--- title: 5 Essential Moments from SNL‘s 40th Anniversary Special description: That star-studded monologue, Wayne's World's return and more... canonical: https://time.com/3710953/5-essential-moments-from-snls-40th-anniversary-special/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-16T16:16:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:40:50.069Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: 5 Essential Moments from SNL‘s 40th Anniversary Special og:description: That star-studded monologue, Wayne's World's return and more... og:url: https://time.com/3710953/5-essential-moments-from-snls-40th-anniversary-special/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1cb403a1ac679754/69877f6b0b72e32cdc6ddb46/snl.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: SNL 40th Anniversary Special - 2015 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Essential Moments from SNL‘s 40th Anniversary Special twitter:description: That star-studded monologue, Wayne's World's return and more... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1cb403a1ac679754/69877f6b0b72e32cdc6ddb46/snl.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Essential Moments from _SNL_'s 40th Anniversary Special > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Watch Tina Fey Get Eaten by a Land Shark on SNL 40 [Watch (HLS stream): Watch Tina Fey Get Eaten by a Land Shark on SNL 40](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/A5EwjBAv.m3u8) (0:30)  _Published 2015-02-16. Melissa McCarthy pays tribute to Chris Farley as Tina Fey Gets Eaten by a Land Shark on SNL's 40th anniversary special._ by [Jeff Nelson / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Jeff Nelson / People Contributor Feb 16, 2015 4:16 PM UTC  Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy as Matt Foley, Jane Curtin during the Weekend Update skit during the SNL 40th Anniversary Special on Feb. 15, 2015. Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy as Matt Foley, Jane Curtin during the Weekend Update skit during the SNL 40th Anniversary Special on Feb. 15, 2015.NBC/Getty Images by [Jeff Nelson / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Jeff Nelson / People Contributor Feb 16, 2015 4:16 PM UTC Lorne Michaels gathered his merry band of jesters at 30 Rockefeller Center’s hallowed Studio 8H on Sunday to celebrate four decades of comedy with _Saturday Night Live_‘s 40th anniversary special. In the words of Bill Hader’s Stefon, this anniversary had everything: veterans (Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David), current pop-culture fixtures (Taylor Swift, Kerry Washington, Miley Cyrus), former hosts (Tom Hanks, Derek Jeter, Alec Baldwin), willing butts of the joke (Sarah Palin) – even Land Shark! The three-and-a-half-hour special showcased fan favorites’ audition tapes and many of the last 40 years’ best sketches and digital shorts. Alongside the laughs were touching tributes to New York City and late cast members, plus musical performances from Cyrus, Kanye West, Paul McCartney and Paul Simon. During the course of the star-studded evening, five segments showcased the series’s past, present and future. **The Opening Monologue(s)** Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake opened the show by paying homage to several of the most memorable moments in _SNL_ history, from Church to the Ambiguously Gay Duo, “two wild and crazy guys,” “more cowbell!” and the pals’ own (uncensored!) “D— in a Box.” Molly Shannon even dropped by as Mary Katherine Gallagher to smell her armpits, and Rachel Dratch’s Debbie Downer once again brought down the mood, reminding the guys musical numbers send ratings into a tailspin. Later, beloved _SNL_ vet Steve Martin took the stage and noted wryly, “Tonight is like an enormous high school reunion. … A high school that is almost all white.” After a few words, past hosts – including Hanks, Baldwin, Chris Rock, Cyrus and Melissa McCarthy – joined him onstage to land one-liners. **“Celebrity Jeopardy”** Ferrell reprised his role as game show host Alex Trebek and welcomed Sean Connery (current _SNL_ emcee Darrell Hammond) and Burt Reynolds (Norm Macdonald). Per usual, Connery uncouthly struggled reading the categories (see: “Whore Ads” instead of “Who Reads” and “Le Tits Now” instead of “Let It Snow”), and no one got a single answer correct. Joining the pros were current cast member Kate McKinnon as Justin Bieber and three-time host Jim Carrey as Matthew McConaughey (reviving a ready-made viral sensation digital short from his recent October hosting stint). Kenan Thompson took a risky role in the video Daily Double as Bill Cosby, who was making “his favorite cocktail” in a clip that Ferrell’s Trebek frantically insisted had been “shot six months ago.” **“The Californians”** Thompson, Hader, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer returned in the recurring soap opera parody. This time around, Karina (Wiig) finds out she’s pregnant – but not with the baby of husband Stuart (Armisen) or with lover Devin (Hader). Twist! The denim short short-sporting pool boy Greg … or Craig … (Bradley Cooper). Rounding out the A-list cast – in nearly incomprehensible Valley girl accents – were Taylor Swift, Kerry Washington and none other than Betty White, whose character had had an affair with Cooper’s. Long story short, Cooper and White kissed, and it broke the Internet. **“Weekend Update”** Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Jane Curtin took over “Weekend Update” anchor duties, though their guests managed to occupy plenty of the spotlight. Emma Stone stepped out to do her best impression of Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannadanna, McCarthy crashed into the “Update” desk as Chris Farley’s “motivational” speaker Matt Foley and Edward Norton emulated Stefon. (To the audience’s delight, the real Stefon, a.k.a. Hader, joined Norton and gave tips, including “Make a teepee for your secrets!”) **“Wayne’s World”** Schwing! Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) reunited for another episode of Wayne’s World. Sharing an _SNL_\-themed Top 10 list, the seasoned pros anchored the special with a sentimental thank-you to producer Lorne Michaels and the crew even as they managed to deliver some of the night’s most topical jokes, including an extended gag about West pegged to his Feb. 8 Grammys lash-out at Beck. After telling West not to “storm the stage,” they kept the laughs coming: “I think Beck was one of the best, even better than Beyoncé.” All in all, it was a night that honored where _SNL_ has irreverently been and the creative minds who have formed its identity, all the while keeping an eye toward the current events that have provided the show’s backbone over the last 40 years. Oh, and there was a bass in a blender. [This article was originally published in _People.com_](http://www.people.com/article/saturday-night-live-40th-anniversary-5-essential-moments) ### See the Best Impressions on Saturday Night Live  Dan Aykroyd as Julia Child in 1978. Edie Baskin—Warner Bros./Archive Photos/Getty Images  Dan Aykroyd as President Richard Nixon in 1978. Fred Hermansky—NBC/Getty Images  Dana Carvey as Ross Perot in 1993. Raymond Bonar—NBC/Getty Images  Norm MacDonald as David Letterman in 1997. Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  From left: Molly Shannon as Monica Lewinsky and John Goodman as Linda Tripp in 1998. Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  From left: Jimmy Fallon as Michael Stipe and Ana Gasteyer as Celine Dion in 1998. Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery in 2000. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek in 2002. Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  Maya Rudolph as Donatella Versace Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty Images  Alec Baldwin as Tony Bennett in 2005. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  From left: Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton and Will Ferrell as Janet Reno in 2007. NBC/Getty Images  Will Farrell as President George W. Bush in 2008. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  From left: Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Senator Hillary Clinton in 2008. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Kristen Wiig as Liza Minnelli in 2012. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Kenan Thompson as Rev. Al Sharpton on Oct. 25, 2014. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Kevin Hart as James Brown on Jan. 17, 2015. Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images  Kate McKinnon as Justin Bieber on Jan. 17, 2015. 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