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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →During the closing goodnights of SNL50: The Anniversary Special, original cast members Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin held a framed photograph of their late colleague Gilda Radner, according to contemporary reporting. The moment brought three members of the show’s original cast together in a visible remembrance; no direct statement from Newman or Curtin explaining the gesture has been reported.
What Newman and Curtin did during the SNL50 goodnights
Newman and Curtin held a framed photo of Radner as the anniversary special concluded. The gesture was part of the goodnights, not a separately announced tribute segment. The Hollywood Reporter’s coverage reported the moment.
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Why the moment resonated
Radner, Newman, and Curtin were all members of Saturday Night Live’s original cast. Retrospective coverage has described the three women as close, giving the photograph a personal as well as historical resonance. It is fair to read the image as a remembrance of a colleague and friend, but the available reporting does not establish what Newman or Curtin intended it to mean.
The two women had also appeared together in a 1989 tribute to Radner. An archival transcript attributes to Newman the line, “We feel fortunate to have been able to know and work with Gilda Radner.” It attributes this line to Curtin: “Although we’ve suffered a tremendous loss in her passing, we’re happy to present to you now, a little bit of what she left behind.” Those remarks belong to the earlier tribute, not the 2025 anniversary special; they are presented here as transcript-archive attributions, not as a newly verified transcript of the recording. Read the archival transcript.
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When the 50th anniversary special aired
SNL50: The Anniversary Special aired live on Sunday, February 16, 2025, from Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center. NBCUniversal described it as a three-hour primetime broadcast on NBC and Peacock. Peacock’s episode listing gives the program a running time of 152 minutes. NBCUniversal’s anniversary overview and Peacock’s episode listing provide the event details.
Audience figures reported by NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal reported 14.8 million viewers across NBC and Peacock in live-plus-same-day viewing, along with a 2.53 rating among adults 18–49 across those services in the same measurement window. It also reported 8.7 million social interactions for the special. These are the company’s reported figures, not independently audited totals. NBCUniversal’s post-event report contains the numbers.
Rank #2
- 12 DVDs of the best episodes from Seasons 1-5. Plus a 28-Page Collector’s Book telling the story of the show and cast
- 33 episodes with the original groundbreaking, irreverent, hilarious cast. Plus rare footage of the cast, including screen tests and interviews
- All-time classic sketches including “Land Shark,” “Word Association,” “The Killer Bees,” “Super Bass-o-Matic,” “Weekend Update,” and so many more
- Iconic characters including Coneheads, Samurai, Emily Litella, Chevy Chase as President Ford, Shower Mike, The Blues Brothers, Baba Wawa, and more! You'll also recieve special episodes including Chevy Chase's return to SNL with music icon Billy Joel, plus the historic 100th episode!
- Guest Hosts include George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Candice Bergen, Paul Simon, and more
Where to watch the special
Peacock lists SNL50: The Anniversary Special on its episode page. Access depends on location: Peacock’s current notice says streaming requires a device physically located in the United States and that the service is unavailable in some other territories. Check the listing and access terms for your location, as availability can change. See Peacock’s access notice.
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Rank #4
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