Jack Nicholson, 87, made a surprise appearance at Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary special in New York City on Sunday evening.
The reclusive actor was spotted in Studio 8H’s star-studded audience wearing his signature style: purple-tinted sunglasses paired with a New York Yankees beret.
Nicholson, who has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent years, donned a black jacket and button-up shirt for the milestone television event.
From his seat in the audience, Nicholson introduced his former co-star Adam Sandler with a simple: “Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Sandler!”
Sandler, who starred alongside Nicholson in the 2003 film Anger Management, responded warmly to the introduction.
“Yeah, baby! Let’s hear it for Jack, baby,” Sandler exclaimed. “Jack made it out tonight. Love you, brother.”
Jack Nicholson introducing Adam Sandler at #SNL50 in a rare public appearance pic.twitter.com/pXXiexnAeh
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 17, 2025
The 58-year-old comedian then proceeded to perform an emotional original song celebrating the sketch show’s five decades on air.
The appearance marked Nicholson’s first public outing since April 2023, when he was spotted at a Los Angeles Lakers playoff game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The actor was accompanied to the SNL celebration by his 34-year-old daughter Lorraine, who sat beside him wearing a brown, sleeveless dress.
The father-daughter duo had previously shared a tender moment in early January when Lorraine posted a photo of them embracing on Instagram.
Filmmaker Nancy Meyers, who directed Nicholson in Something’s Gotta Give, commented on the Instagram post: “Your dad looks great.”
The star-studded anniversary special opened with a memorable duet between pop star Sabrina Carpenter, 25, and music legend Paul Simon, 83, who performed an acoustic rendition of Homeward Bound.
The event drew an impressive roster of SNL alumni, including Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell and Tina Fey.
Seated near Nicholson in the audience were Robert De Niro with partner Tiffany Chen, alongside Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.
The celebration followed Friday’s 50th Anniversary Homecoming Concert, which featured performances from Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, and Bad Bunny.
Fans of the Shining legend took to X to express their praise for how well they thought Nicholson looked, as one penned: “He’s looked the same for the last 20 years lol.”
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“He looks pretty good for his age,” someone else said before another added: “Oh hey! Good ol Jack! Glad to see he’s still kicking and looking great as ever.”
“Ngl he looks pretty good for his age,” a fourth noted leaving a fifth to write: “Wow, it’s so cool to see him out and about again. Haven’t seen him in public for ages. Good for him for showing up at the anniversary special.”
A sixth expressed: “What a great capture and he looks as cool as ever! And….the great DeNiro in the background.” (sic)
