Bowen Yang Is ‘Very Excited’ For The SNL 50th Anniversary, Teases Big Mystery About The Show

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For more than half a century, Saturday Night Live has been a cornerstone in American television broadcasting. Over this time, it’s played a significant role in catapulting numerous comedians and musical artists to fame. Since the commencement of its historic 50th season in October 2024, Lorne Michaels, the current cast members, and several SNL alumni have been hinting at the upcoming 50th Anniversary special, now confirmed to air on Sunday, February 16th as part of the 2025 television schedule – a shift from their usual Saturday night time slot on NBC’s programming.

There’s not much information available yet about what the upcoming anniversary special will involve other than its release date, but given the success of the recent SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night docuseries on Peacock and Questlove’s Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music documentary (which delved into Kanye West’s political rant on the show), it seems likely that the special will be a huge success. The current cast, including Bowen Yang, appears to be eagerly anticipating what’s to come; for instance, Yang recently spoke with Deadline about the iconic variety show during press for his upcoming film The Wedding Banquet, where he has earned four Emmy nominations.

I’m thrilled about the upcoming event which marks 50 years of the show, as we’ve got an extensive array of performers, fans, and people whose lives were influenced by or even started in this show. I can hardly wait for the concert on the 14th. It also feels great to take a moment to appreciate and reflect, and the documentaries available on Peacock have been truly enlightening.

Season 50 has been graced by some memorable cameos from past stars, such as Maya Rudolph revisiting her character of Vice President Kamala Harris and Dana Carvey resurrecting not only his impression of President Joe Biden but also reviving his popular character “Church Lady.” As we move further into the season, there’s ample opportunity for more renowned SNL veterans like Molly Shannon to make an appearance. Maybe, even in time for our 50th Anniversary special!

Yet, following the unpredictable style of Saturday Night Live, many aspects of the anniversary show remain a secret. As per Yang’s statements, Lorne himself has not disclosed many specifics about how the special will unfold.

However, since the details are yet to materialize as they’re still only in Lorne’s mind, everyone remains eager and anxious for the final plan to unfold, as its form is still taking shape.

Without a doubt, if anyone can envision an exceptional 50th anniversary event for our variety comedy show, it would be Michaels, seeing as he’s been involved in almost every single season of it. The brilliance of his ideas for this special occasion is something we eagerly await, considering he’s had ample time to ponder them over.

Previously in 2021, Michaels had pondered the idea of retirement, but only after achieving a milestone 50th season for the show. Now that this achievement has been reached, his thoughts on retiring have shifted, as one might expect when something successful remains unbroken.

To make way for our upcoming anniversary special, we won’t have a fresh episode of SNL until it airs on Sunday a few weeks from now. This should give everyone plenty of time to rewatch Season 50 if they have an active Peacock subscription.

On this coming Sunday, the 16th of February, at 8 PM Eastern Time, NBC will broadcast “SNL5)L The Anniversary Special.” Simultaneously, it will be streamed on Peacock. In anticipation, stay tuned for the upcoming hosts and musicians who will grace the show for the rest of this season.

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2025-01-31 18:07