Saturday Night Live Pays Tribute to Norman Lear

Earlier this week came news that television icon and sitcom godfather Norman Lear, creator of hits like All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, and The Jeffersons, had died at the age of 101. During tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live the live sketch-comedy series paid tribute to Lear with a silent title card as the show as preparing to end. Just before host Adam Driver appeared on screen to thank the cast and crew, Saturday Night Live went black and superimposed a photo of Lear on the screen. The image was one that harkened back to the one time that Lear hosted Saturday Night Live, taking on the duty for the show’s September 25, 1976 episode way back during season 2. You you can see the photo yourself below.

“Norman lived a life of curiosity, tenacity, and empathy. He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all,” his family wrote in a statement when his death was announced. “He began his career in the earliest days of live television and discovered a passion for writing about the real lives of Americans, not a glossy ideal. At first, his ideas were met with closed doors and misunderstanding. However, he stuck to his conviction that the ‘foolishness of the human condition’ made great television, and eventually he was heard.”

Who is on Saturday Night Live tonight? 

For the fourth time, Adam Driver is hosting Saturday Night Live, with Olivia Rodrigo performing as the musical guest. Julia Stiles also made a surprise appearance during Weekend Update, making a joke about her 2001 feature film Save the Last Dance. 

Who is in the Saturday Night Live cast?

Cast members for Saturday Night Live season 49 include almost the entire cast from season 48 of SNL. Returning stars include Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang. Featured players that are part of the cast include returning stars Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker, plus the show’s only fully new cast member for the year, newcomer Chloe Troast. The comedy troupe Please Don’t Destroy, made up of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy, are also a recurring part of the series. 

New Saturday Night Live Hosts

With the SAG-AFTRA Strike still without a resolution, Saturday Night Live is unable to tap actors to host new episodes since previously they would only appear on the series to promote some new work (prohibited by the rules of the SAG-AFTRA strike). As a result comedians and musicians have been the only hosts confirmed for Saturday Night Live season 49 with Pete Davidson, Bad Bunny, and Nate Bargatze taking the spotlight for the first three episodes.

Saturday Night Live Season 49 is ongoing now with new episodes airing on both NBC and Peacock, starting Saturdays at 11:30 PM ET. All 48  seasons of Saturday Night Live are also now streaming on Peacock.