Many star-studded folks attended Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary, reinforcing the notion that this was one of the biggest events on the 2025 TV schedule so far. With more details about the historic weekend surfacing daily, comedian Nate Bargatze added to the revelatory pile. He shared that he and other major stand-ups–including, but not limited to, Steve Martin and John Mulaney–performed at an NYC comedy club before Sunday’s show. Now, that alone is a crazy detail, however, what's even wilder is the fact that tickets for this show were less than $20.
As we saw, many comedian giants flocked to the Big Apple to honor one of the best sketch comedy shows. However, with a set and somewhat minimal itinerary for the big weekend, what do a bunch of comedians do in their downtime? According a TikTok Bargatze posted, they headed to one of the most well-regarded and iconic comedy clubs in NYC, The Comedy Cellar (it’s known for big hitters dropping in unexpectedly to tryout material).
That's right, theYour Friend, Nate Bargatze comedian revealed that SNL royalty filled out the evening’s lineup and each was as good as the last, as he said:
So I went up, [David] Spade went up, [Chris] Rock went up. That same show, how that show started, was the host, and then it went Steve Martin, Martin Short, John Mulaney. Leslie Jones went up. We were saying it's gotta be one of the better lineups. Just boom! Boom! And it just keeps going.
The roster the 45-year-old listed, included himself, David Spade, Chris Rock, Steve Martin, Martin Short, John Mulaney, and Leslie Jones. It is undoubtedly an unforgettable and A+ lineup. Big hitter after big hitter was likely a dream come true for its audience, especially if they are SNL lovers. I know I would’ve been on another level to see them all in one evening, and I bet many would have paid a pretty penny to be in the audience too.
To that last point, if you’re wondering what it cost to see these comedy heavy-hitters all in one show, the Hello World stand-up covered that detail, too. He shared that he believed the tickets that evening were less than 20 bucks, saying:
Those people paid, I think, $18 for that ticket.
According to The Comedy Cellar's website, tickets for Thursday and Sunday shows are $18 while Friday and Saturday tickets are $25. So, no matter what day you are at this iconic club, it's cheap to see comedy. However, this audience really got a bang for their buck.
What an absolutely amazing show and evening that must have been for those in attendance. An A-Lister show for less than the cost of an NYC dinner that's not a slice of pizza? Talk about a dream come true.
I’m sure it was a great evening for the performers too, and a nice way to break up the weekend, between attending the SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert and the three-hour-long Anniversary special.
Now, as we move on from this historic SNL weekend, it’ll be exciting to see who gets added to the upcoming hosts and musical guests, post-Shane Gillis, Tate McRae and Lady Gaga. Hopefully, it continues to give the same energy as this comedy club evening, the reunion and the first half of Season 50.
Overall, if there's a moral to this story, I think it’s safe to say, thanks to Nate Bargatze, that if you’re in New York City for any reason, go to a comedy show. You never know if you’ll catch someone like John Mulaney or Steve Martin for a mere $18. However, if the Big Apple isn't for you, you can relieve SNL's historic events with a Peacock subscription.
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