Jean Smart To Billie Eilish: Meet The Exciting Hosts And Guests Of Saturday Night Live’s 50th Season

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is gearing up for its 50th season, kicking off on September 28 with a series of five special episodes featuring standout hosts and musical guests. The premiere episode will see Emmy-winning actress Jean Smart hosting for the first time, with Jelly Roll as musical guest. Excited about the opportunity, Roll wrote on Instagram, “The premiere of the 50th season of SNL. BRB is going to cry for a few hours and call every family member I have. Bringing therapeutic music to my favorite show ever. God is Good.” Smart too shared the news with the caption, “SO EXCITED!!! Bucket list!”

The following week, comedian Nate Bargatze will take the stage as host on October 5, making his second appearance on SNL since his debut in October 2023. He will host the show with Coldplay as the musical guest. Coldplay will appear on the show for the eighth time, coinciding with the release of their album, Moon Music, which drops a day earlier.

Ariana Grande is slated to host the October 12 episode, marking her second time in this role. While she also appeared as a musical guest on SNL, this time Grande will be hosting ahead of her highly-anticipated release, Wicked. In the film, Grande stars as Glinda, who eventually becomes the Good Witch.

Music legend Stevie Nicks will be the night’s performer and she took to X to share her excitement, saying, “See you October 12th Saturday Night Live -SNL.”

Michael Keaton, known for his roles in Beetlejuice and Batman, is set to appear as host for the October 19 episode, marking his fourth appearance. The musical guest for the evening will be Billie Eilish, who last performed on the show in December 2023. Excited about her return, Eilish took to Instagram to share the news, writing, “Coming baaaaack see u october 19th SNL.”

On November 2, pop sensation Chappell Roan will make her debut on SNL as the musical guest, while John Mulaney returns to host the show for the sixth time.

Along with an impressive lineup of hosts and musical guests, SNL has also announced some cast changes for the upcoming season. Three new comedians, Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline, will be joining the cast while Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker are stepping up to the main cast after two successful years as featured players. On the other hand, Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney and Chloe Troast have bid adieu to the show.

Additionally, a special three-hour celebration of five decades of SNL is set to air on February 16, 2025.