saturday night live
Kenan Thompson is teasing the possibility of casting changes for the next season of Saturday Night Live. Following the conclusion of the iconic sketch comedy show’s 50th season on May 17 — hosted by Scarlett Johansson with musical guest Bad Bunny — the 47-year-old comedian and longtime SNL cast member called the season’s end “bittersweet” […]
Scarlett Johansson kicked off the season 50 finale of Saturday Night Live with a musical monologue set to the tune of Billy Joel‘s “Piano Man.”
The Jurassic World Rebirth star, who hosted the May 17 episode alongside musical guest Bad Bunny, opened the iconic sketch comedy show with a heartfelt cast singalong celebrating the show’s five-decade legacy.
“It’s 11:30 on a Saturday, finale of season 50,” Johansson sang. “It’s chaotic and crazy, the whole week is hazy, but there’s no place I’d rather be.”
The 40-year-old actress was soon joined by cast members Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman, Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Ego Nwodim and Chloe Fineman, who harmonized with her. “Sing us a song, it’s your monologue, sing us a song tonight, as we made 50 years of great memories, every Saturday Night,” they all sang.
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Johansson then teased a surprise appearance by the Piano Man himself, saying, “Ladies and gentleman, Billy Joel… wrote this song.” Day, visibly disappointed, responded, “I thought Billy Joel was going to come out,” Johansson, a seventh-time SNL host, said, “Oh, Mikey. So cute, so simple.”
The monologue took a comedic turn as Fineman expressed her love for musical monologues, while Gardner noted her preference for audience questions. Kenan Thompson, pretending to be a fan in the audience, asked the Jurassic film actress to introduce him to a dinosaur, prompting Johansson to jokingly regret calling on him.
New season 50 cast members Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline made cameo appearances, singing about their gratitude for joining the iconic show — only for Johansson to hilariously forget their names. She also gave shoutouts to cast members Marcello Hernandez and Devon Walker, calling them her friends, and acknowledging Andrew Dismukes and James Austin Johnson.
Toward the end of the number, Johansson dropped a surprise bombshell, singing that season 50 would be Sherman’s last. “We’re all gonna miss you next year,” the cast sang in unison. A stunned Sherman replied, “Wait, what? Did you guys hear something or…?” The joke about the comedian’s departure was not mentioned again during the episode.
Elsewhere in the show, Bad Bunny delivered performances of “NUEVAYoL” and “PERFuMITO NUEVO,” both from his sixth album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Watch the performances here.
Watch Johansson’s SNL monologue below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Ever wondered what a reunion between Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Mike Myers might look like nearly 20 years after their infamous Hurricane Katrina telethon moment? Saturday Night Live has the answer.
In a hilariously awkward sketch during the SNL season 50 finale on May 17, the Austin Powers star finds himself trapped in an elevator with the embattled rapper — and does everything he can to escape the uncomfortable encounter.
The four-minute skit, titled “Mike Myers Elevator Ride,” opens with Myers (playing himself) stepping into an elevator alongside two star-struck passengers, played by host Scarlett Johansson and cast member Marcello Hernandez. After a few stops, Ye (portrayed by Kenan Thompson) enters mid-phone call, complaining about Spotify pulling his controversial new track “Cousins.”
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“Oh, my God. Is that Kanye West,” Myers whispers in horror as Johansson’s character quickly exits. “You can’t leave me alone in here with him,” he pleads.
Once alone, West turns to Myers, noting it’s the first time they’ve seen each other since their 2005 Hurricane Katrina telethon — when West famously declared on live TV that then-President George Bush didn’t care about Black people, leaving Myers stunned on screen.
You “had to stand there looking stupid,” Thompson’s West reminds him. Trying to shift the mood, Myers asks, “So what have you been up to?” “Oh, me? I’m in the KKK now,” the rapper replies.
The awkward exchange continues with small talk about their kids, before Ye abruptly shifts topics to Diddy, who’s currently on trial for sex trafficking.
“This Diddy stuff crazy, right?” West says. “Diddy, he’s on trial right now for, like, a bunch of stuff. It’s so crazy, man. You think you know a guy. Turns out to be a full crazy monster.”
