The SNL 50th Anniversary special red carpet was like the Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys at the same time

Dear Gossips,

The red carpet for the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary special was like the Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys at the same time – a huge flex for Lorne Michaels with that kind of guest list, a seemingly endless list of proper celebrities all wanting to be part of the milestone. This, partly, is why SNL has endured, despite the fact that there will always be someone somewhere bitching about how it’s not funny anymore (they’ve been doing this since the 80s) and/or it hasn’t been the same since their favourite cast members left (they’ve been doing this since the 70s). It’s the celebrities who will keep SNL alive.

Speaking of cast members though and how we all have our favourite cast – this, I think, is partly generational. And generationally SNL is finding a way to connect with the youngs. Timothée Chalamet has hosted three times and still has three years to become the youngest five timer ever. Timmy was not live from New York on Sunday night but the show opened with Sabrina Carpenter, who has never hosted (she was the musical guest last season), performing alongside Paul Simon and then appearing in a “Domingo” sketch later on.

A clip from that sketch is currently the most watched TikTok on SNL’s account at almost 23 million views.

@nbcsnl
they can’t stop singing
♬ original sound - Saturday Night Live - SNL

SNL actually posted four clips from that sketch, all of them sitting at over 10 million views so far – because in addition to Sabrina, there’s also Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny, all of them internet favourites. So, to go back to favourite cast members and the show finding talent that resonates with each generation, Marcello Hernández is definitely making his mark.

That’s why the big musical number was so good on so many levels. Bringing back “Diner Lobster” alone is fan service, but New York in this case, obviously, was also the show itself. For all the times people have said SNL is dead, for all the complaining that it’s irrelevant, “One Day More” was exuberant defiance.

And the Sandman’s “50 Years” was just… perfect.

There are a ton of photos attached to this post - please make sure you click through to see them all.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey