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 Times in 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.” Now that we’re about halfway through the season, what else is in store? And how much of it will be Domingo? Below, the latest updates, including an Emmy-worthy lineup of hosts and musical guests, a primetime special, and a docuseries.
The first five hosts and musical guests got pinned to the bulletin board on September 18. Emmy winner Jean Smart hosted 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 Chris Rock with Gracie Abrams and Martin Short with singer tall (Hozier).
Many, many SNL vets are having a homecoming at Studio 8H. On July 31, Deadline reported that production on Loot season three has been pushed back, giving Rudolph time to contribute to the memeification of the vice-president on SNL for the final stretch of the 2024 presidential election. Other folks who have been making the commute back to 30 Rock on the regular include Dana Carvey, The Lonely Island, and hosts John Mulaney, Chris Rock, and Martin Short.
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.
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.
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.
Peacock will have a four-part docuseries, Beyond Saturday Night, in the new year. Which is great news, because there just aren’t enough documentaries about SNL and its contributors. The first ep will be about the audition process, the second a week in the writers room, the third solely focusing on the “More Cowbell” sketch, and lastly an episode dedicated to SNL season 11 (a.k.a. the season with Robert Downey Jr.). Beyond Saturday Night comes to Peacock January 16, 2025.
