Several decades after the first episode premiered, Saturday Night Live (1975-) still reigns supreme as the king of sketch-comedy shows. More commonly known as SNL, the long-running weekly series is still overseen by industry legend Lorne Michaels, and his creation still brings in millions of viewers each week and consistently racks up Emmy nominations since it began in 1975. Due to that success, Michaels has typically adopted an "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality for the series, sticking to a fruitful format consisting of an opening monologue, several comedic sketches, two musical guest performances, and the fan-favorite "Weekend Update" segment.
Of course, the biggest key to SNL's long-term success is its immensely talented crew of cast members and writers that bring the iconic sketches and characters to life. Some of comedy's biggest stars got their start as cast members on Saturday Night Live, including John Belushi, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and many more. The cast is certainly the secret sauce of the show, but in order to keep things fresh and interesting each week, the show brings on a special celebrity host to lead the latest round of sketches.
That's certainly still the case for this week's episode, as this time it'll be helmed by a beloved former cast member who starred opposite one of the biggest rising stars in a recently released film. To find out more about this week's host, musical guest, and more, here is everything we know about the next episode of Saturday Night Live.
When and Where Is the New Episode of SNL Premiering?
As always, Saturday Night Live will be airing live from New York on NBC, starting at 8:30 PM PT/11:30 PM EST on Saturday, April 8. The episode is also available to watch live on Peacock, and will be available on the service following its premiere in case you miss it.
Who Is Hosting SNL This Week?
Hosting Saturday Night Live this week is former cast member, Molly Shannon, who worked on the show for six seasons from 1995 to 2001. This will mark Shannon's second time hosting the show, having previously hosted an episode all the way back in May 2007, with Linkin Park serving as the musical guest.
Shannon has had quite the career, she appeared in hit films such as Analyze This, Never Been Kissed, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Wet Hot American Summer, while starring in SNL. She also reprised her SNL role of Mary Katherine Gallagher on the big screen in the film Superstar.
After leaving the show back in 2001, Shannon has kept herself busy appearing in numerous films and series including The Santa Clause 2, Good Boy, Scary Movie 4, Marie Antoinette, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Year of the Dog, Evan Almighty, Bad Teacher, The Five-Year Engagement, the Hotel Transylvania franchise, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Private Life, Promising Young Woman, The White Lotus, The Other Two, and I Love That for You.
Shannon most recently acted opposite Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman in the Zach Braff-directed dramedy A Good Person.
Who Is SNL's Musical Guest This Week?
Serving as this week's musical guest is the Jonas Brothers. The band, which consists of real-life brothers Nick, Kevin, and Joe Jonas, has previously performed on SNL back in 2009 and in 2019. The band initially got their start in 2005 in Disney Channel productions such as the Camp Rock films and the TV series Jonas. The band later broke up in 2013 and six years later staged a comeback releasing the hit single "Sucker."
Watch the Promo for This Week's SNL
Who Is in the Current Cast of SNL?
Saturday Night Live currently has a very esteemed cast of players who return to the show every week. The list of current returning cast members includes Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Punkie Johnson, Ego Nwodim, James Austin Johnson, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang. The start of the season also introduced four new cast members to the show, these including Molly Kearney, Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker. Finally, Michael Che and Colin Jost return to once again host the beloved Weekend Update.
Who Is Set to Host SNL After Molly Shannon?
Next week SNL will be hosted by Oscar-nominee Ana de Armas on April 15th, right before the release of her Apple TV+ action comedy, Ghosted (2023). The musical guest joining Ana de Armas will be non-other than Columbian musician Karol G.
So far this season has been hosted by Top Gun: Maverick's Miles Teller along with musical guest Kendrick Lamar, Brendan Gleeson who was promoting his new movie The Banshees of Inisherin with musical guest Willow, Megan Thee Stallion, and Jack Harlow, both of whom pulled double duty as host and musical guest on recent episodes of Season 48. Past hosts this season also include Amy Schumer with musical guest Steve Lacy, Dave Chapelle with musical guest Black Star, Keke Palmer with musical guest SZA, Steve Martin and Martin Short with musical guest Brandi Carlile, Austin Butler with musical guest Lizzo and Aubrey Plaza with musical guest Sam Smith, Michael B. Jordan with musical guest Lil Baby, Pedro Pascal with musical guest Coldplay, Woody Harrelson with musical guest Jack White, Travis Kelce with musical guest Kelsea Ballerini, Jenna Ortega with musical guest The 1975, and Quinta Brunson with musical guest Lil' Yachty.