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Images: 'SNL' celebrates 40 years

“Saturday Night Live” celebrated its 40th anniversary Sunday night in grand fashion with a three-plus hour tribute on its network home NBC.

And the comedy institution pulled out all the stops and reeled in former cast members and hosts for the extravaganza (even Chevy Chase made it back into the fold for the special).

Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig, James Franco, Justin Timberlake, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Bill Hader, Alec Baldwin, Glenn Close, Melissa McCarthy, Bob Odenkirk, Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg paraded their way down the red carpet before the start of the show, which was hosted by NBC's “Today” staffers including Carson Daly.

Joanna Newsom, left, and "SNL" digital short master Andy Samberg arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Mary Elizabeth Ellis and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Charlie Day arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Emilie Livingston, left, and Jeff Goldblum arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Jimmy Fallon, left, and Justin Timberlake arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Associated Press/Invision
Gabourey Sidibe arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Associated Press/Invision
"SNL" alumnus Martin Short arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Former "Weekend Update" anchor Amy Poehler arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Melissa McCarthy arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Bill Hader arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Hilaria Baldwin, left, and Alec Baldwin arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
"Better Call Saul" Bob Odenkirk arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Elliott Gould arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Associated Press/Invision
Former "SNL" cast member Horatio Sanz arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Two of the most versatile cast members return to celebrate "SNL" Maya Rudolph, left, and Kristen Wiig arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Glenn Close arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
"SNL" alumna - that's right, she was part of the cast for one season - Sarah Silverman arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
James Franco arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Betty White arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
"Orange Is the New Black" star Natasha Lyonne arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Sigourney Weaver arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Rachel Dratch channels a little of her Debbie Downer character at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Ana Gasteyer arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Will Ferrell arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Fred Armisen arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Frequent "SNL" target Sarah Palin arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Paige Butcher, left, and former "SNL" cast memember Eddie Murphy arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
"Elementary" star Lucy Liu arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Jackie Sandler and Adam Sandler arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Actress Olivia Wilde arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
"Fifty Shades of Grey" star Dakota Johnson arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Taylor Swift arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Actress Emma Stone arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Tina Fey arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Grace Hightower and Robert De Niro arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Olivia Wilde and "SNL alumnus Jason Sudeikis arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Kerry Washington arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Catherine Zeta-Jones arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Jim Carrey arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Jerry Seinfeld, left, and Jessica Seinfeld arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Laraine Newman arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Michael Douglas, left, and Catherine Zeta-Jones arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Chris Rock arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Actress Emma Stone, left, laughs with Larry David on the red carpet at the SNL 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Keith Richards and wife Patti Hansen attend the SNL 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
No one's having as much fun as Jimmy Fallon, left, and Justin Timberlake at SNL 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Timberlake and Fallon opened the show with a "History of SNL" much like the "History of Rap" skits they do for "The Tonight Show." Associated Press/Invision
Lorne Michaels attends the SNL 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
Actor Bill Murray attends the SNL 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. Associated Press/Invision
From left to right: Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy as Matt Foley, and Jane Curtin during the Weekend Update. Courtesy of NBC
Will Ferrell, left, and Ana Gasteyer as Marty and Bobby Culp during the Marty and Beyonce skit. Courtesy of NBC
From left to right: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jane Curtin during the Weekend Update skit. Courtesy of NBC
Chevy Chase gets a round of applause. Courtesy of NBC
Paul Shaffer, left, and Bill Murray during the Marty and Beyonce skit. Courtesy of NBC
Mike Meyers as Wayne and Dana Carvey as Garth during the Wayne's World skit. Courtesy of NBC
Louis C.K. during the Films Intro. Courtesy of NBC
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE 40TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL -- Pictured: (l-r) Martin Short, Tina Fey, Chris Rock, tim Meadows, Lorne Michaels, Miley Cyrus, Molly Shannon, Steve Martin during the Goodnights & Credits on February 15, 2015 -- (Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC) Courtesy of NBC
From left to right: Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph and Martin Short take a photograph. Courtesy of NBC
Chris Rock,left, poses with Eddie Murphy. Courtesy of NBC
Kanye West performs on February 15, 2015. Courtesy of NBC
Miley Cyrus performs a cover of a Paul Simon song. Courtesy of NBC
James Franco during the Audience Q&A sketch. Courtesy of NBC
Sarah Palin during the Audience Q&A sketch. Courtesy of NBC
Derek Jeter, left, and Peyton Manning during the ESPN Classic skit. Courtesy of NBC
Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin honor Tracy Morgan who was severely injured in a car accident last year. Courtesy of NBC
Jerry Seinfeld during the Audience Q&A skit. Courtesy of NBC
Martin Short and Maya Rudolph as Beyonce during a skit. Courtesy of NBC
From left to right, the former Weekend Update anchors. Kevin Nealon, Norm Macdonald, Seth Meyers, Colin Quin during a skit. Courtesy of NBC
Fred Armisen as Garth, Kristen Wiig as Kat during the Marty & Beyonce skit. Courtesy of NBC
Jim Belushi, left, Dan Ackroyd as The Blues Brothers during the Marty and Beyonce skit. Courtesy of NBC
Jane Curtin, Edward Norton as Stefan, Seth Meyers, Bill Hader as Stefan during the Weekend Update skit. Courtesy of NBC
Garrett Morris during the Weekend Update skit. Courtesy of NBC
From left to right Sasheer Zamata, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Jason Sudeikis during the Marty and Beyonce skit. Courtesy of NBC
Paul McCartney performs during the anniversary special Courtesy of NBC
Chris Parnell walks the red carpet at the SNL 40th Anniversary Special at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, NY. Courtesy of NBC
From left to right, Tom Hanks, Melissa McCarthy, Peyton Manning, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Alec Baldwin during the cold open. Courtesy of NBC
Jason Sudeikis, left, and Will Forte during the ESPN Classic skit. Courtesy of NBC
Larry David during the Audience Q&A skit. Courtesy of NBC
John Goodman during the Audience Q&A skit. Courtesy of NBC
Dan Akroyd during the Bass-O-Matic skit. Courtesy of NBC
Emma Stone as Roseanne Roseannadanna during the Weekend Update skit. Courtesy of NBC
From left to right: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy as Matt Foley, Jane Curtin during the Weekend Update skit Courtesy of NBC
Patricia Schneider and Rob Schneider walk the red carpet at the SNL 40th Anniversary Special at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, NY. Courtesy of NBC
Steve Martin as King Tut during the Marty and Beyonce skit. Courtesy of NBC
Bradley Cooper, left, and Gloria Campano arrive at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday. Courtesy of NBC
Actor Eddie Murphy and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, greet each other on the red carpet at the SNL 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday Courtesy of NBC
Zach Galifanakis dressed as Sia ahead of her performance with Kanye West. Courtesy of NBC
Paul Simon performs "Still Crazy" at the end of the show. Courtesy of NBC
From left to right: Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek, Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery, Taran Killam as Christoph Waltz, Jim Carrey as Matthew McConaughey during the Celebrity Jeopardy on February 15, 2015. Courtesy of NBC
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