‘Snl’ Season 52 Just Revealed Its First Four Hosts, and a Newly Crowned NBA Champion Is Kicking Things Off
‘Saturday Night Live‘ has built its reputation on pairing comedy, culture, and star power into one unpredictable weekly show, and each new season’s opening lineup always offers an early sense of what kind of energy the year ahead will bring. With Season 52 fast approaching, NBC has finally started pulling back the curtain on who’ll be taking the Studio 8H stage first.
That reveal kicks off with a genuinely unexpected choice for opening night. New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson will host the September 26 season premiere, marking his first time ever taking on hosting duties after helping lead the Knicks to their first NBA championship in more than half a century this past summer. Brunson was named MVP of the 2026 NBA Finals, and his hosting gig makes him the first athlete to headline the show in over three years, following Travis Kelce’s 2023 appearance, and the first active NBA player to do so since LeBron James back in 2007.
Joining Brunson for the premiere is K-pop girl group KATSEYE, making their own ‘SNL’ debut as musical guest. The pairing gives the season opener a fresh, high-energy start built around two acts making their first-ever appearances on the show.
The following week brings a much more familiar face back to the stage. Dakota Johnson returns for her third hosting stint on October 3, timed to coincide with the release of her new film ‘Verity,’ which hits theaters the day before her episode airs. She’ll be joined by Turnstile, who will make their own ‘SNL’ debut as musical guest that same night.
Comedian Shane Gillis follows on October 10, marking his third time hosting the show as well. He’ll share the stage with Rosalía, who returns for her second appearance as musical guest after her earlier stint on the show. Gillis’s hosting slot comes on the heels of his Netflix comedy ‘Tires’ recently being renewed for a fourth season.
Rounding out the early lineup is Inde Navarrette, who will make her hosting debut later this fall alongside musical guest Gracie Abrams, who’s set for her second appearance in that role. Navarrette has become one of the year’s breakout stars thanks to her performance in Focus Features’ horror hit ‘Obsession,’ which has grossed more than $500 million worldwide, and she’s also set to appear in the upcoming ‘X-Men’ reboot as Rogue and in the film ‘The Waffle House Index.’
Abrams, for her part, arrives with plenty of her own momentum. The daughter of director J.J. Abrams released her third studio album, ‘Daughter from Hell,’ back in July, and she’s currently supporting it with her Look at My Life Tour.
Season 52 arrives with the show’s cast looking relatively stable compared to the larger turnover the show saw heading into Season 51. Chloe Fineman announced her departure from the show back in July after seven seasons, and writer and occasional performer Martin Herlihy also exited after five seasons, but no major additional cast shakeups have been confirmed so far.
With a fresh mix of first-time hosts, returning favorites, and a lineup of musical guests spanning K-pop, hardcore punk, and pop, ‘SNL’ is setting up Season 52 to feel both familiar and unpredictable right out of the gate. More hosts and musical guests are expected to be announced in the weeks ahead as the season continues rolling out.
‘SNL’ Season 52 premieres Saturday, September 26, at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.
Which ‘SNL’ Season 52 pairing are you most excited to watch?
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