How SNL50 Experience turned fans into hosts

For 50 years of Saturday nights, fans have tuned in to SNL and imagined what it must be like to host the most iconic sketch-comedy show in history. From the excitement of busting through the stage doors to trying not to crack up next to the world’s funniest talent, it feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could only happen in their dreams. Most fans never know the magic of stepping inside Studio 8H — let alone being the star of the show… Until now.

To celebrate the show’s milestone 50th anniversary, the 'SNL50 Experience' transformed fans into the show's hosts and invited them to step, quite literally, into the spotlight.

Guests met their “stage managers” at the Studio 8H doors and entered into an exhilarating, narrative-driven, intentionally fast-paced, and action-packed journey as the night's host. Every 2.5 minutes, hosts transitioned from exhilarating on-stage moments to backstage experiences. They got ready backstage for their big entrance before it was time to step into the spotlight, bursting through the doors and onto SNL’s famous Home Base stage as their names were announced. From there, it was on with the show!

At an electric pace, our hosts moved through moments like reading cue cards on the 'Weekend Update' set, joining the 'D*** in a Box' music video, freshening up in hair and makeup, and performing the 'Wayne’s World' intro live. Stage managers prepped hosts for each sketch, making them truly feel like a part of the production. The experience concluded in the Five-Timers Club, where guests could toast to 50 years of SNL.

The result: an unforgettable immersion into the world of SNL, as exciting and hilarious as the show itself.

Tickets to the free, four-day pop-up sold out in 10 minutes. A total of 47,000 unique tickets were requested and 4,500 guests got the chance to experience what it’s really like to host 'Saturday Night Live'. The experience earned over 350 million impressions and drove widespread national attention for the 50th Anniversary Special (airing just two weeks later), which became NBC’s most-watched primetime telecast in five years.

Most importantly, the 'SNL50 Experience' made fans’ dreams come true — welcoming six times more unique hosts to the stage than SNL has had in its 50-year history, letting them step into their favorite SNL moments, experience the show’s storied history, and become an official part of Saturday Night Live’s 50-year legacy.

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