The Funniest 'SNL' Season 50 Skits, Monologues, Weekend Updates and Moments (So Far)

It’s hard to believe that Saturday Night Live has been on the air for five decades, but it has been 50 years since SNL moved into Studio 8H. In that time, the sketch show has created a bevy of unforgettable characters, provided us with biting political satire, and launched the careers of today’s biggest comedic stars. The show has become a fixture in the American television landscape, and its influence is still as potent today as it was when it debuted in 1975.

Now that SNL 50 is well underway, it feels like it’s time to look back at all the best moments this momentous season has brought us. From jaw-dropping cameos to knee-slapping parodies, here are all the most unforgettable SNL 50 moments. 

Best moments from Saturday Night Live Season 50

Woman Who Can’t Find Something in Her Purse (Episode 6)

Ego Nwodim is responsible for some of the biggest laughs in recent SNL history (looking at you, Lisa from Temecula), and this drop-by the Weekend Update desk is just another notch on her comedic belt. Nwodim’s character promises to teach Colin Jost and the audience about the art of active listening, but instead spends her entire three minutes on the air rifling through her purse pulling out everything from maracas to a dead goldfish. “I need to take ‘fish mom’ out of my bio,” she laments. She even pulls out an unsent mail-in ballot. “That is a damn shame. I’m registered in Pennsylvania, too.” 

Vice President Kamala Harris Cold Open Cameo (Episode 5) 

There’s nothing more thrilling than an unexpected cameo on Saturday Night Live, especially when said special guest has been impersonated by one of the show’s most celebrated cast members all season long. The crowd erupted into feverish applause when Vice President Kamala Harris joined Maya Rudolph on the Studio 8H stage where the two traded Kamala-based puns like “Kamala take my palm-ala” and “Keep Kamala and carry on-ala.” Harris joined the ranks of several other political figures who have visited 30 Rock on their campaign trail to poke fun at themselves and inspire the American people. We thank you for your service.

Related: Every ‘Saturday Night Live’ Host of Season 50

“Port Authority Duane Reade” (Episode 5) 

SNL shines when it lets itself wander into bizarre and nonsensical territories of comedy, and the “Port Authority Duane Reade” sketch with John Mulaney was a perfect example of that. While it was filled with real-life references to New York goings-on (like the Timotheé Chalamet lookalike contest or the bear carcass that RFK Jr. dumped in Central Park), the sketch show presented this content in a Broadway-style cabaret inside a bus terminal drug store. It made no sense, and yet all the sense.

Chappell Roan debuts new song “The Giver” (Episode 5) 

One of the most anticipated musical guests of SNL 50 was undoubtedly Chappell Roan, and while fans theorized about what songs she might perform (“I hope she plays ‘Hot to Go'”) the audience was treated to a never-before-heard tune, “The Giver.” Decked head to toe in her best hoedown throwdown regalia, Roan belted about how women get the job done better than men. “All you country boys saying you know how to treat a woman right / Well only a woman knows how to treat a woman right.” Yee-haw!

Related: Every ‘SNL’ Musical Guest of Season 50 

Sarah Sherman talking Victoria’s Secret on Weekend Update (Episode 4) 

Every time Sarah Sherman rolls up to the Update desk you know two things: Colin Jost is about to get razzed within an inch of his life, and you’re going to laugh until you’re absolutely wheezing. This time around she was there to share her thoughts on the inclusivity showcased in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. While she was happy that there was a lot of diversity, she noticed a demographic that was underrepresented: women like her. “Where are my girls with anxiety hives and infected belly button rings?” she asked. “I want to see underwear that’s been through hell and back … the kind that looks like a flag at the end of a war.” 

Please Don’t Destroy – “Skydiving” (Episode 4) 

The boys of Please Don’t Destroy (a NYC comedy trio made up of Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy who all write on Saturday Night Live) always know how to hit the audience’s funny-bone dead-on. This video sketch with host Micheal Keaton showcased the most ill-fated skydiving attempt imaginable where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The last thing you want to hear your skydiving instructor say is “I woke up feeling off today,” and that’s the least of these guys’ worries.

“Bridesmaid Speech” (Episode 3) 

This viral hit racked up a whopping 15 million views on Saturday Night Live’s TikTok account and almost another 10 million on YouTube. It’s safe to say that the tale of Domingo resonated with audiences, and it’s not hard to understand why. Beyond the catchy/funny reimagining of Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Espresso,” we’ve all witnessed the clunky bridesmaids’ speech firsthand, and this sketch starring host Ariana Grande brilliantly captured the essence of one of those so-cringe-it’s-good speeches. 

Jane Wickline’s Weekend Update song (Episode 2) 

One of Season 50’s new featured players, Jane Wickline, made her Update desk debut with a song about going to a house party and proved she’s got the comedy chops to be on SNL. Throughout the ditty, she sang of raging all night long, though as it continued the audience couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been missing some social queues at the gathering. She sang “DJ packs up … because he knows we don’t need music to dance / People stack up the chairs … good idea make the dance floor bigger!” Hmm. Seems like it might have been a party of one.

Related: Meet the Cast of ‘SNL’ Season 50

“Washington’s Dream 2” (Episode 2) 

In the sequel to Season 49 “Washington’s Dream,” host Nate Bargatze played General George Washington as he tried to rally his soldiers during the famous crossing of the Delaware River in 1776. He spun tales of what life in America would be like once they were free to create their own destiny, but his troops were more than a little puzzled by the soon-to-be president’s vision of doing their “own thing” with the English language. His ideas included calling the first year of school “kindergarten” but the second “first grade” and having a special word for the number 12, but not for any others. His ideas were bold, but they seem to have stuck.

Moo Deng’s appearance on Weekend Update (Episode 1) 

It felt inevitable that the world’s favorite knee-biting baby hippo, Moo Deng, would wriggle her way onto the airwaves of Saturday Night Live, and who better to bring her to life than Bowen Yang. In the past few years he has brought us many memorable Weekend Update characters like The Iceberg and his impression of Fran Lebowitz. Moo Deng had a lot to say about her newfound fame and likened her relationship with the public to that of rising star Chappell Roan. “Stop harassing her and stop throwing shellfish at her! This is what society does. It puts young women on pedestals only to knock them down with shellfish!”

Jean Smart’s Opening Monologue  (Episode 1) 

Jean Smart is a class act, and her opening monologue on the SNL 50 season premiere was a prime example of why her career spanned five decades—she has it. She was effortlessly charming and exuded an intoxicating confidence as she sang snippets from Cole Porter’s “I Happen to Like New York,” working in anecdotes about her life and career, and some playful jabs at the show itself. “I thought SNL stood for ‘Saturday Night Laughs,’ but then I watched the show and I thought, ‘Well, that can’t be right.'” The tone of this monologue had a dreamy quality that transcended comedy and filled you with the exact nostalgia you wanted to feel in a milestone season opening.

Related: ‘SNL’ Reveals Two New Hosts and Musical Guests for Season 50