Screenshot from SNL YouTube

The weekend tradition of turning on the television, catching some laughs and a couple of songs, continued on May 16 by way of Saturday Night Live’s season 51 closer.

Hosted by cast alumnus Will Ferrell, the program also saw the return of another familiar face: Sir Paul McCartney, who served as the episode’s musical guest, performing three songs from different decades of his sweeping career. The SNL appearance represented McCartney’s first since 2012, and brought his total to five. 

The 83-year-old musical dynamo initially arrived on the Studio 8H stage during Ferrell’s opening monologue. In the skit, physical similarities between Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Ferrell were noted before a crowd-picked question brought McCartney into the fold, leading to a mention of his greatest hits. Eventually, the musical guest boots Smith behind the kit, where he remained through the evening’s musical deliveries. 

Parsed between skits and, indeed, joined by Smith, McCartney performed the lead single off his forthcoming LP The Boys of Dungeon Lane, due on May 29. “Day We Left Behind” was complemented by a display of childhood photos and images from the artist’s early days, before the Beatles were known as the Beatles. For the ensemble’s second delivery, they stepped back in time by way of the musician’s Wings era on “Band on the Run.” Notably, during McCartney’s 2010 guest slot, he also struck up the 1973 track. 

As a sort of callback to his own history, McCartney played “Coming Up” during the final moments of season 51 as credits rolled across the screen. Previously, during the show’s fifth season, in 1980, McCartney also played the track off his second solo LP, McCartney II.

Watch McCartney help close out this season of SNL below.

McCartney en SNL 2026
-Days We Left Behind
-Band On The Run
-Coming Up

Brillante selección! 💖 pic.twitter.com/JQHqIqz9XM

— Calico Skies Radio | McCartney 👐🏻 (@calicoradio) May 17, 2026