Overview
- The Season 51 finale, which aired Saturday on NBC and Peacock, ended with McCartney returning after the goodnights to play Coming Up as Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith backed him.
- Smith earlier crashed Will Ferrell’s monologue in a quick-switch gag, adding to the live-show surprises that have become a hallmark of Studio 8H finales.
- McCartney appeared in sketches during the broadcast, including a mechanic bit with Ferrell, Marcello Hernández, Mikey Day, and Ashley Padilla built around absurd repair jargon.
- The episode marked Ferrell’s sixth time as host and McCartney’s fifth stint as musical guest, doubling as promotion for McCartney’s 21st solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, due May 29.
- Pre-show clips with Ferrell and Hernández drove buzz through a Despacito joke and a tongue-in-cheek dragonslayer line from McCartney, while online chatter about a Lorne Michaels retirement remained speculation without confirmation.