“Saturday Night Live” concluded its 50th season last month as the highest-rated entertainment series on broadcast television among Adults 18-49 and was also the most watched comedy across broadcast and cable for the sixth consecutive season, according to ratings data released by Nielsen on Monday.
Factoring in Live+7 across all platforms, the late night sketch show averaged 8.1 million viewers during the 2024-2025 television season, up +12% vs. Season 49 and marked the show’s best numbers since Season 47 (2021-2022).
“To see the show honor its legacy while still pushing boundaries was incredible. The strong ratings this season are a testament to how deeply ‘SNL’ continues to resonate with audiences,” said Katie Hockmeyer, Executive Vice President, Late Night, NBCUniversal Entertainment. “After five decades, ‘SNL’ remains a powerful force in shaping culture and making us laugh week after week.”
Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC
To celebrate the milestone 50th season, four specials were produced, including “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,” “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” and “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music,” which collectively reached 50 million viewers across all platforms.
“SNL50: The Anniversary Special” averaged 22.8 million total viewers across all platforms for the first 35 days, while “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” ranked as Peacock’s highest-reaching original special of all time.
Along with the “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” the 50th season of “Saturday Night Live” drew 7.7 billion views across social media.
The most watched episode overall on social media was the October 12, 2024 telecast ghosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Stevie Nicks, which amassed 712 million views. Meanwhile, the most viewed sketch on social was “Domingo: Bridesmaid Speech” from the same episode. It received 171 million views.
On Sunday, June 8, from 7:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT, NBC will rebroadcast “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” which originally aired live on NBC and Peacock on Sunday, February 16 and garnered 22 million viewers across all platforms.
The star studded special included appearances by Adam Driver, Adam Sandler, Alec Baldwin, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Andy Samberg, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Billy Crystal, Cher, Chevy Chase, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Fred Armisen, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon, John Mulaney, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kate McKinnon, Kenan Thompson, Kim Kardashian, Kristen Wiig, Laraine Newman, Leslie Jones, Lil Wayne, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Martin Short, Maya Rudolph, Mike Myers, Miles Teller, Miley Cyrus, Molly Shannon, Pete Davidson, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Rachel Dratch, Rev. Al Sharpton, Robert De Niro, Sabrina Carpenter, Scarlett Johansson, Seth Meyers, Steve Martin, The Roots, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell, Will Forte, Woody Harrelson and many more.
Fans can also stream “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” and the collection of original documentary programming, including “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” and NBC’s “Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music,” exclusively on Peacock.“Saturday Night Live” is produced in association with Broadway Video.
Lorne Michaels is the creator and executive producer.