Steve Martin during the opening monologue of the “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” opening monologue on Sunday, Feb. 16. Photo: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
“Saturday Night Live” celebrated 50 years with a three-hour anniversary special that saw many “SNL” alums return to the iconic show on Sunday night.
The big picture: Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter kicked off the celebrations, with a performance of “Homeward Bound,” before “SNL” alum Steve Martin delivered an opening monologue that included a joke about President Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
Zoom in: It was only a few days ago that SNL creator Lorne Michaels “told me I was doing the monologue, and I was actually vacationing on a friend’s boat down in the ‘Gulf of Steve Martin,'” joked the comedian and actor.
- Eddie Murphy also put in a star turn, with the “SNL” alum perfectly imitating Tracy Morgan in a “Black Jeopardy” sketch that featured cameos from Chris Rock and Tom Hanks wearing a MAGA hat:
Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon perform “Homeward Bound” on Feb. 16. Photo: Virginia Sherwood/NBC via Getty Images

Jones, Morgan and Tom Hanks during the “Black Jeopardy” sketch on Feb. 16. Photo: Chris Haston/NBC via Getty Images
L-R; Kristen Wiig, Scarlett Johansson, Ana Gasteyer, Will Ferrell, and Kim Kardashian during the “Lawrence Welk” sketch on Feb. 16. Photo: Virginia Sherwood/NBC via Getty Images
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