Upcoming SNL Hosts And Musical Guests, The Saturday Night Live Season 51 Cast And More

SNL is currently on its second extended hiatus of the season. The sketch comedy staple took its traditional break for Christmas, which was almost a month long. Then it took another for the Winter Olympics, but with the closing ceremony now in the past, it's time for NBC to return to traditional programming.

Fortunately, SNL finds itself in a really good place in what could have been troubled waters. There was a fair amount of exits during the summer (most prominently Heidi Gardner), and those loses compounded when Bowen Yang, arguably the second most famous cast member after Kenan Thompson, decided to step away mid-season.

Those remaining have taken that extra airtime and really run with it though. Ashley Padilla has turned into a breakout star in a Phil Hartman-style glue-of-the-cast kind of way, and that has combined well with other more quirky Not Ready For Primetime Players like Marcello Hernández and Sarah Sherman, who each have their own quirky sense of humor that cuts across different age groups.

We have two hosts officially announced for upcoming episodes, which will take place in consecutive weeks starting this Saturday. I'd expect to get some more announcements in the near future, however, as SNL fills out its schedule for the rest of the season...

Saturday Night Live Season 51 Hosts and Musical Guests

Here's who we have coming up next...

February 28th, 2026 - Connor Storrie

Date: February 28th

Host: Connor Storrie

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 0

Musical Guest: Mumford & Sons

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 3 (Plus a cameo)

What a run for Connor Storrie! With only fifteen total IMDB credits on his resume, he went from acting in short films and playing bit parts to being a huge breakout star thanks to his much-hyped performance in Heated Rivalry.

For most actors, SNL is a chance to have some fun, but for Storrie, it's going to be a chance to show off the full range of what he can do. It'll be delightful to see him doing things we haven't seen before, and it has the potential to open up a lot of doors in Hollywood if his character work in these sketches helps casting directors see him in a new and potentially more comedic way.

Date: March 7th

Host: Ryan Gosling

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 3

Musical Guest: Gorillaz

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 0

We're officially getting the fourth hosting appearance for Ryan Gosling, and given his career trajectory, it's now looking like a near guarantee he'll eventually join the Five-Timers Club. The bigger question is whether we'll get another Beavis And Butt-Head sketch.

The last time Gosling hosted, the Beavis And Butt-Head sketch with Mikey Day and Heidi Gardner went mega-viral on account of it being amazing (and Gardner not being able to control herself). It's been viewed more than 25M times on YouTube alone and was a dominant topic of conversation on social media for days following its airing. It'll be referenced and show up in clip packages for as long as SNL is on the air.

Regardless, Gosling should bring that same, goofy loveable energy to Studio 8H again. For me personally, he's everything I want in an SNL host. He's not necessarily known for his comedy, but he's got a great sense of timing and is willing to do anything. That allows allows the writers to go in a lot of directions and create a really well-balanced show. I can't wait.

Hosts And Musical Guests That Already Had Their Turn

January 31, 2026 - Alexander Skarsgård

Date: January 31st

Host: Alexander Skarsgård

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 0

Musical Guest: Cardi B

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 1

As crazy as this may sound, that was Alexander Skarsgård's first time hosting Saturday Night Live. Thankfully, he was a natural. The show had him leaning into his rugged handsomeness with sketches where he played the likes of Tarzan, but it also gave him a chance to play more traditional, family dynamic characters. We even got a fun cameo from his Oscar-nominated father. Given how much his career is rolling, it's likely we'll see the popular actor back on the 30 Rock stage at some point.

I also want to shout out Sarah Sherman, who gave one of SNL's most fun moments this season when, during a sketch playing a weather girl, she yelled at the audience for not making woo noises when she revealed her dress. Classic.

January 24, 2026 - Teyana Taylor

Date: January 24th

Host: Teyana Taylor

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 0

Musical Guest: Geese

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 0

Teyena Taylor can officially add SNL host to her lengthy resume that now, as of recently, also includes Oscar nominee. The One Battle After Another actress rocked her debut at Studio 8H in a performance that was very well received by fans.

It shouldn't be a surprise given she's done plenty of comedy in the past and has the aura and presence you typically need to care a sketch comedy bit... or, you know, an elaborate dance showcase like the one she busted out during her appearance.

