How ‘SNL’ Adapted to Changing Media After 50 Years

Morning Brew Daily

Morning Brew

News, Business, Business News

4.4 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Episode 520: Neal and Toby deep-dive into the history and lore of Saturday Night Live, the longest running sketch comedy show on television. They dive into how it all started, recap Lorne Michaels’ career and how he’s been able to turn SNL into a cultural institution. Then, a broader overview of SNL’s ability to turn some of its cast members into movie stars and Hollywood mainstays. Also, a debate on whether SNL is still the pinnacle of comedy. Finally, fun facts about the show you probably didn’t know. 00:00 - SNL 50th anniversary 2:50 - SNL’s cultural relevance 7:30 - The origin of Lorne Michaels 16:30 - The pipeline of movie stars 20:00 - Embracing the digital age 24:00 - SNL fun facts LinkedIn will even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign so you can try it yourself. Go to LinkedIn.com/MBD Terms and conditions apply. Only on LinkedIn ads. Subscribe to Morning Brew Daily for more of the news you need to start your day. Share the show with a friend, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app. Check out https://linkedin.com/MBD for more! Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Here's the truth about AI. AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built into. Service Now puts AI to work for people across your business, removing friction and frustration for your employees, supercharging productivity for your developers, providing intelligent tools for your service agents to make customers happier, all built into a single platform you can
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0:27.9	slash UK slash AI for people. Good morning for your daily show. I'm Neil Fryman. And I'm Toby
0:34.8	Howell. Today, Saturday Night Live is celebrating 50 years on television.
0:39.9	A deep dive into the past, present, and uncertain future of the comedy juggernaut.
0:45.1	Tape from New York, it's Morning Brew Daily.
0:53.0	Happy President's Day. Merry President's Day. Anyway, last night some of you may have watched the 50th anniversary celebration of Saturday Night Live, and the sheer star power of the event made you forget it was on a Sunday.
1:07.3	Alumni like Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, OG cast member, Chevy Chase, were all there,
1:12.7	along with frequent host Dave Chappelle and Steve Martin and powerhouse musical guests like
1:17.1	Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, and Sabrina Carpenter.
1:20.4	It was a show of force that reminded you just how influential the show was in shaping American
1:25.6	culture.
1:26.3	But has it maintained that grip today in
1:29.4	2025? In today's special holiday episode, we are going to piggyback on SNL's 50th birthday
1:35.5	bash to dive deep into this cultural phenomenon, exploring the leadership mind of its ringleader
1:39.8	Lauren and Michael's, its history as a movie star factory, and whether it's been overshadowed in today's frenzied
1:46.2	media landscape.
1:47.1	It's a ton of fun, and we hope you learned something and maybe reminisce about some of the funniest
1:51.4	sketches and characters.
1:53.8	But first, a word from our sponsor, LinkedIn ads.
1:57.0	Neil, were you scared of the dark as a kid?
1:59.8	I wasn't scared per se, but I certainly pulled the
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