With Saturday Night Live At Home now fully in the rearview mirror, the cast of the NBC comedy sketch series are eagerly anticipating their return to 30 Rock. The next season will see the full cast of comedians reuniting in Studio 8H after their pandemic break, and they’ll be joined by a host of A-listers scouted to host and perform on the show.
Season 45 of SNL was interrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, forcing the show to be filmed remotely to ensure that the production would not result in anyone testing positive for the respiratory disease. We watched as the comedians acted out different pandemic-themed sketches over Zoom, even recruiting Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt to virtually appear on the series. The cast did the best that they could do with what they were working with, but I think we can all admit it now that it's behind us: it was kinda weird.
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Thankfully, things will be mostly back to regularly scheduled programming for the upcoming 46th season of the show. Not only will filming in-studio resume, but a live (albeit smaller) audience will be there to watch the sketches play out. We're even getting some quality political content to keep us entertained; fans can expect to see Former Vice President Joe Biden (played by Jim Carrey), Senator Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph), and even President Trump (Alec Baldwin) make a few appearances this season.
To top it off, SNL has also secured a lineup of celebrity hosts and musical performers for the comeback, and it looks so, so good. Below, a list of special guests to look out for this season. (This list will be updated weekly.)
Anya Taylor-Joy/Lil Nas x
May 22, 2021
Your final guests of Season 46! pic.twitter.com/f5Mu3urQSO
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 3, 2021
Anya-Taylor Joy is known for her more serious acting, but she'll flex her comedy skills as the season's final act. Joining her is the music's most controversial man at the moment, Lil Nas X. And honestly, there's no telling which song he's going to perform on his first SNL stage. He truly has that many hits.
Keegan Michael Key/Olivia Rodrigo
May 15, 2021
Funny man Keegan-Michael Key will make his SNL debut during this season's penultimate episode, and he'll be joined by fellow first-timer Olivia Rodrigo. Get ready to hear "Driver's License" live — as if you haven't been streaming it obsessively since it first dropped.
Carey Mulligan/Kid Cudi
April 10, 2021
— The Chosen One (@KidCudi) March 16, 2021
Despite having long and successful careers, Carey Mulligan and Kid Cudi have never graced the SNL stage until now. Many will be highly-anticipating Kid Cudi's set, as the artist just this past December released new music after a decade-long haitus, but Kid Cudi is possibly just as hyped: "If u know me, u know snl is a huge dream of mine," he tweeted. "This is huge. Cannot friggin wait!"
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Daniel Kaluuya/St. Vincent
April 3, 2021
We know that Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya can certainly do drama — so we're more than ready to see him flex his acting chops with a little comedy. And while this isn't St. Vincent's first rodeo, the musician is certainly excited to be back on the show. "Saturday Night Live has been my favourite show since I was a kid and I can’t believe I get to play it AGAIN!" she wrote on Instagram.
Maya Rudolph/Jack Harlow
March 27, 2021
We got a bit of a teaser of SNL veteran Maya Rudolph's signature wacky comedy during this year's Golden Globes, so we can't wait to see what she's got cooked up for her episode. Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow is making his SNL debut, which he called "dream come true."
Regé-Jean Page/Bad Bunny
February 20, 2021
The king duke of your hearts is set to make his SNL debut, and you can be sure that many of the skits will be about how hot he is. (Fingers crossed!) He'll be joined onstage by reggaeton and Latin trap star Bad Bunny, so you know the episode is going up.
Regina King/Nathaniel Rateliff
February 13, 2021
Hello, 2021. pic.twitter.com/zJqJhsCpMu
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) January 22, 2021
With an Oscar under Regina King's belt, as well as a new film that's bound to sweep the awards circuit, why wouldn't she flex her comedy chops too?
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Dan Levy/Phoebe Bridgers
February 6, 2021
OMFG pic.twitter.com/8N2B2B9fQQ
— dan levy (@danjlevy) January 22, 2021
Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy and singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers have both had a successful year. Their SNL debut is bound to be a memorable one.
