SNL 50: The Anniversary Special pulled out the big guns for its guest list, including prolific star Jack Nicholson in a rare public appearance.
“Ladies and gentleman, Adam Sandler,” Nicholson, 87, said from his place in the crowd, while daughter Lorraine rubbed his shoulder in encouragement.
The father-daughter pair — Nicholson shares Lorraine, 34, with ex Rebecca Broussard — sat nearby Will Farrell, Robert De Niro and his partner, Tiffany Chen. Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and SNL alum Rachel Dratch completed the back-to-back rows.
Sandler, 58, was tasked with performing an original song much like he used to do on “Weekend Update” about certain Jewish holidays, but this time the tune was all about the history of Saturday Night Live.
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“Yeah, baby! Let’s hear it for Jack, baby,” Sandler quipped ahead of his performance on the Studio 8H stage. “Jack made it out tonight. Love you, brother.”
During the number, Nicholson sported a black button-down with a coordinating blazer, alongside a pair of sunglasses and a New York Yankees beret. Lorraine, meanwhile, wore a chocolate-colored cowl-neck dress with her hair in loose waves.
In addition to Lorraine, Nicholson shares son Ray with Broussard. He also shares daughter Jennifer with Sandra Knight, son Caleb with Susan Anspach, daughter Honey with Winnie Hollman and daughter Tessa with Jennine Gourin.
Lorraine recently detailed her family dynamics in a lengthy essay for Vanity Fair, specifically remembering her father’s ‘90s-era romance with Twin Peaks alum Lara Flynn Boyle.
“I’ll never forget the first day Lara was introduced to us children. She came down the outdoor staircase to join us by the pool,” Lorraine recalled in the profile. “I remember the sun reflecting on the water, the sound of wind chimes in the trees. Most importantly, I remember what Lara wore — a thong bathing suit with flames licking up the crotch. We didn’t have to know she had been nominated for an Emmy that year for her work on The Practice for my brother and I to know we were in the presence of a powerful person.”
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She added, “That day, I was too afraid to speak to her. Instead, I watched her surreptitiously from the shallow end, as she read a book on a plastic raft, the wind gently pushing her back and forth across the surface of the water. Finally, she had arrived, the answer to my prayers — the Mary Poppins of Mulholland Drive.”
According to Lorraine, Boyle, now 54, “acted as a bridge” between Nicholson and his children.
