Is ‘SNL’ New Tonight and Who’s Hosting?

The ever-iconic Saturday Night Live is still going strong at 49 seasons. Created by Lorne Michaels, the late-night sketch comedy show has been airing on NBC since 1975, with the inaugural episode hosted by stand-up legend George Carlin. 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 Live has helped skyrocket the careers of some of the biggest names in film and television, including John 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, and Pete 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 as Wayne’s World, The Blues Brothers, Coneheads, MacGruber, and most recently Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.

While the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes led to a delayed start, Season 49 has brought in some electric hosts, hilarious and instantly quotable sketches, and some good music as well. To find out more about this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live, including who will be hosting and who the musical guest will be, here’s what we know about the next episode.

Editor’s Note: This piece was updated on May 4.

Will There Be a New Episode of ‘SNL’ Tonight?

Yes, there will be a new episode of SNL tonight. Since its inception, Saturday Night Live has always aired live from New York on NBC, and that’s probably not ever going to change. Season 49, Episode 18 of the series will air on Saturday, May 4, at 11:30 pm EST/8:30 pm PST, 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?

Dua Lipa is set to make her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live this week. This will mark her third appearance on the show after having appeared as a musical guest in 2018 and 2020.

Dua Lipa is a three-time Grammy winner and Pop superstar who has produced three studio albums; Dua Lipa in 2017, Future Nostalgia in 2020, and the newly released Radical Optimism. She has also released various singles, including “Cold Heart (Pnau remix)” alongside Elton John and “Dance the Night” for Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie. She has also recently broken into acting with roles in Barbie and Matthew Vaughn‘s Argylle.

So far, the list of Season 49 hosts has included, former cast member Pete Davidson, R&B superstar Bad Bunny, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze, Wonka‘s Timothée Chalamet, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s Jason Momoa, Poor Things‘Emma Stone, Ferrari‘s Adam Driver, former cast member and Barbie star, Kate McKinnon, Saltburn‘s Jacob Elordi, Madame Web‘s Dakota Johnson, The Bear‘s Ayo Edebiri, stand-up comedian Shane Gillis, Anyone but You‘s Sydney Sweeney, Dune: Part Two‘s Josh Brolin, Poor Things‘ Ramy Youssef, former cast member and Palm Royale star Kristen Wiig, and The Fall Guy‘s Ryan Gosling.

Who Was ‘SNL’s Musical Guest on the Last Episode?

As previously stated, Dua Lipa will be pulling double-duty and will also be the musical guest this week alongside hosting. She’s far from the first person to serve as a double-duty host of SNL, Bad Bunny served as both the host and musical guest earlier this season. Other artists who have served double duty include Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Donald Glover, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Harry Styles, Nick Jonas, Jack Harlow, Megan Thee Stallion, and Billie Eilish.

Musical guests for Season 49 have included Ice Spice, Bad Bunny, Foo Fighters, Boygenius, Tate McRae, Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Reneé Rapp, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, 21 Savage, Kacey Musgraves, Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, Raye, and Chris Stapleton.

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 49 are Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, and Weekend Update anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost. Credited as “featured players” are Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, Chloe Troast, and Devon Walker. Staff writers Martin Herlihy, Ben Marshall, and John Higgins, known as the comedy trio Please 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’?

After Dua Lipa’s episode, there will only be two episodes remaining of Saturday Night Live Season 49. Episode 19 will be hosted by former cast member and Loot star Maya Rudolph alongside musical guest Vampire Weekend. Rudolph served as a cast member from Season 25 to Season 33 and has returned to host the sketch series two times prior, including a stint in 2012 and a stint in 2021.

Episode 20 (aka the season finale) will be hosted by Presumed Innocent star Jake Gyllenhaal alongside musical guest Sabrina Carpenter. This will also mark Gyllenhaal’s third time hosting the series, following stints in 2007 and 2022.