John Krasinski/Machine Gun Kelly
January 30, 2021
Aaaaaand cue the pinching myself. #SNL pic.twitter.com/hhr6fYAOCj
— John Krasinski (@johnkrasinski) January 22, 2021
Will it be the happiest day of Pete Davidson's life? Probably.
Kristen Wiig/ Dua Lipa
December 19, 2020
Kristen Wiig is back to her old stomping grounds to promote Wonder Woman 1985, which is hitting HBO Max and theaters on December 25. Fresh off her multiple Grammy nominations, Dua Lipa returns to Saturday Night Live to perform.
Timothée Chalamet/Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
December 12, 2021
This year's Timothée Chalamet dry streak is broken because everyone's favourite boy is hosting SNL for the very first time! He'll be joined by rockstar Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Jason Bateman/ Morgan Wallen
December 5, 2020
Round two's the charm for December 5 performer Morgan Wallen, who will take the stage (hopefully after a good, long quarantine). The country singer was originally slated to perform in October, but was replaced after he was seen partying in a college town, mask-free. The Ozark's Jason Bateman will return to host.
No Episode
November 14, 2020
SNL season 46 came out the gate in full force with five episodes in a row, so it seems the writers and cast are taking a bit of a break. It's usually pretty rare to even get more than three weeks straight of episodes, but the election obviously gave the team a lot of material. SNL usually doesn't do a new episode during the week of Thanksgiving, so we might have to wait until December to get our fix.
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Dave Chappelle/Foo Fighters
November 7, 2020
The comedy icon will be returning for his second stint on the sketch comedy series after hosting SNL almost four years to the date in 2016. The vibe of the upcoming post-election episode will suit Chappelle's deadpan comedy style perfectly — we're laughing at the current events, but nothing's really funny. Chappelle will be joined by the Foo Fighters, who are making their seventh appearance as musical guests on the show.
John Mulaney/The Strokes
October 31, 2020
Three things define New York City: SNL, the Strokes, and Ed Koch. Koch is dead, so they got me.
— John Mulaney (@mulaney) October 25, 2020
I am so goddamn excited. 4th time up. Wow and wow and wow pic.twitter.com/6Cl9Lmf9zO
The former SNL writer (2008-2012) will be back hosting for the fourth time for the show's Halloween episode. It's the second time John Mulaney has hosted so far this year. Any episode with the writer and comedian is sure to be hilarious — after all, Mulaney helped create Bill Hader's fan-favourite character Stefon.
The musical guest will be alt-rock band The Strokes, who have been on the show three other times but not in nearly a decade. The band is officially back, however, having released their most recent album, The New Abnormal, back in April (we've been waiting for seven whole years), as well as their single, “An Ode To The Mets,” in July.
Adele/H.E.R.
October 24, 2020
— Adele (@Adele) October 18, 2020
Adele has performed on SNL several times in the past, but the upcoming episode will see the star making her debut as the host of the sketch comedy series with R&B songstress H.E.R. as the musical guest. It's also kind of Adele's first stage appearance in years; she's been MIA since her emotional George Michael tribute at the 2017 Grammy Awards.
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Issa Rae/Justin Bieber
October 17, 2020
Despite being one of the funniest people in Hollywood for the last couple of years, Issa Rae is just now making her SNL debut in the show's 46th season. She'll be joined by "Holy" singer Justin Bieber, who's appeared on the comedy sketch series numerous times. Bieber has been an SNL musical guest on three different occasions and hosted it for the first time in 2010.
Bill Burr/Jack White
October 10, 2020
Stand-up comedian Bill Burr will be making his debut as an SNL host on the second episode of season 46, and he'll be joined by The White Stripes frontman Jack White.
Chris Rock/Megan thee Stallion
October 3, 2020
The premiere marks the Rock's return to SNL after a long absence. The comedian, who was a cast member on the NBC series from 1990 to 1993, has officially hosted the show twice before and has made countless cameos in the years between.
Megan will be making her SNL debut as a musical guest, the latest accolade on the Houston rapper's long resume. We might even see her in a few sketches — she's got acting chops, too. Megan's "Hot Girl Fall" sketch on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon went viral in 2019, and her Halloween-themed short films demonstrated her obvious knack for acting.