Paul McCartney Performs on SNL Season Finale, Chad Smith Interrupts Will Ferrell

11:14 AM EDT on May 17, 2026

Paul McCartney was the musical guest on the season finale of SNL last night, his fifth time doing so. The former Beatle played "Days We Left Behind" from his upcoming album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane , along with his 1973 Wings smash "Band On The Run."

McCartney's backing band included Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, who was filling in for his longtime drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. That all worked out well for comedic purposes, considering Smith's oft-documented resemblance to SNL alum Will Ferrell, who just so happened to be last night's host. For the monologue, Smith walked out alone pretending to be Ferrell, before an angry Ferrell emerged: “He pushed me down backstage, and I fell hard!” he said before kicking Smith offstage and taking a question from "the cute one" in the audience, which was McCartney. A confused Sir Paul then came onstage and the two said a few more Chad Smith jokes.

Earlier in the cold open, Ferrell played the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein and Aziz Ansari reprised his role as FBI director Kash Patel. Ferrell’s Epstein and James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump sang a duet of Bill Withers and Grover Washington, Jr. 1980 hit “Just The Two Of Us.”

Ferrell’s former castmate Molly Shannon cameoed in a sketch about casting a high school musical, a continuation of a well-liked cut-for-time sketch from the last time Ferrell hosted in 2019.

McCartney also appeared as a very British mechanic named Nigel in a sketch set at a body shop.

Weekend Update had Michael Che telling a joke about the recently revealed World Cup Halftime Show lineup — Madonna, Shakira, and BTS — which is “being described as something for everyone... to dislike.”

The week's most important music stories and least important music memes.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE STEREOGUM DIGEST

© Copyright 2026

Made in partnership with Lede

_Originally reported by [Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2499188/paul-mccartney-plays-snl-season-51-finale-chad-smith-hijacks-will-ferrells-monologue/news/)._