Is 'SNL' New Tonight and Who's Hosting?

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Saturday Night Live

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 recently released 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 Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.

Will There Be a New Episode of 'SNL' Tonight?

Image via NBC

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 6 will air on Saturday, November 2, 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. This will mark the final episode in the lead-up to the 2024 Presidential Election, so viewers can expect a political-fueled hour of comedy.

Watch on Peacock

Who Is Hosting 'SNL' This Week?

Stand-up comedian John Mulaney is set to host tonight's episode of Saturday Night Live. Mulaney previously served as a writer for the ever-popular sketch comedy series from Season 34 to Season 38. Tonight will mark his sixth time as the host after gigs in Season 43, Season 44, Season 45, Season 46, and Season 47.

Mulaney is most known for his work performing on stage, whether it be in the comedy act Oh, Hello with Nick Kroll or with his stand-up specials. Mulaney has done five different stand-up specials, including The Top Part, New in Town, The Comeback Kid, Kid Gorgeous at Radio City Hall, and Baby J. He also hosted John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch, a kids' musical comedy special for Netflix in 2019.

Mulaney has also found success as a voice-actor, lending his talents to films and shows such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Big Mouth, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers.

He most recently hosted the live Netflix talk show John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA. It was recently announced that he would be hosting another live talk show for the streaming service premiering in early 2025.

So far, the Season 50 host lineup has included Hacks' Jean Smart, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze, Wicked's Ariana Grande, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice's Michael Keaton.

Who Is the Musical Guest on This Week's 'SNL'?

Rising pop star Chappell Roan will make her long-awaited SNL debut as tonight's musical guest. While Ms. Roan has been writing music since 2014. She has truly taken off in the last year, after initially serving as a supporting act on Olivia Rodrigo's Guts World Tour.

As of right now, Ms. Roan has only released one studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which includes hit songs such as "Hot to Go!," "Red Wine Supernova," and "Pink Pony Club." Her most recent single, "Good Luck, Babe!" became one of the most listened-to songs of 2024.

Roan recently teased the release of a second studio album coming very soon, but no details have been given as to when that will be.

So far, the Season 50 musical guest lineup has included Jelly Roll, Coldplay, Stevie Nicks, and Billie Eilish.

Who Is in the Current Cast of 'SNL'?

The cast of Saturday Night Live Season 49 posing in two rows on stage

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. Maya Rudolph will also be making appearances on the show as Kamala Harris alongside Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff and Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz in the episodes leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election.

Who Is Hosting the Next Episode of 'SNL'?

The November 9 episode will have stand-up-comedian Bill Burr returning to host for the second time with Mk.gee making his SNL debut as the musical guest star.

The November 16 episode will have pop star Charli XCX pulling double-duty, as she'll make her hosting debut as well as serving as the musical guest.