On the evening of Feb. 16, 2025, America’s most celebrated sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live (SNL), celebrated 50 years on air with a three-hour-long Anniversary Special. One of the most awaited Pop Culture events of the year, the televised homecoming concert witnessed stars such as Paul McCartney, Kim Kardashian, Meryl Steep, Amy Poehler, Tom Hanks and Adam Sandler perform various skits and monologues, and musical guests like Cher, Lady Gaga, the Backstreet Boys, Miley Cyrus, and Nirvana grace the stage with their power-packed performances. The three-hour live primetime special has been a buzzing topic among students ever since it first aired, and a wide range of opinions on the show, be it as a whole or its specific elements, have been conversation starters among people.
“I’m the biggest Sabrinator in the world so seeing her in the Domingo skit was the highlight of the night for me. I know some people hatedPedro Pascal for being off key but I thought that made it even funnier” said freshman Narayani Yogi. Other students also expressed their excitement over the skit, calling Marcello Hernandez, who played the role of Domingo, a heartthrob and applauding other actors in the skit such as Andy Samberg and Bad Bunny for their exceptional comedic timing. Yogi added, “the skit refuses to leave my instagram feed now and to be honest, I am not complaining.”
Another freshman Shravani Kulkarni shared, “in the days leading up to the special, I was anxious about whether or not I would get to see Aubrey Plaza, who has always been one of my favourite comedians on SNL, since she recently lost her husband. It made me so happy that I not only got to see her perform, but also pay a tribute to him.” Plaza’s husband Jeff Baena, who passed away earlier this year had picked up tie-dying as a hobby during the pandemic, which had resulted in them getting married wearing tie-dye pyjamas. Fans felt Plaza’s love for her husband through the screen as they noticed her wearing a tie-dye shirt as a silent and subtle tribute to him in her first public appearance since his passing in January. “Generally speaking for the entire show, I thought the rhymes were creative but really not as funny as they could have been,” stated sophomore Antonio Jorge.
“At first, it was nice to see a familiar throwback to the earlier days of SNL, but then it just turned right back into the modern, more cringe version,” added Jorge. Though there were a few more people who felt let down by the concert, fans of SNL across campus agreed that the episode was an incredible homage to the pop culture legacy of the series nationwide. “I was hoping it would be funnier, but I am not complaining. So many past cast members whom I have seen perform as a child returned for the show with classic skits and that nostalgia made up for it. I was a huge fan of the lineup” added junior Lilli Marletta.
Fifty years is an exceptionally long time for any show to run, and for SNL to have done so and still remained one of the most prestigious live sketch comedy shows on television in nothing short of a milestone.
