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Live from New York, it’s Saturday night! Season 48 of Saturday Night Live premiered on Oct. 1, and show runner Lorne Michaels has yet to disappoint with his choice of show hosts and musical guests. This week, comedian Dave Chappelle is hosting the Nov. 12 episode, while rap duo Black Star is the musical guest, Dave, 49, has previously hosted the show twice before, in 2016 and 2020. This year will continue the tradition of Dave hosting after a U.S election (the 2022 Midterm Elections were just held on Tuesday). Dave’s return to SNL is causing controversy, since he made transphobic jokes in his 2021 Netflix special The Closer.
To kick off this season, Top Gun: Maverick actor Miles Teller, 35, hosted the Oct. 1 episode with Kendrick Lamar as the musical guest. “It’s really exciting. You’re working with the absolute best of the best, so you feel well taken care of, but it is, it’s a lot. It’s a whirlwind,” Miles told NBC4 ahead of his big debut.
This season of SNL comes after a handful of cast members announced their departures from the show. Cast members Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, and featured player Aristotle Athari exited after Season 47, along with Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson. Chris Redd also confirmed to PEOPLE that he was saying goodbye to the show on Sept. 20.
Learn more about the next Season 48 show below.
Dave Chappelle Is Hosting ‘SNL’ For The 3rd Time.
Saturday Night Live will welcome Dave as host for the third time. Dave first hosted the show on November 12, 2016, days after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election. Dave received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Comedy Series for his performance. Dave’s second hosting gig was on November 7, 2020, before Joe Biden was officially declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Ahead of his third hosting performance, SNL posted a promo video of Dave with Black Star.
Dave’s controversy with his Netflix special was thrust back into the spotlight after news of his hosting was announced. Saturday Night Live writers reportedly threatened to boycott Dave’s episode of the sketch show, according to Page Six. His camp denied there were any issues, telling TMZ they’d heard nothing of the sort. Dave has faced criticism from the LBGTQ community for making countless digs at trans people on stage and in his specials. He’s defended his remarks and mostly claims it’s all in good fun.
SNL previously released the names of the first three hosts when they revealed Miles Teller would help kick off the season, followed by Brendan Gleeson on Oct. 8 and then Megan Thee Stallion on Oct. 15. Jack Harlow and Amy Schumer hosted the two episodes that aired before Dave’s.
The Musical Guest For The Episode Is Black Star
Hip Hop duo Black Star, comprised of rappers Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli, are the musical guests for Dave’s episode of SNL. They formed in 1996 and released their first album in 1998. The duo just recently their second album, No Fear of Time, in May 2022. Black Star is expected to sing music from their sophomore album on SNL.
What Time Is ‘SNL’ On?
Saturday Night Live airs at 11:35 p.m. PST/EST and 9:30 p.m. MT on local NBC affiliates. The series can also be streamed live on the Peacock app.
‘SNL’ Cast Members This Season
Saturday Night Live has a number of new cast members joining the show this season, including Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker.
Michael Che and Colin Jost remain in their roles as “Weekend Update” hosts, which they took over in 2014 from Seth Meyers and Cecily Strong. Other returning cast members include Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, and Heidi Gardner. Rounding out the returning list is Sarah Sherman, Ego Nwodim, Chloe Fineman, Mikey Day, and Punkie Johnson.
As mentioned above, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, featured player Aristotle Athari, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Pete Davidson, and Chris Redd departed the show ahead of Season 48. Many of these cast members announced their exit in May with some not revealing the news until Sept. 1.
Chris announced the news of his exit from SNL on Sept. 20 with a statement to PEOPLE. “Being a part of SNL has been the experience of a lifetime. Five years ago, I walked into 30 Rock knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth,” Chris said. “Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever, I’m grateful to [creator] Lorne Michaels and to the entire SNL organization. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you all enough.”
