SNL: Jean Smart to Host Season 50 Premiere, With John Mulaney and Ariana Grande Among Fall Hosts
Saturday Night Live is handing the microphone to an Emmy winner for its landmark Season 50 premiere.
Hacks star Jean Smart will host the Sept. 28 season premiere, the show revealed on Wednesday, with Grammy-nominated singer Jelly Roll serving as musical guest.
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SNL announced its next four hosts and musical guests as well, with Ariana Grande and John Mulaney among the hosts. (Scroll down for a full list of who’s hosting SNL this season so far.)
This marks Smart’s first time as SNL host. She won her third Emmy for best lead actress in a comedy this past Sunday for her role as stand-up comic Deborah Vance on Max’s Hacks.
NBC’s sketch-comedy institution is gearing up for a year-long celebration to mark its 50th season on the air, with special guests popping in all season long and a three-hour anniversary special slated to air live in primetime in February. (Maya Rudolph will also return this fall to reprise her role as presidential candidate Kamala Harris.)
Some familiar faces won’t be back for Season 50, though. In August, Punkie Johnson announced she wouldn’t be returning this fall after four seasons, and Molly Kearney also revealed they were leaving the cast after a two-season run as a featured player. Earlier this month, Chloe Troast announced she wasn’t asked to return to the SNL cast after one season.
What do you think of SNL’s choice of hosts? Who else do you want to see host in Season 50? Hit the comments and make your voice heard!
Oct. 5: Nate Bargatze/Coldplay
The stand-up comedian will return for his second time as host after his debut last season (which included the viral “Washington’s Dream” sketch), with musical guest Coldplay.
Oct. 12: Ariana Grande/Stevie Nicks
The pop superstar will host SNL for the second time this fall; Grande has served as SNL’s musical guest two other times as well, including an episode this past March hosted by Josh Brolin. (In it, Grande teamed up with Bowen Yang for a memorable Moulin Rouge parody.) Her musical guest will be iconic vocalist and rock pioneer Stevie Nicks.
Oct. 19: Michael Keaton/Billie Eilish
Fresh off his encore as the titular ghoul in the big-screen sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Keaton will return to host SNL for the fourth time, with his first stint dating back to 1982 (!). His musical guest will be pop songstress Billie Eilish.
Nov. 2: John Mulaney/Chappell Roan
Former SNL writer and current stand-up comic Mulaney will host the show for the sixth time in November, joined by rising pop sensation Chappell Roan as musical guest. Mulaney last hosted in February 2022.
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