Molly Shannon Reprises Beloved Sally O'MalleySNLCharacter Alongside Emma Stone — Who Has a Near-Wardrobe Mishap!

Mar. 15, 2025

Molly Shannon and Emma Stone.Photo:NBC

NBC

Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special is bringing back Sally O’Malley!Molly Shannonreprised her iconic character for theSNL50: The Anniversary Specialon Sunday, Feb. 16. AsEmma Stonetook the stage to introduce the best moments of physical comedy on the show, Shannon wandered on ina standout red outfitand leopard print purse.“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sally O’Malley,” she declared. “I’m proud to say I’m 50 years old — just likeSaturday Night Live!”“Emma, she’s not one of those gals who’s afraid to tell her real age and she likes to kick, stretch and kick,” Shannon continued, demonstrating the moves.Stone then chimed in, saying, “Please enjoy this video celebrating 50 years of physical comedy onSNLwhile we…”“Kick,” the two said in unison before Stone narrowly avoided the slit in the side of her dress exposing too much as they performed the next “stretch and kick.”Molly Shannon and Emma Stone.NBCShannon first introduced the energetic and eager Sally O’Malley — who is proudly 50 years old and likes to “kick and stretch andkick!” in 1999. In the years since, she has made several recurring appearances on the iconic series.In January, Shannon, along with comediansLeslie Jones,Kate McKinnon,Seth Meyers,Kenan ThompsonandBowen Yang,spoke with PEOPLEahead of the 50th anniversary special. When talking about Sally O’Malley, the trio reflected on the laughs the character has brought toSNLfans over the years.“Molly, you eat it up every single time,” Thompson said. “And my favorite is when you say, ‘Stretch.’ Because it’s like the ‘kick’ is intense. You’re having such a good time doing the dance of your gift.”“I turned 50 last year, and 15 differentSNLpeople texted me that it was time to ‘kick and stretch,’” Meyers added.Molly Shannon.Will Heath/NBC via GettyShannon then revealed the origin of Sally.“This is not funny at all, but my dad was very badly injured in an automobile accident and he had to learn to walk again,” she explained. “The character is based on his limp. That’s me imitating my dad. She’s like, ‘I can’t,’ but then she fools people. She’s got power. She can f— you all.”While cast members sometimes miss out on the full experience of watching the sketches, Meyers said Sally brought him one of his favorite behind-the-scenes moments on the show.“Sometimes we get to witness something the audience doesn’t. I guess it was the Betty White show, and Molly, you did Sally O’Malley,” he recalled. “You were pulling your pants up, and Amy [Poehler] and I were at the Weekend Update desk. The audacity and the joy. We were so lucky to have that vantage point. That was one of my favorite moments.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.SNL50: The Anniversary Specialairs on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. on NBC and streams on Peacock.

Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special is bringing back Sally O’Malley!

Molly Shannonreprised her iconic character for theSNL50: The Anniversary Specialon Sunday, Feb. 16. AsEmma Stonetook the stage to introduce the best moments of physical comedy on the show, Shannon wandered on ina standout red outfitand leopard print purse.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sally O’Malley,” she declared. “I’m proud to say I’m 50 years old — just likeSaturday Night Live!”

“Emma, she’s not one of those gals who’s afraid to tell her real age and she likes to kick, stretch and kick,” Shannon continued, demonstrating the moves.

Stone then chimed in, saying, “Please enjoy this video celebrating 50 years of physical comedy onSNLwhile we…”

“Kick,” the two said in unison before Stone narrowly avoided the slit in the side of her dress exposing too much as they performed the next “stretch and kick.”

Molly Shannon and Emma Stone.NBC

Shannon first introduced the energetic and eager Sally O’Malley — who is proudly 50 years old and likes to “kick and stretch andkick!” in 1999. In the years since, she has made several recurring appearances on the iconic series.

In January, Shannon, along with comediansLeslie Jones,Kate McKinnon,Seth Meyers,Kenan ThompsonandBowen Yang,spoke with PEOPLEahead of the 50th anniversary special. When talking about Sally O’Malley, the trio reflected on the laughs the character has brought toSNLfans over the years.

“Molly, you eat it up every single time,” Thompson said. “And my favorite is when you say, ‘Stretch.’ Because it’s like the ‘kick’ is intense. You’re having such a good time doing the dance of your gift.”

“I turned 50 last year, and 15 differentSNLpeople texted me that it was time to ‘kick and stretch,’” Meyers added.

Molly Shannon.Will Heath/NBC via Getty

Will Heath/NBC via Getty

Shannon then revealed the origin of Sally.

“This is not funny at all, but my dad was very badly injured in an automobile accident and he had to learn to walk again,” she explained. “The character is based on his limp. That’s me imitating my dad. She’s like, ‘I can’t,’ but then she fools people. She’s got power. She can f— you all.”

While cast members sometimes miss out on the full experience of watching the sketches, Meyers said Sally brought him one of his favorite behind-the-scenes moments on the show.

“Sometimes we get to witness something the audience doesn’t. I guess it was the Betty White show, and Molly, you did Sally O’Malley,” he recalled. “You were pulling your pants up, and Amy [Poehler] and I were at the Weekend Update desk. The audacity and the joy. We were so lucky to have that vantage point. That was one of my favorite moments.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

SNL50: The Anniversary Specialairs on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. on NBC and streams on Peacock.

source: people.com