At our Sundance Studio, Bowen Yang told Deadline about marking half a century of 'Saturday Night Live' in 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special'.

Try telling the story of American comedy without mentioning Saturday Night Live, and see how far you get. For half a century, the sketch show has been a cultural fixture, with countless cast members ascended to stardom. A pity, then, that the big-screen account of the truth behind it has ended up being Saturday Night .

I think live music on TV is important.” He’s not wrong! And Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music proves it.

Director of '50 Years of SNL Music' reveals inside story of performances by Kanye West, Ashlee Simpson, and more

Damon Wayans revealed how he 'purposely' got himself fired from 'Saturday Night Live' after going off script during a sketch: 'I just did not care.'

Pete Davidson is revealing he previously let his imposter syndrome get the best of him.

In the middle of the second season, Chase left SNL behind for Hollywood movie roles, with one of his most well-known roles, in Caddyshack, following only a few years later in 1980. But Chase seemed to blame Michaels for his SNL departure.

Lorne Michaels donates his "Saturday Night Live" archive to UT Austin's Harry Ransom Center, showcasing nearly 50 years of TV history.

That said, per Lorne Michaels (who has been running SNL since the beginning), no musician has ever actually been banned from the show. In the new Questlove -co-directed documentary Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years Of SNL Music, Michaels explained ( as Consequence notes ):

In a new doc on the musical history of "Saturday Night Live," the showrunner softened his stance on the singer

As longtime viewers of the sketch comedy show may remember — long before its landmark 50th season — Chase, 81, was a breakthrough cast member of SNL' s first season. In 1975, Chase was the first host of Weekend Update, which helped him earn two Primetime Emmy awards in 1976.