January 17th, 2026 - Finn Wolfhard

Date: January 17th

Host: Finn Wolfhard

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 1

Musical Guest: A$AP Rocky

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 1

Coming off the fifth and final season of Netflix's incredibly popular Stranger Things, series star Finn Wolfhard tried his hand at sketch comedy. To the surprise of no one, the young actor killed it. From the hilarious and heartwarming opening monologue with co-stars Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo (they also later appeared in a wild pre-taped segment) to that outrageous Harry Potter/Heated Rivalry parody, Wolfhard did a little bit of everything.

The first episode of the new year also featured two dynamic performances by A$AP Rocky, who gave audiences a raucous and destructive take on "Punk Rocky" followed by a mash-up of "Don't Be Dumb" and "Helicopter."

December 20th, 2025 - Ariana Grande

Date: December 20th

Host: Ariana Grande

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 2

Musical Guest: Cher

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 1

Both Grande and Cher have a long history with SNL. Both women have been impersonated multiple times by multiple cast members, and they've each made appearances as themselves before. Grande has been strictly the musical guest twice, strictly the host once and simultaneously the host and musical guest once. Cher was the musical guest all the way back in 1987, which has to be up near the top for longest gaps between appearances.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, she was fantastic again. Several sketches she was involved in went super viral, including a reimagining of the Home Alone ending that's a hard R-rating. Given how much her career is rolling, it would be a shock not to see her back and a shock not to see her eventually join the 5-Timers Club.

December 13th, 2025 - Josh O'Connor

Date: December 13th

Host: Josh O'Connor

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 0

Musical Guest: Lily Allen

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 1

British actor Josh O'Connor might not be the most famous movie star hitting up Studio 8H this season, but I absolutely love the pick. The Emmy winner has been fantastic in a huge variety of projects, from The Crown to The Durrells to Challengers, and it was nice to see him bring a very different and less traditionally comedic energy to Studio 8H.

He was clearly elated to be there, and he jumped into a wide variety of goofy sketches, some of which involved making out with his fellow cast members.

December 6th, 2025 - Melissa McCarthy

Date: December 6th

Host: Melissa McCarthy

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 5

Musical Guest: Dijon

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 0

Not only is Melissa McCarthy in SNL's esteemed 5 Timers Club, she's also in a select club of having made double digit appearances on the show thanks to her run of cameos as former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Those appearances after President Trump's first election are probably the most famous in her SNL career, but they're not the reason she keeps getting invited back.

She keeps getting invited back because she can do a wide variety of types of comedy, and she's up for doing anything. She proved that again this time with sketches that touched on everything from awkward sadness to Chris Farley-like physical comedy. Fingers crossed we see her back again sometime over the next few seasons.

November 15th, 2025 - Glen Powell

Date: November 15th

Host: Glen Powell

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 0

Musical Guest: Olivia Dean

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 0

Glen Powell had already cameoed during Sydney Sweeney's gig, but it was fantastic to see him as the full-blown host. Many fans called his episode the best of the season so far, and there's already speculation about when he might come back to host the show again. It helps that his episode attracted a ton of headlines, both because of a surprise MacGruber cameo and because Powell himself brought out a surprise guest.

Apparently Powell was first contacted to host SNL all the way back in 2021. He agreed and excitedly celebrated with his family and a UPS driver who happened to be delivering a package at the time. Unfortunately, it fell through after Top Gun got delayed; so, when he got the chance to host again, his family tracked down the UPS driver and brought him with them. Just a hilarious and heart-warming story.

November 8th, 2025 - Nikki Glaser

Date: November 8th

Host: Nikki Glaser

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 0

Musical Guest: sombr

# Of Previous Musical Appearances: 0

Nikki Glaser has been well known in the stand-up community for more than a decade, but over the past few years, she's started to break out into the mainstream. Her appearance at Tom Brady's Roast was very well-received, and earlier this year, she hosted The Golden Globe Awards.

SNL marked perhaps the biggest moment of her career and hopefully the start of an increase in stand-up comedians. The show has always focused more on bringing in movies and TV stars and even pop culture figures and athletes, but stand-up comedians can bring an entirely different dynamic. Hopefully we get to see Glaser again, as well as more stand-ups in general.

