‘SNL50’ Tops Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar to Win Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

SNL50: The Anniversary Special won outstanding variety special (live) at the 2025 Primetime Emmys, beating an exceptionally high-powered field of nominees — The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé Bowl, SNL50: The Homecoming Concert and The Oscars. The awards were held on Sunday (Sept. 14) at the Ovation Theater at L.A. Live. Comedian Nate Bargatze served as host.

Lorne Michaels, the show’s longtime executive producer, accepted the award by saying, “I won this award for the first time 50 years ago, in 1975. I was younger and I had a lot of dreams — and not one of those dreams was that I’d still be doing the same show for the next 50 years, however here we are. I want to thank NBC and Comcast for their support. The show was two years in the making.” [Editor’s Note: Michaels first won 49 years ago, in 1976.]

This was the 106th Primetime Emmy that SNL has won in competition, combining the flagship series and anniversary specials. That’s nearly twice as many Emmys as the runner-up show in total Emmy wins, Game of Thrones, with 59 awards. (SNL’s total does not count Hall of Fame citations to the show and its first-season cast.)

This was the third SNL anniversary special to win a top program Emmy. Saturday Night Live: The 25th Anniversary Special won outstanding variety, music or comedy special in 2000. The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special won outstanding variety special in 2015.

It’s rare for a special based on a regular TV program to win a top program Emmy. Three “Carpool Karaoke” specials based on the popular segment on The Late Late Show Starring James Corden won outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) from 2016 to 2019. In addition, five “Carpool Karaoke” specials won outstanding short-form program awards. The West Wing Documentary Special won outstanding special class program in 2002. Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons won outstanding variety special (live) in 2019. A similar special, Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and Good Times, won in the same category the following year.

Lorne Michaels was executive producer of SNL50: The Anniversary Special; it was his 24th Primetime Emmy (not counting his induction into the TV Hall of Fame in 1999).

Though she lost in the highest-profile variety category, Beyoncé won her first Primetime Emmy for Beyoncé Bowl prior to the main telecast — a juried award for outstanding costumes for variety, nonfiction or reality programming.

Likewise, though Kendrick Lamar lost in the highest-profile variety category, he won at the Creative Arts Emmys for outstanding music direction. He won in tandem with Tony Russell.

SNL50: The Anniversary Special featured several musical performances. Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter performed Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound” as a cold open. Other performances were Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard teaming on the Prince song “Nothing Compares 2 U” (a song also famously recorded by Sinéad O’Connor), Adam Sandler playing “50 Years” (which received an Emmy nod for outstanding music and lyrics at last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys), Lil Wayne and The Roots performing a hip-hop medley, and Paul McCartney performing the prized closing sequence from The Beatles’ 1969 masterwork Abbey Road.

Though the anniversary special won eight awards, SNL lost outstanding scripted variety series to Last Week Tonight With John Oliver for the third year in a row. John Oliver’s program has won an outstanding series award for 10 consecutive years. It won outstanding variety talk series for seven years before being moved to its current category, where it has won for three straight years.