Paul McCartney and Chad Smith Crash Will Ferrell SNL Monologue

Paul McCartney and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith turned Will Ferrell's SNL Season 51 finale monologue into one of the more memorable TV moments of 2025. Ferrell returned to Studio 8H as host for the sixth time on May 16, but he barely got a word in.

Smith kicked things off by walking out and pretending to be Ferrell, leaning into the long-running joke that the two are celebrity lookalikes. The bit has history. Back when Jimmy Fallon staged a drum-off between them over a decade ago, it became a viral moment. Saturday night, Smith picked it back up, introducing himself to the crowd as the night's host before Ferrell appeared and shut it down.

Paul McCartney Joined the Bit and Made It His Own

After Smith's segment, Ferrell tried to reset by taking audience questions. That's when he landed on McCartney, sitting in the crowd as the night's musical guest. McCartney took the stage, kept the gag going by insisting Ferrell is actually Chad Smith, and proceeded to rattle off his own catalog of hits when Ferrell forgot to mention "Penny Lane." The crowd responded exactly how you'd expect.

McCartney performed three songs during the episode: "Days We Left Behind," "Band on the Run," and "Coming Up." Smith appeared behind the drum kit to back him up, which tied the whole night together in a way that felt genuinely unscripted even when it wasn't.

This was the SNL season finale, which always draws bigger audiences and bigger moments. Having a Beatle as your musical guest and a Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer as your comedic foil is a rare combination that reminded people why live television still lands differently than anything else.

What This Means for Artists and the Live Music Moment

For independent artists watching from the outside, moments like this are a reminder of what genuine cultural reach looks like. McCartney didn't perform a new single with a pushed release date. He performed "Band on the Run," a song from 1973, and it stopped the room. That's catalog power. That's what longevity in this industry actually looks like.

The lesson isn't to wait 50 years. The lesson is that every performance is a chance to connect, and the artists who stay ready, stay creative, and stay in the room are the ones who get these moments. A SNL slot, a festival stage, a well-timed collab. Opportunities go to artists who are consistent enough to be taken seriously when the call comes.

If you're building toward moments like that and looking for places to get your music in front of real audiences, check out what we have coming up at [our events](/events) or [submit your music](/submit) to get on our radar.