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The Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special had the feeling that the Academy Awards used to have in their heyday, and that was the sense of it essentially being an All-Star game for the entertainment world. And similar to All-Star games in sports, there’s always those who rise above the crop as the dominant force: picture Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, etc.
In fact, in my career as an entertainment writer here at BroBible, I’ve asked tons of other actors over the years if they see their craft similar to sports, wherein “playing” the best competition — i.e. sharing scenes with the best actors — makes them want to raise their game to another level to try, and they almost always say “Yes.“
That was certainly the case when it came to the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special, as some of the long-running sketch comedy series’ most iconic cast members returned to the show to celebrate the occasion, such as Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Steve Martin, Kate McKinnon, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Mike Meyers and many more.
With many of SNL‘s most legendary players returning to the Studio 8H, it was only natural that certain performers got more laughs than others, clearly demonstrating that, even in a room full of the funniest people in the world, there are always going to be those handful that are just a *bit* funniest.
Honorable Mentions
(Not necessarily in terms of hilarity, but just performers who deserve mentioning)
–Scarlett Johansson: Johansson, married to Weekend Update host Colin Jost, appeared in multiple sketches and seemed insanely game for all of them. Must be nice to be able to just ring up the two-time Oscar nominated, $15 billion in movie grossing actress to play a bit part on SNL basically whenever they want.
John Mulaney: “Oh my god! Who hit you? Colin [Jost]?!
Scarlett Johansson: “No. Not this time.”#SNL50 pic.twitter.com/0t1oSO5skY
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) February 17, 2025
–Bill Murray: who used his famed deadpan humor to dunk all over Saturday Night Live during Weekend Update and make a joke about his brother sleeping with ScarJo right to Jost’s face.
–Sabrina Carpenter: I want to mention Carpenter because A) those jokes about her looking like the pin-up girls that were painted on the side of B52 bombers in WWII crack me up, and B) last year I didn’t even know who she was and now she did the opening musical number alongside Paul Simon and was grinding on Pedro Pascal in another Domingo sketch.
Sabrina Carpenter the type of gal they painted on the side of B52 bombers.
— Pugmane🐾 🐛 🥫 (@pugmane) June 25, 2024
–Kenan Thompson: is Kenan Thompson the Ichiro Suzuki of Saturday Night Live? Which is to say while not the most naturally gifted player in his profession, his dependability and consistency deserves a mention: Thompson is the longest-tenured cast member on the history show of the show and appeared in multiple sketches across the night.
–Adam Sandler: predictably as lovable as ever, Sandler delivered perhaps the most emotional moment of the night with his touchingly earnest song dedicated to the 50 year history of Saturday Night Live. As one viral tweet pointed out, “the way he continues to publicly mourn his friends who died too young, even now after many years, sincerely really moving.”
And now, to the top three performances from the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special.
3. Rachel Dratch
While Rachel Dratch appeared in just the one sketch, she cracks the top three of this list for one reason and one reason alone: almost getting Robert De Niro to break character. Yes, the famously self-serious, arguably greatest American actor of all-time Robert De Niro. It also speaks to the longevity of the character that it remains as funny of she was when she was introduced over 20 years ago and is iconic enough that she’s deserving of an entire sketch in the 50th anniversary special.
2. Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell is one of those people whose mere presence is enough to make you laugh, which is something the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special certainly understood, as he featured in multiple sketches, including the opener as Robert Goulet that set the tone for the night, as Ferrell toed the line of giving a classic SNL performance while also staying loose and allowing himself to occasionally break and have fun.
1. Eddie Murphy
Similar to Ferrell, Eddie Murphy also featured in multiple sketches. And while Ferrell almost got Murphy to break in the Scared Straight when he flubbed a line about Elf, Murphy ultimately tops this list because he might have had the best bit of the night, and that was his uncanny impression of Tracy Morgan while standing next to Tracy Morgan — the peak of a performance in which virtually everything he said was funny.