Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th anniversary with a star-studded lineup for “SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration.”

The special was packed with skits, montages, and performances that captured both the history and change of SNL.

SNL alumni and A-list celebrity guests filled the studio, performing new and recurring sketches.

Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon opened the show with “Homeward Bound,” which Simon sang with George Harrison on SNL in 1976.

The opening monologue was done by Steve Martin, who was met with consistent laughter from the crowd.

“A person born during the first season of ‘Saturday Night Live’ could today be easily dead of natural causes,” Martin joked.

Martin’s friend and “Only Murders in the Building” co-star, Martin Short, briefly appeared on stage before being taken away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after admitting he does not have his passport.

Short shouted out the names of other Canadian stars as he was dragged away to save himself by ratting them out.

The iconic “Domingo” sketch made a reappearance as the main couple of the sketch were renewing their vows.

The bridesmaids sang their own renditions of “Defying Gravity” and “You Belong With Me.” This time around, the groomsmen performed their version of “Espresso” and Carpenter joined them.

Pedro Pascal acted as Ronaldo, the groom’s former fling, turning the table on the bride. “Came all this way, had to explain direct from Ronaldo,” Pascal sang, mirroring the original Domingo skit. “Matthew’s my guy, said he’s not bi, but we did hook up though.”

Ronaldo was revealed to be Domingo’s brother with Bad Bunny joining as Santiago, the third sibling.

The combinations of actors, artists, and comedians showed the everlasting talent of the SNL cast and writers.

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey took to the stage for a question-and-answer session with the celebrity audience. They called out to celebrities such as Quinta Brunson, Cher, and Peyton Manning.

Seth Meyers joked that the segment was to highlight the celebrities who weren’t in other parts of the show.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively also appeared during this segment, their first public appearance since Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.

The special was filled with more shocking celebrity appearances. Meryl Streep made her first-ever SNL appearance with the return of Kate McKinnon’s NSFW “Close Encounters” sketch.

Aubrey Plaza also made her first appearance since the passing of her husband to introduce Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard’s musical performance.

Plaza worked as an NBC page during her college years, where she worked with the set design team at SNL and gave tours of the studios.

During the Weekly Update sketch, former update anchor Bill Murray made an appearance to rank other former anchors.

SNL brought back the famous Debbie Downer sketch with Rachel Dratch as Debbie. Pete Davidson’s “Chad” sketch also returned with Laraine Newman, one of the first SNL cast members, reminiscing 50 years of SNL with a nonchalant Chad.

“I can almost hear the laughs, Chad, the band, that famous sax,” Newman said. “I can almost feel what it was like when all of this was new. I can almost see my old friends.”

Although the skit was filled with raunchy comedy, it was also an emotional homage to the original cast as collages of Newman’s time at SNL appeared on screen.

SNL also hosted “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” on Feb. 16 at Radio City Music Hall. SNL famously features a musical guest every episode, holding a rich archive of musical talent through the years.

Performers included Jack White, Lady Gaga, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Post Malone, Nirvana, and many more famous singers. The full setlist can be found on Variety.

Paul McCartney closed the anniversary special with a performance of “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight.”

Short returned for a quick send-off with the cast and guests crowded behind him. He gave a shoutout to the creator and executive producer of SNL, Lorne Michaels, before the credits rolled, showing the performers and audience members greeting and hugging one another.

Clips and performances from the show have been uploaded to the SNL YouTube channel. The entire special can be streamed on Peacock.