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\n\tPaul McCartney<\/a> made a grand return to Saturday Night Live<\/a><\/em> for its SNL50: The Anniversary Special<\/em><\/a>, delivering a stirring performance of the Abbey Road<\/a><\/em> medley, \u201cGolden Slumbers\u201d \/ \u201cCarry That Weight\u201d \/ \u201cThe End.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tThe former Beatle<\/a>, who was a musical guest on the show in 1980, 1993, 2010 and 2012 and made cameos in 2006, 2013 and 2015, also previously appeared on SNL\u2019s <\/em>40th anniversary special. The legendary rocker again took the stage at Studio 8H on Sunday night (Feb. 16), closing out the three-hour event with a historic nod to one of the most celebrated albums in rock history.<\/p>\n \n\tMcCartney\u2019s appearance followed a star-studded night of musical performances, including Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard\u2019s cover of \u201cNothing Compares 2 U,\u201d and a surprise duet from Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter<\/a>. <\/p>\n \n\tLil Wayne performed with The Roots<\/a> and DJ T. Lewis for his performance, which opened with the 2018 single\u00a0\u201cUproar,\u201d and saw Weezy run through other tunes from his\u00a0Tha Carter<\/em>\u00a0series of albums, including his lone Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper as a solo artist \u201cLollipop\u201d, followed by \u201c6 Foot 7 Foot\u201d and \u201cMrs. Officer\u201d. The night also featured an unexpected SNL<\/em> moment when Nirvana <\/a>joined Post Malone<\/a> for a performance of \u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit\u201d.<\/p>\n \n\tThe 50th anniversary of SNL<\/em> also brings about one of rock\u2019s most legendary what-ifs: the time McCartney and John Lennon nearly reunited on the show. <\/p>\n \n\tIn 1976, SNL<\/em> creator Lorne Michaels famously offered The Beatles $3,000 to reunite during the show\u2019s first season. Lennon later recalled in a Playboy<\/em> interview that he and McCartney were watching the show together that night at Lennon\u2019s apartment in The Dakota and briefly considered making a surprise appearance. \u201cWe nearly got into a cab, but we were actually too tired,\u201d Lennon admitted. \u201cWe went, \u2018Ha-ha, wouldn\u2019t it be funny if we went down?\u2019 But we didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThough that reunion never happened, McCartney\u2019s SNL<\/em> history remains rich. Beyond his musical performances, he\u2019s been a frequent comedic guest, appearing in sketches over the years\u2014including a memorable bit with Chris Farley in which the late comedian nervously interviewed him on The Chris Farley Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tMcCartney\u2019s latest appearance at SNL<\/em> 50 comes as he continues to celebrate The Beatles\u2019 lasting legacy. In 2023, The Beatles scored their first No. 1 debut on the Billboard<\/em> Hot 100 with \u201cNow and Then,\u201d a long-lost track featuring Lennon\u2019s vocals. The song also topped Billboard\u2019s<\/em> Rock & Alternative Airplay chart and became the band\u2019s 35th Hot 100 top 10 hit.<\/p>\n