Jean Smart to host 'SNL' for its 50th season premiere. See the other hosts, musical guests announced
"Saturday Night Live" is kicking off its landmark 50th season on Sept. 28.
The legendary sketch comedy show returns to the air with host Jean Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll, "SNL" announced on social media. And it didn't stop there.
The show announced the following hosts and musical guests for its episodes through Nov. 2.
Oct. 5: Nate Bargatze hosts, Coldplay is the musical guest
Oct. 12: Ariana Grande hosts, Stevie Nicks is the musical guest
Oct. 19: Michael Keaton hosts, Billie Eilish is the musical guest
Nov. 2: John Mulaney hosts, Chappell Roan is the musical guest
In an unofficial "SNL" tradition, the new season comes with several cast changes for the show, which premiered Oct. 11, 1975.
For starters, former "SNL" cast member Maya Rudolph has confirmed she will revive her zany Vice President Kamala Harris impression ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Rudolph, a cast member from 2000 to 2007, hosted the show's Mother's Day episode last season.
Three of the show's cast members — Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney and Chloe Troast — announced their exits from the show in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, “SNL” also added three new featured cast members for its milestone season: Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline.
Read on to learn more about the Season 50 premiere of "SNL."
When is the Season 50 premiere of 'SNL'?
The 50th season of “SNL” premieres Sept. 28 at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT.
How can viewers watch the Season 50 premiere of ‘SNL’?
The premiere will air live on NBC and Peacock.
Who are the host and musical guest?
Jean Smart will host the premiere while Jelly Roll will be the musical guest.
Who hosted the show in Season 49?
Season 49 of "SNL" featured an A-list lineup of hosts that included Jake Gyllenhaal, Timothee Chalamet, Emma Stone, Sydney Sweeney, Ryan Gosling, Jacob Elordi, Kristen Wiig, Ramy Youssef, Maya Rudolph and Ayo Edebiri.
The season's musical guests included Sabrina Carpenter, Vampire Weekend, Chris Stapleton, Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Jennifer Lopez, Ice Spice and Boygenius.
Dua Lipa and Bad Bunny both pulled double duty when they hosted their own individual episodes and also served as the musical guests.
Which cast members won't be returning?
Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney and Chloe Troast have all announced their exits from "SNL" in recent weeks.
Johnson, who had been a cast member for four seasons, announced during a stand-up comedy performance in Brooklyn in July that she would not be returning to "SNL."
A day later, Kearney, the show’s first nonbinary cast member who joined the cast in 2022, announced her exit on Instagram.
Earlier this month, Troast, who joined the show last year, announced on Instagram that she “was not asked back” for Season 50.
Will Maya Rudolph play Kamala Harris?
Yes, Rudolph, a former “SNL” cast member, has confirmed she will be donning the pants suits again to revive her impression of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president, ahead of the 2024 presidential election in November.
Rudolph returned to "SNL" to portray Harris for the first time in a cold open during the Dec. 21, 2019 episode hosted by Eddie Murphy and won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2020 for her appearance.
Rudolph has revived her Harris impression several times, including during a March 2021 episode she hosted that earned her another Guest Actress In a Comedy Series Emmy.
No word yet on who will portray Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president.
Who are the new cast members?
The show's new cast members in Season 50 are Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline.
Padilla, from the San Francisco Bay Area, has been a member of the famed Groundlings Main Company improv and sketch comedy troupe since 2021, according to an "SNL" press release.
Wakim, a Lebanese-American stand-up comedian, actor and writer, was selected as a New Face of Comedy at the 2022 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. He’s also performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Wickline, who lives in Los Angeles, was a cast member on TikTok’s live show “Stapleview,” and performs sketch comedy on tour.
Will there be a special 50th anniversary celebration for "SNL'?
"SNL" will officially celebrate its 50th anniversary with a weekend of comedy culminating in a live primetime special on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, the release said.
In February 2015, "SNL" celebrated its 40th anniversary in a blowout primetime special featuring some of the show's most beloved cast members over the years, including Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Bill Hader, Molly Shannon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Dan Aykroyd, Kate McKinnon, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Norm Macdonald, Kenan Thompson, Jimmy Fallon and dozens more.
Cast member Mikey Day revealed during a June 2023 visit to TODAY that Lorne Michaels, the show's creator and producer, had already begun planning for the show's 50th anniversary celebration.
“It’s going to be insane,” said Day. “I haven’t heard that much. I know Lorne’s slowly putting it together.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com