When Myers asks, “So what happened to you?” Thompson’s West seeks clarification, only for Myers to quickly brush it off.
The encounter spirals further as Ye questions whether Myers’ last name is Jewish, the elevator appears to get stuck, and the hip-hop star takes a hit from a canister of nitrous oxide. Moments later, Myers bolts for the exit.
Watch SNL‘s “Mike Myers Elevator Ride” sketch below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Bad Bunny helped close out Saturday Night Live’s milestone 50th season with a memorable appearance on the show’s May 17 season finale, hosted by actress Scarlett Johansson. The 31-year-old Puerto Rican superstar took the stage twice during the NBC sketch comedy series, performing a pair of tracks from his history-making album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. […]
Bad Bunny is ready to take summer by storm, but first, he’s performing as the musical guest during the season finale of Saturday Night Live this weekend. In promos for the May 17 finale of season 50 shared on Thursday (May 15), the superstar appears alongside host Scarlett Johansson and SNL mainstay Kenan Thompson, with […]
Arcade Fire returned to Saturday Night Live on May 10 to perform new songs from their upcoming album. The Canadian quintet — led by frontman Win Butler and his wife, Régine Chassagne — took the stage at Studio 8H ahead of their forthcoming seventh studio album, Pink Elephant. Arcade Fire opened their set with the […]
It’s Walton Goggins’ world, we’re just living in it. The actor who has been on a red hot streak lately thanks to his dual over-the-top roles in The White Lotus and The Righteous Gemstones is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend and things are, honestly, off to a rough start.
In one of the promos for Saturday’s (May 10) show, the veteran character actor gets a little taste of what it’s like to be super recognizable, for… something. “I’m Walton Goggins and I’ll be hosting SNL this week with musical guest Arcade Fire,” Goggins says. Cast member Ego Nwodim can’t hold in her excitement, fangirling to Goggins that she loves his “music.”
“I… what… you think I’m Arcade Fire?” Goggins says a bit peeved. “Oh shoot, my bad,” Nwodim replies, embarrassed. “You thought Walton Goggins was four people?,” the host huffs while surrounded by members of the band. “We hung out at the Met Gala! Also, I literally said my name at the beginning of this!”
Not willing to endure the indignity any longer, Goggins says “screw this” and walks off. “We’re still cool, right Walton?” Nwodim asks Arcade Fire, as singer Win Butler waves goodbye to “Arcade Fire.”
Nwodim gets it right, kind of, in another promo.
“Walton, I hear you’re a pretty serious actor. So how do you prepare for the role of ‘Walton Goggins?,’” she asks. “I dunno, I just try to have fun and… um, wait a minute. Oh God. Oh Jesus, this is the role of a lifetime,” Goggins realizes, haunted. “How do we honor that which we have lived so directly, for he who can’t truly be himself is a fraud,” the actor continued as Nwodim and musical guests Arcade Fire slowly, nervously slip out of frame while the Righteous Gemstones star gets into serious method mode.
“… And… they’re gone,” he laments as he’s left alone on stage.
Finally, Nwodim tells Goggins she loved him in The White Lotus, while Butler adds that he also loved him in the holy roller Max comedy Righteous Gemstones. “Ah, much obliged,” says Goggins, who has been killing it for more than 30 years in films including Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, Ant-Man and the Wasp and dozens of TV series before turning into a global sensation over the past six months.
“And I liked you in that other thing you were in,” Nwodim adds, at a loss to name the exact project. “Oh yeah, and that one episode of that… one show,” Bulter says, as Goggins blushes at the non-specific plaudits. “Wait a second, didn’t you also play that guy that…” Nwodim begins, as Goggins completes her thought with, “… in that thing with the other guy.”
“Yes!” Nwodim and Butler say in unison.
Watch the promo below.
In a promo for this weekend’s new Saturday Night Live, it seems like Walton Goggins still has White Lotus on his mind as he teases his hosting debut.
Paired with SNL cast member Marcello Hernandez, the promo finds Goggins poking fun at the weekly White Lotus-style “who’s gonna die?” fan theories, applying them to the penultimate episode of season 50.
Hernandez attempts to rein in Goggins’ death theories, saying, “It’s not that kind of show, man. It’s SNL, no one’s gonna die.”
