Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon Perform “Homeward Bound” to Open ‘SNL’ 50th Anniversary Special
Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon kicked off Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special with a touching duet.
The Grammy winners introduced each other before they opened the NBC broadcast by performing Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound.” Simon pointed out that he performed the same track on SNL in 1976 with George Harrison, while Carpenter joked that neither she nor her parents were born at the time.
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After they concluded their performance, Carpenter and Simon kicked off the special by reciting SNL‘s signature catchphrase, “Live From New York, it’s Saturday night,” despite the special airing on Sunday. From there, Steve Martin appeared to deliver the monologue.
Carpenter took the stage later Sunday night for a bridesmaid skit inspired by SNL‘s viral Domingo skit with Ariana Grande, which featured music from her track “Espresso.” There, Marcello Hernández reprised his role of Domingo once more, while Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny joined Carpenter to offer a fresh take on the beloved bit.
Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard were the next musical duo to perform after Carpenter and Simon with a rendition of the late Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Notably, O’Connor took the SNL stage in 1992, when she infamously performed Bob Marley’s “War” and ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II in protest of child abuse, telling viewers to “fight the real enemy.”
Dave Chappelle introduced Lil Wayne and The Roots, who teamed up to play a few of the rapper’s songs, including “Uproar,” “Lollipop,” “Mrs. Officer” and “A Milli.”
Paul McCartney was the final musical guest of the night. He wrapped up the anniversary special with a beautiful performance of The Beatles’ “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight” and “The End.”
The three-hour primetime show enlisted a plethora of guests, including Five-Timers Club members Simon, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Scarlett Johansson, Martin Short and Woody Harrelson. Additional celebrity guests included Carpenter, Pascal, Bad Bunny, Cyrus, McCartney, Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson and Robert De Niro.
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 slated to grace the special, including 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, Adam Sandler, 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 number of musical acts from the show’s past. In addition, NBC aired a documentary about SNL music, which is available to stream on Peacock.
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