Saturday Night Live will hit the ground running with Season 51, scheduled to premiere in October. The follow-up to an elaborate 50th anniversary celebration, the latest season is set to kick off on October 4 with Bad Bunny returning to host, accompanied by Doja Cat as musical guest. The fun continues the following weekend with Amy Poehler and Role Model, followed by Sabrina Carpenter‘s double duty takeover as both host and musical guest.
Carpenter made her SNL debut last year on an episode hosted by Jake Gyllenhaal. She performed her hit single “Espresso,” then mashed up “Nonsense” and “Feather” from her 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send. Since then, she’s released two more monster pop records, Short n’ Sweet and Man’s Best Friend.
In February, Carpenter opened the SNL50 anniversary special with a duet of “Homeward Bound” with Paul Simon. That same night, the pop star guest-starred in a sketch that brought back Marcello Hernandez’s viral character Domingo and introduced his two brothers: Pedro Pascal’s Ronaldo and Bad Bunny’s Santiago.
Bad Bunny last hosted SNL in October 2023, when he filled the double duty slot with performances of “Un Preview” and “Monaco.” He returned as musical guest in May 2025 with “NUEVAYoL” and “Perfumito Nuevo” with RaiNao from his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. With Bad Bunny as host, Doja Cat readies her SNL debut. Known for her standout television performances, it’s surprising to see the rapper and singer reach this particular milestone so far into her career, but it comes just in time for her latest album Vie, out Sept. 26.
Role Model will also make his performance debut on the Oct. 11 episode hosted by Poehler. His single “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” arrived earlier this year and has since become a career-defining record for the musician. Meanwhile, Poehler’s hosting slot is a grand homecoming. She last hosted in December 2015 with Tina Fey. Now, she’ll be helming the show solo for the first time in 15 years.
SNL lost a major slate of cast members in the lead-up to Season 51. Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker announced departures from the show in recent days. Maybe major pop stars and veteran comedians can fill the gap.
