Bowen Yang, host Ariana Grande, and musical guest Stevie Nicks before Episode 3 of Saturday Night Live on Oct. 12, 2024. (Photo by: Rosalind OConnor/NBC via Getty Images)
null - Stevie Nicks appeared on Saturday Night Live for the first time in more than 40 years to perform her new single about women’s issues and abortion rights.
The 76-year-old Nicks sang "The Lighthouse," and the look of the performance was classic Stevie – an abundance of rings and scarves and the singer draped in black.
For her second song, she reached back with "Edge of Seventeen" from 1981.
Nicks wrote "The Lighthouse" in the summer of 2022, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and stripped the constitutional right to an abortion, according to Rolling Stone. It’s a stand-alone single for now and not linked to any larger project, Forbes reports.
Nicks is among a slew of celebrities who have come out in support of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
READ MORE: 2024 election: Which celebrities have made endorsements?
Following Taylor Swift’s endorsement in September, Nicks posted on Instagram about the importance of voting. She did not name a candidate, but she did mention Swift’s post endorsing Harris and also signed it, "Childless Dog Lady," a nod to GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s past comments about women without children.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Impact of celebrity endorsements in politics
Ellis Cashmore, author of "Celebrity Culture," joins LiveNOW's Christina Evans to examine how celebrity endorsements for political candidates affect elections.
"As my friend @taylorswift so eloquently stated, now is the time to research and choose the candidate that speaks to you and your beliefs. Only 54 days left until the election. Make sure you are registered to vote! Your vote in this election may be one of the most important things you ever do."
Ratings spike for SNL season 50
The sketch institution has seen a ratings spike, likely brought on by its 50th season and election season. Last month’s season premiere brought in the most viewers since 2020. Last night’s episode was hosted by Ariana Grande, who last hosted in 2016.
Just as in the first two episodes of the new season, Maya Rudolph played Vice President Kamala Harris in the night’s cold open, leading a group of former cast members returning as guest stars, including Andy Samberg as Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden.
They teamed up for an election edition of "The Family Feud," taking on team Trump.
Kenan Thompson, the longest-tenured cast member in the show’s history who began in 2003, reprised his long-running role as "Feud" host Steve Harvey and asked Rudolph-as-Harris about her recent media blitz.
"It’s been a hell of a week," she said. "I went on Howard Stern to reach the horny cab drivers, I went on ‘The View’ for the horny moms, and I also went on the podcast ‘Call Her Daddy’ because I have a message for young women: You need to go to the ballot box if you want the government out of your ballot box."
Current cast member James Austin Johnson returned as Donald Trump, saying his opponent is "going to be horrible at this game. She’s a very low IQ person. The whole world is laughing at her because they don’t respect her."
The onset of season 50 already has brought reflection and nostalgia in many forms, including "Saturday Night," a movie comedy dramatizing the minutes before the first episode of the Lorne Michaels-helmed sketch institution on Oct. 11, 1975.
A three-hour primetime special on Feb. 16 is set to serve as the official 50th season celebration.