ByJennifer Zhan,
a Vulture news blogger covering music, internet culture, and TV.
Ka-Maya-la.
Photo: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Who’s ready for Lorne Michaels to throw another big birthday bash? This fall, Saturday Night Live is back on NBC for its 50th season. Michaels has been teasing this anniversary for a while now, telling the New York Timesin 2022 that the big five-oh would be a “big event.” “We’ll bring everyone back from all 50 years and hosts and all of that,” he said at the time. “It will be a very emotional and very strong thing.” As SNL 50’s September 28 premiere date approaches, what else do we actually know about the milestone season? Below, the latest update: an Emmy-worthy lineup of hosts and musical guests.
It’s hosting season!
The first five hosts and musical guests got pinned to the bulletin board on September 18. Emmy winner Jean Smart will host the premiere with Jelly Roll as musical guest, and there will be shows every Saturday from September 28 through November 2 except October 26. Upcoming host/musical-guest duos include Nate Bargatze with Coldplay, Ariana Grande with Stevie Nicks, Michael Keaton with Billie Eilish, and John Mulaney with Chappell Roan.
Maya Rudolph is reportedly ready to serve …
… the country, by dusting off her Kamala Harris impression. On July 31, Deadline reported that production on Loot season three has been pushed back, giving Rudolph time to contribute to the memeificationof the vice-president on SNL for the final stretch of the 2024 presidential election. Neither Rudolph nor SNL has directly confirmed the news, but it feels inevitable. Missing the opportunity to get her back would be (coco)nuts. If they need any other political characters cast, we have some options.
There will be some changes to the cast.
A couple familiar faces won’t be returning. Punkie Johnson, who joined the show in 2020 as a featured player and was promoted to repertory player in 2022, shared in an August 1 Instagram post that she is leaving SNL with “no bad blood.” A day later, fellow cast member Molly Kearney also took to Instagram to announce their departure. Kearney, who made history as SNL’s first nonbinary cast member, joined the show as a featured player in 2022. Chloe Troast, who joined as a featured player in 2023, will not be returning as well.
Some new cast members are joining in on the celebrations. On September 9, Emil Wakim, Ashley Padilla, and Jane Wickline were announced as the new featured players joining the cast for the 50th season.
New writers are added to the mix.
Three new writers are RSVPing to the party; Allie Levitan, Moss Perricone, and Carl Tart have been added as writers on September 22, just a few days before the season premiere. With the new additions, three other writers have left the show as well; Alex English explained on August 28 on Instagram that he was not asked to return to the show after three seasons. Vannessa Jackson and Gary Richardson were both confirmed to not return this season.
We’re getting a three-hour special.
In May, NBC announced that it would celebrate the show’s anniversary with a prime-time special on February 16, airing from 8 to 11 p.m. ET. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the network said the three-hour event would cap a “celebratory weekend” in SNL’s honor. Sounds like it’ll have everything.
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