“Saturday Night Live” has announced its final trio of hosts for 2024.
“Gladiator 11” star Paul Mescal will host the Dec. 7 episode with musical guest Shaboozey, while former “SNL” cast members Chris Rock and Martin Short will return to host the Dec. 14 and Dec. 21 episodes, respectively.
Rock’s episode will feature Gracie Abrams as the musical guest and Short’s episode will feature musical guest Hozier.
The December episodes will close out the first half of the legendary sketch comedy show’s 50th season, which premiered Sept. 28 with host Jean Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll.
The show has continued to feature more A-lists hosts and musicians during its landmark season, including:
- Oct. 5: Nate Bargatze, who hosted with musical guest Coldplay.
- Oct. 12: Ariana Grande, who hosted with musical guest Stevie Nicks.
- Oct. 19: Michael Keaton, who hosted with musical guest Billie Eilish.
- Nov. 2: John Mulaney, who hosted with musical guest Chappell Roan.
- Nov. 9: Bill Burr, who hosted with musical guest Mk.gee
- Nov. 14: Charli XCX, who both hosted and performed as musical guest
In an unofficial “SNL” tradition, Season 50 ushered in several cast changes for the show, which debuted on Oct. 11, 1975.
Former “SNL” cast member Maya Rudolph revived her zany Vice President Kamala Harris impression to coincide with the 2024 presidential election.
Rudolph, a cast member from 2000 to 2007, also hosted the show’s Mother’s Day episode last season.
Three of the show’s cast members — Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney and Chloe Troast — announced their exits from the show prior to the season’s start.
Meanwhile, “SNL” also added three new featured cast members for its milestone season: Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline.
Read on to learn more about the 50th season of “Saturday Night Live.”
Will Maya Rudolph play Kamala Harris?
Rudolph, a former “SNL” cast member donned the pants suits again to revive her impression of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president, ahead of the 2024 presidential election in November.
Rudolph portrayed Harris for the first time in a cold open when she showed up on the Dec. 21, 2019 episode hosted by Eddie Murphy. Rudolph won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2020 for her appearance.
Rudolph has revived her Harris impression several times prior to the 2024 election, including during a March 2021 episode she hosted that earned her another Guest Actress In a Comedy Series Emmy.
Who are the new cast members?
The show’s new cast members in Season 50 are Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline.
Padilla, from the San Francisco Bay Area, has been a member of the famed Groundlings Main Company improv and sketch comedy troupe since 2021, according to an “SNL” press release.
Wakim, a Lebanese-American stand-up comedian, actor and writer, was selected as a New Face of Comedy at the 2022 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. He’s also performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Wickline, who lives in Los Angeles, was a cast member on TikTok’s live show “Stapleview,” and performs sketch comedy on tour.
Which cast members didn’t return for Season 50?
Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney and Chloe Troast all announced their exits from “SNL” prior to the start of Season 50.
Johnson, who had been a cast member for four seasons, announced during a stand-up comedy performance in Brooklyn in July that she would not be returning to “SNL.”
A day later, Kearney, the show’s first nonbinary cast member who joined the cast in 2022, announced her exit on Instagram.
Earlier this month, Troast, who joined the show last year, announced on Instagram that she “was not asked back” for Season 50.
Will there be a special 50th anniversary celebration for ‘SNL’?
“SNL” will officially celebrate its 50th anniversary with a live primetime special on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.
In February 2015, “SNL” celebrated its 40th anniversary in a blowout primetime special featuring some of the show’s most beloved cast members over the years, including Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Bill Hader, Molly Shannon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Dan Aykroyd, Kate McKinnon, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Norm Macdonald, Kenan Thompson, Jimmy Fallon and dozens more.
Cast member Mikey Day revealed during a June 2023 visit to TODAY that Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator and producer, had already begun planning for the show’s 50th anniversary celebration.