Saturday Night Live is back this week, with the person who was set to host before the writers’ strike in May led to an early end to Season 48, and NBC has released the promo.
Pete Davidson is hosting, with Ice Spice the musical guest, the SNL Season 49 premiere on October 14. As the promo begins, cast members Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman walk into the studio, discussing their summers.
“I actually met my birth mom,” Fineman shares. Meanwhile, Yang “watched all of Suits,” he says. (Suits became a hit with its availability on Netflix in recent months, smashing viewing records and leading to calls for a reboot or revival.) “I don’t know what it’s about,” he adds.
That’s when Davidson walks in, eating chips. “My apartment’s under construction, so I’m just living here,” he says to explain his presence. But “only cast or hosts are allowed in the studio,” Fineman explains. “Oh, OK, I’ll do that,” Davidson decides. “The host thing. I’ll host.” She tries to argue “that’s not how it works. You can’t just say you’re hosing.” Watch the promo above to the end for Davidson’s “Kenan face.”
Davidson was originally set to host the May 6 episode, as his return to Studio 8H after serving as an SNL cast member until 2022. (He began as a featured player in 2014 and was upped to repertory status in 2016.) Kieran Culkin and Jennifer Coolidge were going to host the episodes following his to close out the season; the early end meant that Ana de Armas on April 15 served as the finale.
Bad Bunny will be pulling double duty as host and musical guest for the second episode of Season 49 on October 21. Additional hosts and musical guests for episodes beyond that will be announced at later dates.
Saturday Night Live, Season 49 Premiere, Saturday, October 14, 11:30/10:30c, NBC and Peacock