Goggins presses on regardless, confidently adding, “Colin Jost, Michael Che, murder-suicide,” to which Hernandez replies, “No! These are real people, they’re not characters… no one is dying.”
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Goggins pushes further, insisting, “That’s exactly what someone who’s about to die would say,” and proceeds to theorize about which cast member might be responsible for Hernandez’s fictional demise. He cycles through Heidi Gardner and Chloe Fineman before fixating on Bowen Yang, exclaiming, “It’s Bowen! It’s always been Bowen. It would always ever be Bowen, because he hates you.”
In classic SNL fashion, the sketch culminates with cast member Michael Longfellow sneaking up to dramatically stab Hernandez, revealing himself as the killer. “I should have been Domingo,” Longfellow says, referencing Hernandez’s viral recurring SNL character. Goggins, fully immersed, concludes with, “Wow, I did not see that coming! Prestige television!”
Fresh off his debut at the Met Gala on Monday, Goggins will continue a month of firsts as he makes his Saturday Night Live hosting debut this weekend, alongside musical guest Arcade Fire. SNL airs Saturday night at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and streams live on Peacock.
Sabrina Carpenter and Quinta Brunson teamed up for a catchy musical tribute to short people during Saturday Night Live on May 3.
In her opening monologue, the Abbott Elementary creator and star joked about her height before the “Please Please Please” singer joined her for a playful performance celebrating “shorties” everywhere.
Brunson, hosting SNL for the second time, noted that she was “proof you can do anything you put your mind to even if people look down on you.” She continued, “Whether it’s because of where you come from or literally because you’re only 4’11′ — yeah, that’s right, I’m short … But I love being short, and I want other short people to know the sky’s the limit. So shorties, tonight, this one’s for us!”
Brunson then launched into a humorous song about her stature, noting that she’s a cheap date who gets “wasted off of one glass of wine,” and name-checked other famously petite celebrities including Simone Biles, Kendrick Lamar and Tom Holland.
Carpenter — who’s around five feet tall herself — soon joined Brunson on stage, exchanging jokes with the host about eating short ribs and reading short stories. The performance culminated in a group number joined by SNL cast member Marcello Hernandez (5’6″) and former NBA star Dwyane Wade (6’4″).
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“It’s how we like our movies, and how we like our margins,” they all sang together. “We’ve been the same height since kindergarten. Life is just more fun when you’re fun size.”
Elsewhere in the episode, pop star Benson Boone made his SNL debut, performing two tracks — “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” and “Mystical Magical” — from his upcoming sophomore album, American Heart. The new project is scheduled for release on June 20 through Night Street Records/Warner Records. Watch Boone’s SNL performances here.
Check out Brunson’s SNL monologue below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Benson Boone brought his dynamic stage presence and first-class showmanship to Saturday Night Live on May 3.
Making his debut as the musical guest on the long-running NBC sketch comedy series, the 22-year-old pop sensation performed two tracks from his forthcoming sophomore album, American Heart.
Following an introduction from SNL host Quinta Brunson, Boone nailed one of his electrifying signature backflips before briefly serenading the actress and comedian with his song “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” which peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year.
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Later in the episode, the 2025 best new artist Grammy nominee returned to the stage for a performance of “Mystical Magical.” Dressed in a velvety purple ensemble, Boone delivered the jangly pop-rock track amid a dreamy backdrop of glowing pink and blue lights, supported by a full band and backup singers dressed in white.
“‘Cause it feels so mystical, magical, oh baby/ ‘Cause once you know, once you know/ My love is so mystical, magical, oh baby/ ‘Cause once you know, once you know,” he sings on the song, which interpolates “Physical,” an Olivia Newton-John classic, in the chorus.
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Boone’s SNL debut arrives ahead of the release of American Heart, scheduled for release on June 20 through Night Street Records/Warner Records. Both “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” and “Mystical Magical” appear on the forthcoming project.
His appearance at Studio 8H follows a standout run at Coachella in April, where he wowed audiences with high-energy sets packed with backflips — and even a surprise cameo from Queen guitarist Brian May during a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” on weekend one.
Watch Boone’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.