November 1st, 2025 - Miles Teller

Date: November 1st

Host: Miles Teller

# Of Previous Hosting Appearances: 1

Musical Guest: Brandi Carlile

# Of Previous SNL Musical Appearances: 3

Miles Teller went a few years between SNL hosting gigs, but if his career keeps rolling, it's hard to imagine the show keeping him away for that long again. He once again proved he can be really funny in a silly way, and he's obviously good at providing a more subdued straight man to the louder and more obnoxious cast members.

October 18, 2025 - Sabrina Carpenter

Date: October 18, 2025

Host and Musical Guest: Sabrina Carpenter

# Of Previous SNL Hosting Gigs: 0 + 1 Musical Performance

Sabrina Carpenter joined decorated list of musicians who’ve pulled double-duty on Saturday Night Live when she hosted and served as the musical performer on the October 18, 2025, episode. Not surprisingly, she was fantastic and generated a ton of headlines for both her musical performances and her outrageous sketches.

October 11, 2025 - Amy Poehler & Role Model

Date: October 11, 2025

Host: Amy Poehler

# Of Previous SNL Hosting Gigs: 2

Musical Guest: Role Model

# Of Previous SNL Performances: 0

Saturday Night Live alum Amy Poehler returned to host the iconic sketch show for the third time when she headlines the second episode of Season 51. A member of the SNL cast from 2001 to 2008, Poehler has returned countless times over the years, with her most recent appearance before this taking place during the Saturday Night Live 50 celebration back in February. Not surprisingly, she was fantastic, as per usual.

October 4, 2025 - Bad Bunny & Doja Cat

Date: October 4, 2025

Host: Bad Bunny

# Of Previous SNL Hosting Gigs: 1 + 3 Musical Performances

Musical Guest: Doja Cat

# Of Previous SNL Performances: 0

Rapper/actor/wrestler Bad Bunny hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time (he also has three other appearances as the musical guest) during the premiere episode of Season 51 on October 4, 2025. The Happy Gilmore 2 star previously hosted an episode back in 2023, which also featured Mick Jagger and Pedro Pascal in memorable cameos. It was Doja Cat's first performance at Studio 8H.

The Saturday Night Live Season 51 Cast

Saturday Night Live is welcoming a bunch of new faces this fall to NBC (and Peacock). Nearly a half-dozen new featured players officially joined the ranks of longtime cast members like Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, and Kenan Thompson, when the show debuted last week. The new additions to the cast include standup comics, TikTok stars, and even one-third of the Please Don’t Destroy team.

Below is a full list of everyone you’ll be watching on Saturday Night Live this season. Please note that all new cast members are in bold.

• Michael Che
• Mikey Day
• Andrew Dismukes
• Chloe Fineman
• Marcello Hernandez
• James Austin Johnson
• Colin Jost
• Sarah Sherman
• Kenan Thompson
• Bowen Yang
• Tommy Brennan
• Jeremy Culhane
• Ben Marshall
• Ashley Padilla
• Kam Patterson
• Veronika Slowikowska
• Jane Wickline

SNL Cast Members Not Returning After Season 50

Not long after Saturday Night Live head honcho Lorne Michaels announced there would be a shakeup ahead of Season 51, the departures started to trickle in. After not letting go of anyone on the cast (both repertory members and featured players), the long-running sketch comedy show let go of some major talent in the lead-up to the season premiere.

In August 2025, the first departure was announced when it was revealed that Devon Walker wouldn’t be returning after three years on the show. We didn’t have long to let the news sink in before other members of the cast started announcing they weren’t coming back, starting with Emil Wakim, and then followed by the departure of Michael Longfellow. The biggest shock came days later when it was announced that longtime fan-favorite Heidi Gardner would not be coming back after nearly a decade of making audiences laugh week in and week out. Not long after that, Ego Nwodim revealed she had left the show after seven seasons.

That is as far as we know, for now, for SNL Season 51. However, this will change when Lorne Michaels and company start announcing additional hosts and musical guests that’ll appear later in the season.