Fans clamored to snap pictures of their favorite celebrities at Saturday Night Live’s 40th anniversary event Sunday, begging for a quick red carpet selfie.
The line for red carpet space began forming as early as 2:30 p.m. with no guarantee for seats. Allison Cavallaro, 22, traveled from Shelton, Connecticut with a group of friends for a chance to see Justin Timberlake on the red carpet.
“He’s my favorite,” Cavallaro said. “He’s been my favorite since fourth grade.”
Abby Gibson (L), 20, and Megan McWaters (R), 19, were some of the most successful selfie-takers at the event, scoring a picture with nearly every willing celebrity who walked by. (Malena Carollo//New York City Lens)
Several of the attendees had won tickets from an Instagram contest. Contestants posted an Instagram video of them shouting SNL’s famous, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”
Contest winner Jennifer Winters, 28, posted a video of her infant daughter on the couch eating a strawberry while she called out the tagline.
“I didn’t think it was going to work, but I figured we’d try it,” Winters said. “And then I got the email, and I was like, ‘Sweet!’”
Megan McWaters, 19, and Abby Gibson, 20, were among the most enthusiastic fans at the event–and the most prolific selfie-takers. The pair would call out the names of each celebrity who stepped on the red carpet, often before the rest of the crowd put a name to the famous face.
“I told Kristen [Wiig] she was my hero,” Gibson said. “She’s awesome.”
Gibson and McWaters are in an improv troupe at Fordham University, and got tickets from a friend who works at NBC.
“She said that only Abby and I could come because she knew we would know every celebrity there,” McWaters said.
Though several A-listers, including Cavallaro’s pick, Justin Timberlake, skipped the red carpet entrance, much of the crowd left pleased they had come.
“This is the best day of my life,” McWaters said in between celebrities. “I’m having so much fun.”
