivered the opening monologue, and a host of “SNL” luminaries made cameos including Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crystal and Paul Simon, who performed an impromptu duet with Paul McCartney on “I’ve Just Seen a Face.”

In a nod to the iconic 1976 sketch, “Bass-O-Matic,” original cast member Dan Aykroyd returned for an updated version of making bass smoothies in a blender, and Will Ferrell returned to play Alex Trebek in “Celebrity Jeopardy.”

 Jack Nicholson dropped by to introduce a retrospective on the show’s four decades of political satire, along with Larry David who did an old-school Q&A with the audience.

There was a star-studded version of the popular sketch, “The Californians” that included former “SNL” cast members Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, as well as cameos by Bradley Cooper, Taylor Swift, Laraine Newman, Kerry Washington and Betty White.

Original cast member Jane Curtin once again sat in the anchor seat, reprising her role on “Weekend Update.” Meanwhile, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey returned to the basement to once again broadcast their cable access show, “Wayne’s World.”

Throughout the evening, there were tributes to past cast members including Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy and Tracy Morgan.

And, of course, there were also plenty of musical performances including another performance by Paul McCartney, who played his enduring song “Maybe I’m Amazed,” and with Miley Cyrus, who covered Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.”

Paul Simon then returned to the stage to perform a heartfelt rendition of “Still Crazy After All These Years,” a song the legendary singer-songwriter famously sang wearing a giant turkey costume while hosting “SNL” in 1976.

The “SNL 40th Anniversary Special” ended with elite five-timer Steve Martin doing the famous “SNL” goodnight with showrunner and creator Lorne Michaels.

Jenna Bush Hager had a hilarious lineup of “SNL” stars join her as guest hosts on TODAY with Jenna & Friends in February.

First, Ego Nwodim hosted with Jenna from Feb. 3-7. During her time in the host chair, she was surprised live on air by her mom, and her and Jenna tested out bungee fitness, with hilarious results.

Then, a slew of guests visited Studio 1A. Amy Poehler hosted Monday, Feb. 10, when the two recalled Poehler impersonating Jenna when she was a cast member on “SNL.”

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, Ana Gasteyer sat in the host chair and revealed in an interview with Savannah Guthrie that she only broke character during her time on “SNL” once.

Mikey Day visited Wednesday, Feb. 12, and played a round of “Is It Cake?” with Jenna, before Cheri Oteri stopped by Thursday, Feb. 13 and recalled a special request Snoop Dogg had for her during a sketch from decades ago.

Finally, Chloe Fineman ended “SNL” week with a bang Friday, Feb. 14, helping to answer social dilemmas — via her memorable celebrity impressions, of course.

Kicking off “SNL’s” eventful weekend leading up to Sunday’s anniversary special, a star-studded lineup of celebrity guests took the stage at Radio City Music Hall for “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert.”

Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, the night started with a tribute performance of “Soul Man,” in honor of the Blues Brothers duo John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.

From there, the three-hour concert struck a variety of tones. Lady Gaga performed with Andy Samberg for a Lonely Island medley of the group’s biggest hits, including “D--- in a Box.” Other guests included Bad Bunny for an operatic “I Just Had a Sex” performance, as well as T-Pain and Eddie Vedder.

In a viral duet, Robyn and David Byrne performed a rousing rendition of “Dancing On My Own.” The Backstreet Boys also took the stage for a nostalgic performance of “I Want It That Way.” And in a moment that had everyone on their feet, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean reunited for a medley of hits, including “Killing Me Softly.”

And, on the heels of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, Ana Gasteyer and Will Ferrell reprised their roles as the Culps to perform “Not Like Us.” (During the sketch, the broadcast panned over to Meryl Streep and Martin Short in the audience, leading Streep to show the camera her middle finger.)

The eventful concert also marked a big night out for the TODAY hosts and their significant others.

The concert is available to stream on Peacock.

Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig have reunited to bring back one of their most beloved “Saturday Night Live” sketches.

The trio rebooted the classic “The Californians” skit from “SNL” in a new commercial for Volkswagen.

In the spot, audiences got a sneak peek of the next episode of the soap opera spoof, as Devin (Hader) and Karina (Wiig) lean in for a kiss near a beach after Karina tells him, “I really missed you.”

Just as they’re about to lock lips, though, Stuart (Armisen) rolls up in his new ride.

“Wait, Stuart? What are you doing here?” Hader asks in the trademark accent of the sketch, as the dramatic music plays and close-up camera angles zoom in.

“I’m out enjoying life in my new Volkswagen ID Buzz,” Armisen replies, while he stands next to the driver’s door.

“It’s giving total positivity,” Wiig chimes in.

Click here for more.

Willie Geist has sat down with many "SNL" stars over the years. Take a look at highlights from TODAY's Sunday Sitdowns.

