- - Paul McCartney expertly ditched “SNL” star at anniversary party: 'He knows how to get rid of people'

Wesley StenzelJanuary 1, 2026 at 12:00 AM

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Jim Dyson/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Paul McCartney in London on Dec. 18, 2024; Kevin Nealon in New York City on Feb. 14, 2025Key points -

Kevin Nealon said he had a pleasant encounter with Paul McCartney at the SNL 40th anniversary celebration.

A decade later, Nealon had an uncomfortable chat with McCartney at SNL50 that "was like pulling teeth."

Nealon said that McCartney deployed an ingenious maneuver to exit the conversation with him: "He knows how to get rid of people."

Kevin Nealon is recalling an awkward moment that Paul McCartney bid him a quick hello, goodbye.

The comedian, who was part of the Saturday Night Live cast from 1986 to 1995, discussed two memorable interactions he had with the Beatles legend at the show's reunion specials.

On Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney's podcast What's Our Podcast?, Nealon first remembered a pleasant encounter he had with the "Yesterday" singer at the 40th anniversary special in 2015, which saw McCartney perform "Maybe I'm Amazed" and a snippet of "I've Just Seen a Face."

"Paul McCartney remembered me, and I remember he was about to go on, I'm with my wife, sitting in the front row, and I feel a tap on my head," Nealon said. "I look up, it's Paul McCartney. He goes, 'Hey, how you doing? Good to see you! Kevin, what's up?'"

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Paul McCartney performing on 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special'

Nealon wanted to talk with McCartney again at the SNL50 celebration in February 2025. "Ten years later, at the 50th one, I see him talking to Conan [O'Brien], and I did exactly what I hate that people do: I came in, kind of cock-blocked Conan, said, 'Hey, Paul, how you doing, man?'"

The comedian said that McCartney was significantly less enthusiastic about chatting with him this time around. "I'm telling you, it was like pulling teeth," Nealon said. "I knew he didn't wanna talk. I get it, man. The small talk from Paul McCartney was killing me."

At one point, Nealon said that he praised McCartney's song selection at the 50th bash, which included performances of Abbey Road's "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," and "The End."

"I'm sweating, I say, 'Paul, how are you, man? I love that song "Golden Slumbers," I'm so glad you did it,'" he remembered. "[He said,] 'Well, you know, it was Lorne [Michaels'] choice.' And I go, 'Oh yeah, but you had other songs you could've fallen back on, right?'"

Nealon said that McCartney seemed to run out of patience, and evaded him with a clever move.

"This is how much he's been doing this. He knows how to get rid of people with the small talk," he explained. "All of a sudden, he goes, 'Oh, I want you to meet my niec—nephew!' 'Cause he looked over there [across the room]."

But McCartney's nephew (or niece) was nowhere to be found. "I go over with him, it's these four tall guys that don't look anything like him," Nealon recalled. "And he just puts me into that circle, and he slowly inches away and leaves."

Tim P. Whitby/Getty

Paul McCartney in London on Sept. 6, 2019

Mooney asked, "These were people not related to him?"

"No, he didn't know who they were," Nealon confirmed. "They might've been valet guys, I dunno. It's a great move."

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Representatives for McCartney did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for comment.

Watch Nealon's full conversation with Bennett and Mooney on What's Our Podcast? above.

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