Heidi Gardner says ‘SNL 50’ feels like her teen bedroom is coming to life
On the red carpet, current “SNL” cast member Heidi Gardner described the surreal experience of being surrounded by her idols.
“Every single person that was on my bedroom walls when I was 16 has now crawled out of the walls and into the building — and is actually talking to me in real life," she said. "It’s insane. This is what my bedroom looked like.”
Kristin Wiig says it's been an emotional weekend
For its audience, "SNL" is a laugh-maker. But for some who toiled in the writers' room and played out sketches in an empty Studio 8H, this weekend's celebrations have amounted to a true homecoming — complete with the corresponding emotions.
"I find myself crying a lot," Kristin Wiig, a cast member from 2005 to 2012, said on tonight's red carpet. "Everyone's very emotional."
Behind the scenes, the work is hard and not always humorous, she indicated.
"We’ve been through what 'SNL' is," Wiig said. "Sometimes it can be very challenging."
She added, "I’ve cried several times."
It's showtime
Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon are kicking off tonight's special.
Carpenter joked neither she nor her parents were born when Simon performed with George Harrison on "SNL" in 1976.
The two then began a duet of "Homeward Bound."
Will Ferrell and Will Forte reflect on the highs and lows of 'SNL'
Will Forte said it's special to reflect on his time on "SNL."
"Because while you’re going through it, each week you’re a ball of stress. At least I was," he told NBC's Willie Geist. "And so a lot of the time you don’t. ...”
“Smell the roses. Smell the roses!" said Will Ferrell, who jumped in to complete the sentence.
Ferrell later said he has a “lot of butterflies right now" ahead of the special.
Questlove 'cried' after Friday's 'SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert'
Speaking on the red carpet tonight, Ahmir K. Thompson of The Roots and director of "Ladies & Gentlemen: 50 Years of SNL Music," said he's happy the celebrations are almost a wrap.
"We cried because it was over," he said on the red carpet tonight, speaking of his work performing on "SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert."
One wouldn't blame the musician, better known as Questlove, frontman for the hip-hop act that is the house band for "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." He's been working extremely hard. The mind-blowing, seven-minute montage of SNL music performances that opens the Peacock documentary alone took a year to complete, he has said.
And the weekend's "SNL" 50th anniversary celebrations weren't a time for him to kick back: Thompson performed with The Roots basically as the virtual house band for "SNL 50 The Homecoming Concert."
He experienced a moment making it well worth it, he said, performing with a hero, Pearl Jam's frontman, at the event Friday night. In his younger days, Thompson said, he worked at a record store.
"I was stocking Pearl Jam posters on the wall," he said, adding his weekend highlight was "playing with Eddie Vedder."
Kim Kardashian teases her sketch tonight
Without revealing too much, Kim Kardashian hinted that she's going to appear in a sketch tonight alongside people she's "obsessed with."
"It’s a full circle moment," Kardashian told red carpet host Leslie Jones of her sketch tonight.
Comedian Chris Rock briefly interrupted the interview to give Kardashian a shoutout, calling her “one of the all-time great SNL hosts.”
Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones have a red carpet reunion
Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, who overlapped on the "SNL" cast from 2014 to 2019, caught up on the carpet before tonight's special.
"Isn’t this crazy? Can you even believe it?" McKinnon asked Jones.
"I’m surprised you’re not crying, you big old crybaby," Jones replied, adding, "She’s a big softie."
The two agreed they'd "cry together" tonight.
Amy Poehler says everyone has a lot of 'big feelings' being back
Amy Poehler is leaning into her "Inside Out" character, Joy, sharing that everyone involved with the special tonight is "having a lot of big feelings."
"We all grew up here," she told the NBC red carpet hosts, calling it a "family reunion."
Asked about tonight's special, she said, "Just like with 'SNL,' we’re really waiting until the last minute to figure it out."
"We don’t usually have a red carpet before our show," she added. "It’s not easy to get glam and then go back and get funny."
Emma Stone is carrying popcorn in her dress
Actor Emma Stone came ready to snack.
The Oscar winner, who is married to former "SNL" writer Dave McCary, is holding popcorn while walking the carpet tonight and appears to be pocketing some for later.
In 2023, Stone became the sixth woman to join the coveted "Five-Timers Club" when she hosted for a fifth time.
Cecily Strong says she barely remembers the 'SNL' 40th anniversary
Cecily Strong said the 40th anniversary special celebration 10 years ago was "so insane" that she "barely remembers it."
Tonight, she told NBC's red carpet hosts that she's most "excited to see everybody."