Jack Nicholson Introduces Adam Sandler’s ‘SNL’ Tribute Song During 50th Anniversary Special – Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterThe retired Oscar winner set the stage for Sandler’s comedic yet heartfelt song that honored the show’s historic half-century on the air.
By
McKinley Franklin
Adam Sandler performed a song that paid tribute to Saturday Night Live’s 50 years on the air during Sunday night’s anniversary special, but not before he was introduced by retired Hollywood veteran Jack Nicholson.
Nicholson introduced the Grown Ups actor before he began his referential track, where he highlighted infamous SNL moments, pondered when Lorne Michaels will retire and quipped about “finding out your favorite musician is antisemitic.”
Sandler kicked off his performance saying, “everyone in this room has something in common,” pointing out that “all of our lives were changed by the show” before poking fun at some lighthearted moments. He questioned who would “take over the show when Lorne retires” in his lyrics before he appeared to joke that Speedy Rosenthal, a longtime member of SNL’s music department, would be the one to take over Michaels’ spot.
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The comedian and actor also seemingly threw a jab at Kanye West, who has appeared on the show seven times. “Fifty years of finding out your favorite musician is antisemitic,” Sandler sang before pivoting directions to tease former castmembers about being upset about not getting enough airtime with their “hearts full of malice.”
Sandler paid respect to the original SNL cast (also known as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players) toward the end of the song, before championing the show’s most legendary performers. “We got four years of Eddie Murphy, eight years of Will Forte, five years of Jan Hooks and Gilda [Radner], six of Victoria [Jackson], 11 of [Michael] Che, three years of Melanie Hutsell, Michael McKean crushed it in two,” he sang while closing out by paying homage to the late Chris Farley and Norm Macdonald.
“Fifty years of one of us getting to say, ‘Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night,’” he sang before closing out the comedic yet heartfelt performance. “Fifty years of the best times of our lives.”
Earlier in the night, Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon performed a duet of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound” before Steven Martin led the night’s opening monologue. Carpenter, too, hit the stage later to take part in a revamped version of SNL’s viral Domingo skit, which featured music from her track “Espresso.”
The three-hour primetime show saw a plethora of guests return to the SNL stage, including Five-Timers Club members Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Simon, Martin Short and Woody Harrelson. Additional celebrity guests included Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro and Carpenter.
On Sunday morning, NBC announced that Alec Baldwin, Cher, Billy Crystal, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Leslie Jones, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mike Myers, Rev. Al Sharpton and Miles Teller would also be joining the star-studded cast list.
Two-dozen former and current SNL castmembers were featured on the special, including Sandler, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Fred Armisen, Pete Davidson, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kate McKinnon, Seth Meyers, Tracy Morgan, Eddie Murphy, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, Molly Shannon, Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig and Kenan Thompson, the show’s longest-running performer ever.
Ahead of the live special, Peacock released a four-part docuseries about SNL and hosted a live concert special on Feb. 14 with a host of musical acts from the show’s past. NBC aired a documentary about SNL music, which is available to stream on Peacock. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSend us a tip using our anonymous form.
