Is SNL New Tonight (October 3, 2026)? Host, Musical Guest, Episode Details
"Saturday Night Live" Season 52 is well into its groove after a successful episode featuring a New York City hero. In the premiere last week, New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson hosted the episode to continue the city's victory tour after he helped the team win the 2026 NBA championship. Meanwhile, Katseye joined the celebration as the musical guest.
"Saturday Night Live" is keeping the momentum going this week, with a band making their debut and a bona fide celebrity as the host. Keep reading for everything you need to know about the second episode of Season 52.
Is there a new episode of SNL tonight?
"Saturday Night Live" Season 52 continues tonight, though fans may still be getting used to the cast changes. Chloe Fineman and Martin Herlihy are out, and TikTok stars Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter have been called up to fill the gaps in the cast.
Reiter and Belo-Osagie made their debut appearances in last week's prerecorded "Dream Academy" sketch with Katseye and the "Young Rell's Crew" with Jalen Brunson. But they still seem to be finding their footing on "SNL" before showing audiences their true talents.
Who is hosting SNL tonight?
Dakota Johnson is returning for a third time to host this week's episode of "Saturday Night Live," putting her over halfway to nabbing the lucrative "Five Timers Club" robe. Johnson first hosted "SNL" in 2015 to promote her breakout role in "Fifty Shades of Grey," and she returned nine years later to promote her less-breakout role in "Madame Web."
This time, the "Materialists" star is promoting "Verity," another adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novels, which stars Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett. The "Persuasion" star is likely to bring up her friend Taylor Swift, since Johnson is set to star in the upcoming music video "Patient Zero," a song from Swift's "The Life of A Showgirl: The Encore" deluxe album.
Will Johnson top her roast battle sketch with the Please Don't Destroy crew? Or poke fun at "Madame Web" again? We'll find out tonight.
Who is the musical guest on SNL tonight?
"Saturday Night Live" switches from pop to rock this week with Turnstile making their debut as the musical guest. The group consists of lead singer Brendan Yates, bassist Franz Lyons, drummer Daniel Fang, and the band has two guitarists, Pat McCrory and Meg Mills.
Though the band formed in 2010, they've only started to gain real recognition in the 2020s. They obtained their first Grammy nominations in the rock and metal categories in 2023 and won their first two Grammys in 2026. Now, they celebrate their wins with two performances on "Saturday Night Live."
Who is the SNL host and musical guest next week?
The third episode of "Saturday Night Live" has another third-time host: Shane Gillis. Fans may remember Gillis was once fired from "Saturday Night Live" after a video resurfaced in 2019 of the comedian using racial slurs. Since Gillis became a successful comedian on his own, this will be the third year the "Tires" star has hosted in a row. Rosalía will join Gillis as the musical guest, who has also performed on the show once before.
What time does SNL start?
"SNL" airs episodes at the same time every week, so you can't miss it. The episode begins at 11:30 p.m. ET, 10:30 p.m. CT, and 8:30 p.m. PT. If you miss the live show, you can catch what you missed anytime on Peacock once it lands on the streaming platform.
Where can I watch SNL?
NBC will broadcast the episode tonight, and Peacock will also stream the episode live on the platform. On Sunday morning, Peacock uploads the full episode so you can stream it at your convenience. If you don't have a Peacock subscription, NBC also uploads many clips of the show to YouTube, though you won't get the full episode experience.