When Paul Simon wore a turkey costume on ‘Saturday Night Live’
Audiences were in for a delightful surprise when they tuned into the Thanksgiving episode of Saturday Night Live in 1976. When guest host Paul Simon was announced over the loudspeaker by Don Pardo, the legendary singer-songwriter sauntered onto the stage in a gigantic full-body turkey costume. The visual gag was instantly memorable, but what happened next made the monologue one of SNL‘s best.
Simon was no stranger to Saturday Night Live at that point. He appeared on the show’s first-ever episode, teasing his appearance the following week as the second-ever guest host. That episode was almost completely a music showcase for Simon, along with special guests like Phoebe Snow and Art Garfunkel. The Not Ready For Prime Time Players didn’t even appear in that episode, apart from a brief appearance as The Bees. SNL was still trying to figure out its format, but by the end of the first season, sketch comedy was the name of the game.
So when Simon returned to host, he was game to do more acting and comedy than he did in his first stint. That meant donning the notorious turkey costume. Simon attempts to sing ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ in the outfit but quits after the first chorus, clearly uncomfortable with the ridiculous set-up. The monologue then takes a meta turn as Simon addresses the audience and talks about his reluctance to participate in the turkey shenanigans.
As he leaves the stage to go change, the camera follows Simon as he confronts Lorne Michaels over the stunt. Lorne tries to assure Simon that the bit was “wonderful”, but Simon is unmoved, calling it “one of the most humiliating experiences of [his] life.” Lorne suggests that the band might have come in too late, but Simon is unmoved. Eventually, the two settle on it being a “difference of opinion” as Simon stomps off to his dressing room before getting stuck in the door frame.
The bit became an immediate classic in the history of SNL. Simon would go on to host the show two additional times, as well as being one of the numerous co-hosts of the show’s 100th episode. He also appeared as a musical guest eight times, and Simon featured on SNL a grand total of 14 when cameos are accounted for. He even finished ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ (sans turkey costume) on the show’s 40th anniversary special in 2015.
Check out Simon in his turkey costume down below.
