These are the original Saturday Night Live cast members: Who will attend the SNL 50th anniversary tribute show?
50 years after “Saturday Night Live” first aired, some of the show’s original cast members will be back where it all began.
“Saturday Night Live” celebrates its 50th season with the appropriately named “Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special” on Sunday, February 16, which will air on NBC and Peacock from 8:00 p.m. ET.
As you might expect for such an occasion, a star-studded guest list has been lined up, mainly from the worlds of film, television, comedy and music.
NBC hasn’t given anything away about what we should expect, although the 40th anniversary episode contained lots of ensemble sketches with a large number of performers, which might be a guide. On top of that, we are almost certainly in for a good sprinkling of music.
Star names to feature in 50th anniversary special
Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Paul McCartney and Miley Cyrus are among the big names expected to make an appearance, while a host of “Saturday Night Live” alumni, including Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell will also be involved.
Read more: What Saturday Night Live alumni will be on the SNL 50th anniversary tribute show?
Original “Saturday Night Live” cast members: who’s going?
Of the seven members of the original “Saturday Night Live” cast, four are expected to take part in the show. They are Chevy Chase (81), Garrett Morris (88), Jane Curtin (77) and Laraine Newman (72).
Of the others, John Belushi died in 1982 at the age of only 33 after being given a lethal mixture of heroin and cocaine, whole Gilda Radner passed away due to ovarian cancer aged just 42 in 1989.
Dan Aykroyd, meanwhile, has posted enthusiastically about the special on social media but is reported to have been unavailable. NBC haven’t confirmed he won’t be appearing, however, so perhaps they could be teeing up a surprise.
Cracking a Head with pride at having been a co-founder of SNL along with everyone we were together with in those four years, five decades ago. This telecast is as historical as the next moon landing. Comedy stars of our age all gathered under the aegis of America’s greatest…
— Dan Aykroyd (@dan_aykroyd) February 14, 2025
When was the first ever episode of “Saturday Night Live?”
“Saturday Night Live” first aired as “NBC’s Saturday Night” on October 11, 1975, which means the show is still a few months off being 50 years old. This special is a celebration of its 50th season, rather than its true longevity.
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