Fans of The Beatles were just moments away from a long-awaited reunion on Saturday Night Live in 1976, but a shocking twist kept the event from ever happening.
In April 1976, Paul McCartney was visiting John Lennon at his New York City apartment, The Dakota. They were watching the series, then called Saturday Night, when they decided they might take SNL Producer Lorne Michaels up on his 1974 offer to pay the band $3,000 if they reunited on the series and performed three songs, as reported by Ultimate Classic Rock.
The Beatles Bible reprinted a Lennon quote about that evening, which was featured in the David Sheff book All We Are Saying. It reveals that The Beatles’ co-founders considered heading over to the studio to make a surprise appearance, but a twist prevented it from happening.
“Paul and I were together watching that show. He was visiting us at our place in the Dakota. We were watching it and almost went down to the studio, just as a gag. We nearly got into a cab, but we were actually too tired,” Lennon said.
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“He and Linda McCartney walked in, and he and I were just sitting there watching the show, and we went, Ha-ha, wouldn’t it be funny if we went down, but we didn’t,” he concluded.
George Harrison tried to cash in on Michaels’ offer months later
Months after Paul McCartney and John Lennon considered performing on Saturday Night Live, George Harrison joined featured musical performer Paul Simon at Studio 8H on November 20, 1976, to perform two songs, “Here Comes the Sun” and “Homeward Bound.” This musical event took place two years after Michaels’ initial monetary offer.
In the episode’s cold open, Harrison confronted Michaels about the offered money. “I’ve come all this way,” Harrison said in an Instagram clip. “It’s $3,000. That was the deal!”
Michaels countered, “You see, I thought that you would understand, you know, that it was $3,000 for four people, that it would just be $750 for each of you. I mean, as far as I’m concerned, I mean, you could have the full $3,000. But the network…”
Harrison later called NBC “chintzy.” To smooth things over, the SNL creator offered Harrison $250 to say the show’s catchphrase, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
John Lennon was the only member of The Beatles not to appear on Saturday Night Live throughout its 51-season run. Ringo Starr hosted on December 7, 1984, and Paul McCartney made multiple appearances as a musical guest in 1980, 1993, 2010, and 2012. McCartney was also featured on four different episodes, including those which aired in 2006, 2013, and the series’s 40th and 50th Anniversary specials.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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