NBC’s sketch comedy sensation is currently in its landmark 49th season.
The ever-iconic Saturday Night Live is still going strong at 49 seasons. 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. 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.
While the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes led to a delayed start, Season 49 has brought in some electric hosts, hilarious and instantly quotable sketches, and some good music as well. To find out more about this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live, including who will be hosting and who the musical guest will be, here’s what we know about the next episode.
Editor’s Note: This piece was updated on May 11.
Saturday Night Live
A famous guest host stars in parodies and sketches created by the cast of this witty show.
- Release Date
- October 11, 1975
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 49
- Studio
- NBC
- Producer
- Lorne Michaels
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 49, Episode 19 of the series will air on Saturday, May 11, at 11:30 pm EST/8:30 pm PST, 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?
Five-time Emmy winner and former SNL cast member Maya Rudolph is set to host tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live, marking her third time as host. Rudolph served as a cast member from Season 25 to Season 33 and has returned to host the sketch series two times prior, including a stint in 2012 and a stint in 2021. However, Rudolph has returned to the series multiple times, including earlier this season in the Christmas episode hosted by Kate McKinnon. She has also returned to the show to have a recurring role as Vice President Kamala Harris.
Since leaving SNL, Rudolph has been a part of numerous other TV shows, including Big Mouth and its spin-off Human Resources, The Good Place, Up All Night, Forever, Big Hero 6: The Series, Bless the Harts, and The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy. She also headlines and executive produces the Apple TV+ original series Loot, where she plays the lovable but out-of-touch divorced billionaire Molly Novak; the series is currently in the midst of its second season.
On the film side, Rudolph also has an extensive resume, having starred in Bridesmaids, the Grown Ups movies, Sisters, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, The Way Way Back, Idiocracy, Disenchanted, Hubie Halloween, Wine Country, Big Hero 6, The Angry Birds Movie, and MacGruber. She has also worked alongside her longtime romantic partner Paul Thomas Anderson on his films Inherent Vice and Licorice Pizza. Coming later this month is John Krasisnki‘s live-action/animated family comedy IF, where Rudolph voices the character of Ally the Gator.
So far, TheShockNews of Season 49 hosts has included, former cast member 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, and The Fall Guy‘s Ryan Gosling.
Who Is the Musical Guest on This Week’s ‘SNL’?
Vampire Weekend will be the musical guest on tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live, marking their fourth appearance on the show, after spots in 2008, 2010, and 2013. Having begun in 2006, the band currently consists of Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, and Chris Tomson. The band has produced five albums; Vampire Weekend in 2008, Contra in 2010, Modern Vampires of the City in 2013, Father of the Bride in 2019, and most recently Only God Was Above Us, which was released last month. Some of the band’s top tracks include “A-Punk,” “This Life,” “Unbelievers,” and “Oxford Comma.”
Musical guests for Season 49 have 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, Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, Raye, Chris Stapleton, and Dua Lipa.
Watch the Promos for This Week’s ‘SNL’
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 49 are Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, and Weekend Update anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost. Credited as “featured players” are Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, Chloe Troast, and Devon Walker. 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’?
Episode 20 (aka the season finale) will be hosted by Presumed Innocent star Jake Gyllenhaal alongside musical guest Sabrina Carpenter. This will mark Gyllenhaal’s third time hosting the series, following stints in 2007 and 2022.
This article was originally published on collider.com