The Beatles almost reunited on Saturday Night Live for a shocking amount of money. One of the most popular bands to this day, The Beatles parted ways in 1970. Following their breakup, each member went on to build a solo career. However, even after the band’s breakup, there were hopes that the group would reunite.

And several companies and shows were willing to spend millions to bring The Beatles back together. Yet, it was ultimately an unexpected offer that caught the attention of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

During his recent appearance on Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Paul McCartney recalled that he was in New York when John Lennon, who was also in the same city, showed him an offer from NBC. The offer was worth $3,000, which is a small amount compared to the millions they had been offered. And it was Lennon’s idea that they should accept the offer and surprise the Saturday Night Live cast and crew with a performance.

“John said 'we should go down now cuz it was it was on live and said go and surprise them.' So, for a second we were gonna do that, but then it was like, 'No, it's much too comfortable here. Let's just watch it,'” he said.

So, a reunion that might have seen The Beatles reunite and perform on Saturday Night Live never happened. However, the show later welcomed McCartney as its musical guest several times. During the Good Hang podcast, the singer shared several stories and also recalled that he was unaware of Saturday Night Live until John Lennon introduced him to the show. He recalled how Lennon was a huge fan of the show.

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Years later, Paul McCartney made his debut on Saturday Night Live and performed one of his popular songs on the show.

Paul McCartney performed 'Coming Up,' which is the opening track of his 1980 album "McCartney II," on Saturday Night Live on May 17, 1980. According to IMDb, Steve Martin reportedly hosted the show, and McCartney and Linda McCartney were the musical guests. The music video for 'Coming Up' was also featured on the show. 

Since then, McCartney has made several appearances on the show. But more than four decades later, on May 16, 2026, he returned to Saturday Night Live as a musical guest. He also performed 'Days We Left Behind' and 'Band on the Run,' as well as his hit song 'Coming Up,' surprising the audience with a nostalgic and full-circle moment.

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