Saturday Night Live has confirmed an extensive list of A-list participants for its 50th anniversary special on Sunday, February 16th, with many more special guests also expected to be involved. However, two prominent SNL alumni will not be involved in the festivities, according to Matt Belloni of Puck News: original SNL cast member Dan Aykroyd “won’t be there” per his agent, while Bill Hader is “a polite decline,” Belloni reports.
Meanwhile, SNL co-creator Dick Ebersol “was invited but won’t attend due to health issues.”
Belloni reports that SNL creator Lorne Michaels has brought in John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers and others to help write and produce the three-hour primetime special. Many of those individuals were seen together in a photograph of a table read shared to SNL’s social media channels on Thursday evening.
The SNL 50th anniversary will air live on both NBC and Peacock beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT. Confirmed guests include Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Martin Short, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro, Sabrina Carpenter, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, and Woody Harrelson..
Numerous SNL alumni are also expected to appear, including including Adam Sandler, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Chevy Chase, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Fred Armisen, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, Laraine Newman, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Pete Davidson, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Will Ferrell, and Will Forte.