Is ‘SNL’ New Tonight and Who’s Hosting?

The ever-iconic Saturday Night Live has officially entered its landmark 50th season. Created by Lorne Michaels, the late-night sketch comedy show has been airing on NBC since 1975, with the inaugural episode hosted by stand-up legend George Carlin, which will soon be portrayed in Jason Reitman’s upcoming dramedy Saturday Night. The series has received a whopping 84 Emmy wins, the most out of any other television show in history, and has been hailed by many as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. The series is headlined by a supremely talented ensemble of comic performers, a host (often there to promote a new project), a musical guest, and numerous cameos.

Saturday Night Live has helped skyrocket the careers of some of the biggest names in film and television, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, David Spade, Adam Sandler, Norm Macdonald, Molly Shannon, Will Ferrell, Tracy Morgan, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Will Forte, Fred Armisen, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Kate McKinnon, and Pete Davidson; and that’s just to name a few. The sketch show has even branched out of television and has turned some of its fan-favorite sketches into feature films, such as Wayne’s World, The Blues Brothers, Coneheads, MacGruber, and most recently Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.

Will There Be a New Episode of ‘SNL’ Tonight?

Yes, there will be a new episode of SNL tonight. Since its inception, Saturday Night Live has always aired live from New York on NBC, and that’s probably not ever going to change. The Season 50 premiere will air on Saturday, September 27 at 11:30 pm EST, both on NBC and streaming on Peacock. The new episode will also be available to stream on Peacock afterward, along with every other season of the show.

Watch on Peacock

Who Is Hosting ‘SNL’ This Week?

Six-time Emmy winner Jean Smart is set to make her hosting debut on tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live.

A veteran of the screen, Smart is most known for her work on the small screen, winning Emmys for her work on Frasier, Samantha Who?, and most recently, Hacks. She has also received Emmy nominations for her roles in The District, 24, Harry’s Law, Fargo Season 2, Watchmen, and Mare of Easttown. She has also appeared in series such as Legion, Dirty John, and Kim Possible. On the film side, Smart has starred in movies such as Babylon, A Simple Favor, The Accountant, Garden State, The Brady Bunch Movie, and Sweet Home Alabama. Smart will reprise her role as legendary comedian Deborah Vance in the recently announced fourth season of Hacks.

Last season’s lineup of guest hosts included former cast member and Bupkis star Pete Davidson, R&B superstar Bad Bunny, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze, Wonka‘s Timothée Chalamet, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s Jason Momoa, Poor Things‘ Emma Stone, Ferrari‘s Adam Driver, former cast member and Barbie star, Kate McKinnon, Saltburn‘s Jacob Elordi, Madame Web‘s Dakota Johnson, The Bear‘s Ayo Edebiri, stand-up comedian Shane Gillis, Anyone but You‘s Sydney Sweeney, Dune: Part Two‘s Josh Brolin, Poor Things‘ Ramy Youssef, former cast member and Palm Royale star Kristen Wiig, The Fall Guy‘s Ryan Gosling, former cast member and Loot star Maya Rudolph, and Presumed Innocent‘s Jake Gyllenhaal.

Who Is the Musical Guest on This Week’s ‘SNL’?

Rapper-turned-country singer Jelly Roll will be the musical guest. Much like Smart, this will also mark the artist’s debut on SNL.

Jelly Roll has been producing music for two decades, but he didn’t truly become mainstream until 2022 with the release of his songs “Son of a Sinner” and “Need a Favor.” He has released 10 studio albums, including The Big Sal Story in 2012, Sobriety Sucks in 2016, Addiction Kills in 2017, Goodnight Nashville in 2018, Whiskey Sessions II in 2019, A Beautiful Disaster and Self Medicated in 2020, Ballads of the Broken in 2021, Whitsitt Chapel in 2023, and the soon-to-be-released Beautifully Broken.

Last season’s lineup of musical guests included Ice Spice, Bad Bunny, Foo Fighters, Boygenius, Tate McRae, Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Reneé Rapp, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, 21 Savage, Kacey Musgraves, Grammy-winner Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, Raye, Chris Stapleton, Dua Lipa, Vampire Weekend, and Sabrina Carpenter.

Who Is in the Current Cast of ‘SNL’?

As with any long-running television program, the cast of Saturday Night Live has radically changed through the years. Credited as “repertory players” for Season 50 are Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker, Bowen Yang, and Weekend Update anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost. Featured players this season include newcomers Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline. Staff writers Martin Herlihy, Ben Marshall, and John Higgins, known as the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy, also appear in digital videos that appear in nearly every episode and often feature the host interacting with the three young comedians.

Who Is Hosting the Next Episode of ‘SNL’?

The October 5 episode of Saturday Night Live will see the return of Nate Bargatze, marking his second time hosting, with Coldplay serving as the musical guest.

The October 12 episode will see pop singer and Wicked star Ariana Grande making her second time hosting the show. However, she won’t be serving as the musical guest, instead rock and roll legend Stevie Nicks will be filling in that role.

The October 19 episode will see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton return to host the show for a fourth time, with musical guest star Billie Eilish.

The November 2 episode will have stand-up-comedian John Mulaney returning to host for a sixth time with Chappell Roan making her SNL debut as the musical guest star.