In honor of “SNL’s” golden anniversary, TODAY.com sat down with past and present cast members to learn what really goes on behind the scenes of the late night show — from the anxiety to the exhilaration — what viewers at home might be surprised to find out, along with their take on the best character breaks and sketches that didn’t go quite as planned.

Here are some highlights:

Laraine Newman

Is there one moment where you broke character or one sketch that didn’t go as planned that stands out in your mind?

Lorne (Michaels) did not want us to laugh, and I never got close to laughing, except when Rodney Dangerfield hosted. We were doing a takeoff on the Woody Allen movie “Manhattan” called “Manhasset.” (Dangerfield) is saying, “Tracy, don’t go to Manhasset. I tell ya, it’s rough. I got a waterbed and there was a guy at the bottom of it.”

Now, I’d heard that joke in read-through and the rehearsal and it still got me. If you watch it, you can’t tell. But I am dying. It is everything I could do not to laugh.

Nora Dunn

What’s the most surprising part of what goes on behind the scenes?

When you’re watching a sketch, right behind that wall, someone’s taking their clothes off and putting on a costume and having a wig grabbed off their head and put something else on it. You have to make those quick changes.

You might be on with a guest star, the host, and you’re like, “Gotta get my clothes off!” You’re not naked, but next to naked. Every time there’s a sketch on “Saturday Night Live,” there’s all kinds of stuff going on in the background.

Cheri Oteri

What does it feel like when you’re performing live on “SNL”?

I would always be in the bathroom. That’s how fearful I was. I was always very nervous. It’s sheer fear and excitement. But because you only get a chance to do it once, it’s more fear for me. But I’ve always been like that, even when I did theater. I was always in the bathroom until it was like, “10, 9, 8 ...”

Ana Gasteyer

What’s the most surprising part of what goes on behind the scenes?

You know, when you’re coming back from a commercial and you’re at home and you’re like, “Gosh, why is this taking so long? Why am I looking at this picture of Ariana Grande for so incredibly long?”

That’s because, wildly, some set has not been assembled. That’s what those bumper (photo) cards are for, to buy a little bit of time on the edges of your returns.

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In an update just hours before “SNL50” is set to air, NBC revealed 11 new guests expected to join the anniversary special.

Alec Baldwin, Ana Gasteyer, Billy Crystal, Cher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Leslie Jones, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mike Myers, Miles Teller, Rachel Dratch and Rev. Al Sharpton have joined the long, star-studded list of guests.

NBC added that “more surprises” will be uncovered throughout the night.

Ahead of tonight's "SNL50" special, TODAY asked viewers and fans to vote in a bracket for the best "SNL" sketch of all time.

The contest came down to two: "More Cowbell" and "Celebrity Jeopardy."

And the winner was... "Celebrity Jeopardy"!

"Celebrity Jeopardy" is a long-running sketch starring Will Ferrell as the late Alex Trebek, spoofing the classic trivia game show.

Beloved versions of the sketch often featured Norm Macdonald as Burt Reynolds and Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery.

The sketch was memorably brought back in 2015 for "SNL's" 40th anniversary special.

Live from New York, it’s the “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary show!

Among the breadcrumbs “SNL” has been dropping about the special throughout the week, the show has revealed a number of guests who are confirmed to attend Sunday’s show.

• Adam Driver
• Adam Sandler
• Amy Poehler
• Andy Samberg
• Ayo Edebiri
• Bad Bunny
• Chevy Chase
• Chris Rock
• Dave Chappelle
• Eddie Murphy
• Fred Armisen
• Garrett Morris
• Jane Curtin
• Jason Sudeikis
• Jimmy Fallon
• John Mulaney
• Kate McKinnon
• Kenan Thompson
• Kim Kardashian
• Kristen Wiig
• Laraine Newman
• Martin Short
• Maya Rudolph
• Miley Cyrus
• Molly Shannon
• Paul McCartney
• Paul Simon
• Pedro Pascal
• Pete Davidson
• Peyton Manning
• Quinta Brunson
• Robert De Niro
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Scarlett Johansson
• Seth Meyers
• Steve Martin
• Tina Fey
• Tom Hanks
• Tracy Morgan
• Will Ferrell
• Will Forte
• Woody Harrelson

Click here for more.

“Saturday Night Live” is celebrating 50 years since the sketch comedy show first aired in October 1975.

To mark the milestone, current and past “SNL” cast members, fellow comedians, esteemed actors, musical guests and more are expected to grace Studio 8H on Sunday, Feb. 16, to commemorate half a century of laughs with a three-hour special.

“SNL50” is a three-hour primetime special airing Sunday, Feb. 16, from 8 to 11 p.m. Red carpet coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET. Sunday TODAY host Willie Geist, as well as “SNL” alum Leslie Jones and comedian Matt Rogers, will interview guests as they arrive at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

Watch the “SNL” anniversary special live Sunday evening on NBC and Peacock. (Peacock and TODAY.com share a parent company, NBCUniversal.)

Click here for more.