The ever-iconicSaturday Night Livehas officially entered its landmark 50th season. Created byLorne Michaels, the late-night sketch comedy show has been airing on NBC since 1975, with the inaugural episode hosted by stand-up legendGeorge Carlin, which was portrayed inJason Reitman’sSaturday Night, which is now streaming on Netflix. 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 Livehas helped skyrocket the careers of some of the biggest names in film and television, includingJohn 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,Leslie Jones,Kyle Mooney, andPete 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 asWayne’s World,The Blues Brothers,Coneheads,MacGruber, andPlease Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.
Will There Be a New Episode of ‘SNL’ Tonight?
Yes, there will be a new episode ofSNLtonight.Since its inception,Saturday Night Livehas always aired live from New York on NBC, and that’s probably not ever going to change. Season 50, Episode 16,will air on Saturday, April 5, 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.
Watch on Peacock
Who Is Hosting ‘SNL’ This Week?
Tonight’s episode of SNL will be hosted by none other thanJack Black. This will mark Black’s fourth time hosting the show after stints on Season 27, Season 29, and Season 31. This will also be Black’s first time hosting in nearly a decade.
Black’s appearance is timed to the release of his latest movie,A Minecraft Movie, which opened in theaters this past Friday. The film, which is directed by Academy Award nomineeJared Hess(Napoleon Dynamite), is based on the best-selling video of all time,Minecraft, with Black playing Steve, the default character model in the game. The movie also starsJason Momoa(Aquaman), Academy Award nomineeDanielle Brooks(The Color Purple),Emma Myers(Wednesday),Sebastian Hansen(Lisey’s Story), andJennifer Coolidge(The White Lotus).
Black has built up an impressive filmography over the years, starring in comedy films such asSchool of Rock,Nacho Libre,Tropic Thunder,High Fidelity,The Holiday, theJumanjisequels,The Holiday,Goosebumps,The House with a Clock in Its Walls, andBe Kind Rewind. Black has also shown his more dramatic chops in movies such asPeter Jackson’sKing Kong,Margot at the Wedding, andBernie. Additionally, Black is well known for his voice-acting roles, including voicing Po in theKung Fu Pandafranchise, Bowser inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, Lenny inShark Tale, and Zeke inIce Age.
Black is also a musician, and performs alongside his longtime friendKyle Gassin the comedy rock duoTenacious D, and starred in the 2006 cult comedyTenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.
Outside ofA Minecraft Movie, Black will be starring alongsidePaul Ruddin the comedy reboot ofAnaconda, which releases in theaters this Christmas.
So far, the Season 50 host lineup has includedHacks’Jean Smart,stand-up comedianNate Bargatze,Wicked’sAriana Grande,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’sMichael Keaton, stand-up comedianJohn Mulaney, stand-up comedianBill Burr, pop superstarCharli XCX,Gladiator II’sPaul Mescal, former cast-memberChris Rock,Only Murders in the Building’sMartin Short, stand-up comedianDave Chappelle,A Complete Unknown’sTimothée Chalamet,Tires’Shane Gillis, Grammy winnerLady Gaga, andAnora’sMikey Madison.
Who Is the Musical Guest on This Week’s ‘SNL’?
Grammy winners and music iconsElton JohnandBrandi Carlileare this week’s musical guests on SNL. This will be John’s third time on the show, after performing on Season 7 and pulling double duty on a Season 36 episode. This will also be Carlile’s third time on Studio 8H, performing on Season 47 and Season 48.
John and Carlile have found success on their own, but have worked together numerous times on “Simple Things” in 2021, “Never Too Late” in 2024, and the newly released albumWho Believes in Angels?. John has released an astounding 31 studio albums on his own, while Carlile has produced seven.
The musical guest lineup has includedJelly Roll,Coldplay,Stevie Nicks,Billie Eilish,Chappell Roan,Mk.gee, Charli XCX,Shaboozey,Gracie Abrams,Hozier,GloRilla, Timothée Chalamet,Tate McRae,Lady Gaga, andMorgan Wallen.
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 50 areMikey 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 anchorsMichael CheandColin Jost.
Featured players this season include newcomersAshley Padilla,Emil Wakim, andJane Wickline. Staff writersMartin Herlihy,Ben Marshall, andJohn Higgins, known as the comedy trioPlease 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’?
Jon Hammwill be hosting the April 12 episode of SNL, timed to the release of his new Apple TV+ seriesYour Friends and Neighbors. This will also be Hamm’s fourth time hosting the show, but he has made a wide array of cameos on the show. Hamm will be joined by musical guestLizzo.
