Catch up on the essentials
- NBC’s Saturday Night Live unveiled the hosts and musical guests for the first four episodes of its 52nd season on Wednesday, with KATSEYE booked as the musical guest for the Sept. 26 debut episode.
- Dakota Johnson returns for her third SNL hosting stint on Oct. 3, paired with first-time musical guest Turnstile.
- On the same day, the year-old British spinoff Saturday Night Live U.K. announced its lineup for the first three episodes of its second season.
Selected from this article · 2026-09-09
Read on for the full pictureSaturday Night Live sets its Season 52 premiere lineup
NBC’s Saturday Night Live unveiled the hosts and musical guests for the first four episodes of its 52nd season on Wednesday, with KATSEYE booked as the musical guest for the Sept. 26 debut episode. The episode marks the K-pop group’s first appearance in Studio 8H, while the date also marks a first for host Jalen Brunson, the 2026 NBA Finals MVP and New York Knicks point guard. Billboard noted it was unclear at press time whether KATSEYE members Manon and Sophia, reported to be on hiatus, would perform alongside Lara, Megan, Daniela and Yoonchae.
Dakota Johnson and Shane Gillis take subsequent hosting turns
Dakota Johnson returns for her third SNL hosting stint on Oct. 3, paired with first-time musical guest Turnstile. On Oct. 10, comedian Shane Gillis hosts for the third time, with Rosalía returning to the show as musical guest after her last appearance in March 2022. After a two-week break, SNL comes back for a Halloween episode on Oct. 31 hosted by first-timer Inde Navarrette, with Gracie Abrams returning for her second musical guest slot.
‘SNL U.K.’ confirms opening trio of hosts and musical guests
On the same day, the year-old British spinoff Saturday Night Live U.K. announced its lineup for the first three episodes of its second season. The series, executive produced by SNL creator Lorne Michaels with James Longman as lead producer, premieres Sept. 12 with Jeff Goldblum hosting and CMAT as musical guest. Jamie Demetriou hosts Sept. 19 with rock duo Royal Blood, followed by Amelia Dimoldenberg and U.K. singer Rachel Chinouriri on Sept. 26. All 11 cast members from the inaugural season return, with Freddie Meredith joining the lineup.
Season 51 recognition and production credits
SNL’s 51st season received 11 Emmy nominations, extending the show’s record as the most Emmy-nominated program in television history with 360 nominations and 114 wins. The series airs on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET and streams live on Peacock. Sinead Oldnall has been named director of on-screen talent for the U.K. version, with Laura Claxton promoted to co-head writer and Heather MacVean signing on as costume designer.
Follow-up signals
The next verifiable milestone is the Sept. 12 premiere of SNL U.K. Season 2, followed by NBC’s Season 52 debut on Sept. 26 with the Brunson-KATSEYE episode.
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