The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special broadcast live in primetime on Sunday, February 15, 2015. It ran from 8:00 PM-11:30 PM, with an hour of Red Carpet coverage preceding it. The night before, the series premier with George Carlin broadcasted in the normal SNL timeslot. The special include a wide array of former cast members and guests. Most notable was Eddie Murphy, who had previously distanced himself from SNL and hadn't participated in any events for thirty years.