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 was portrayed in Jason Reitman‘s Saturday Night, which is now streaming on Netflix. 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, Leslie Jones, Kyle Mooney, 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 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. Season 50, Episode 18, will air on Saturday, May 3, 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.
Who Is Hosting ‘SNL’ This Week?
Tonight’s episode of SNL will be hosted by Emmy winner Quinta Brunson. This will mark her second time hosting the show after hosting an episode a little over two years ago on Season 48.
Brunson is the Emmy-winning creator, executive producer, writer, and star of the beloved ABC workplace sitcom Abbott Elementary. The series premiered in December 2021, and it quickly became a phenomenon and one of the hottest sitcoms on network TV. The series has gone on to win four Primetime Emmys, two of which were awarded to Brunson: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (which made her the first Black woman to win in the category in 40 years). The series also won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Sheryl Lee Ralph and Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series. Abbott Elementary recently concluded its fourth season, which included a surprise crossover episode with the hit FXX sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. A second part of the crossover will air this summer during Season 17 of the aforementioned series. Abbott Elementary will be returning for Season 5 sometime in the fall.
Brunson initially got her start making comedy videos on Instagram before getting brought on to BuzzFeed Video. Her career continued to skyrocket when she starred in the first season of the HBO sketch comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show. Brunson has also had recurring roles and guest roles on various other television series, such as New Girl, Single Parents, iZombie, Miracle Workers, Harley Quinn, Lazor Wulf, and Sesame Street.
Brunson will soon be branching out into film, with voice roles in two highly anticipated animated movies: Zootopia 2 and The Cat in the Hat. She also has the live-action comedy Par for the Course in development at Universal, which she’ll be starring alongside Academy Award nominee Stephanie Hsu.
So far, the Season 50 host lineup has included Hacks‘ Jean Smart, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze, Wicked‘s Ariana Grande, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘s Michael Keaton, stand-up comedian John Mulaney, stand-up comedian Bill Burr, pop superstar Charli XCX, Gladiator II‘s Paul Mescal, former cast-member Chris Rock, Only Murders in the Building‘s Martin Short, stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle, A Complete Unknown‘s Timothée Chalamet, Tires‘ Shane Gillis, Grammy winner Lady Gaga, Anora‘s Mikey Madison, A Minecraft Movie‘s Jack Black, and Your Friends and Neighbors‘ Jon Hamm.
Who Is the Musical Guest on This Week’s ‘SNL’?
Grammy nominee and singer-songwriter Benson Boone will be the musical guest for tonight’s episode of SNL. This marks his first time on Studio 8H.
After posting singing videos on TikTok, Boone decided to pursue a professional career in 2021 when he auditioned for Season 19 of American Idol. Despite being given an advanced invite to the series’ “Hollywood Week” and placing in the Top 24, Boone withdrew from the show to focus on his own career. Shortly after, Boone went back to TikTok where he attracted a large following, catching the eye of Imagine Dragons‘ Dan Reynolds, who signed him to his record label. He released his first single, “Ghost Town”, in 2021 and a year later released his first extended play, Walk Me Home. In 2023, he released his second extended play, Pulse. Finally, in April 2024, he released his first studio album, Fireworks & Rollerblades. His second studio album, American Heart, will be released next month.
The musical guest lineup has included Jelly Roll, Coldplay, Stevie Nicks, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Mk.gee, Charli XCX, Shaboozey, Gracie Abrams, Hozier, GloRilla, Timothée Chalamet, Tate McRae, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Elton John & Brandi Carlile, and Lizzo.
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’?
There are only two episodes left of SNL‘s 50th season, and we already know who will be hosting the next two episodes.
- Walton Goggins will continue his TV dominance by hosting the May 10 episode of SNL, making his long-awaited Studio 8H debut. Goggins is coming off of a hot-streak on HBO after starring as Rick in The White Lotus Season 3 and reprising his role as Baby Billy Freeman on the fourth and final season of The Righteous Gemstones. He’ll be accompanied by musical guest Arcade Fire.
- Scarlett Johansson will be hosting the season finale of SNL on May 17, ahead of the release of her starring role in one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer, Jurassic World: Rebirth. This will mark Johansson’s seventh time hosting the show, which is a mighty feat in the history of Studio 8H. She will be joined by musical guest Bad Bunny.
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