Saturday Night Live is finishing its record-setting season with a string of high-profile hosts and one very big first: After airing live on the East Coast for more than 40 years, the entire country will be able to watch the NBC series as it happens for the final four episodes.
“SNL — enjoying its most popular season in two decades — is part of the national conversation, and we thought it would be a great idea to broadcast to the West and Mountain time zones live at the same time it’s being seen in the East and Central time zones,” NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said Thursday in a statement. “That way, everyone is in on the joke at the same time. Kudos to Lorne Michaels, the producers and cast for making SNL one of the most relevant and anticipated shows in the zeitgeist.”
Related Stories
Each episode will air live at the following times:
11:30 p.m. Eastern
10:30 p.m. Central
9:30 p.m. Mountain
8:30 p.m. Pacific
The show is pulling out all the stops on the hosting front as well. The following foursome will emcee on these dates:
April 15 — Jimmy Fallon
May 6 — Chris Pine
May 13 — Melissa McCarthy
May 20 — Dwayne Johnson
All four of the season’s final hosts are internal favorites at SNL. As for McCarthy, it will mark her fifth time hosting yet will only be her latest appearance this season. She’s been popping up in one-off skits for the past few months as the volatile White House press secretary.
NBC has certainly been leaning into all the attention SNL has gotten for its unapologetically critical take on the Trump administration. Just two days ago, the network announced a fall run of primetime “Weekend Update” specials. Those rare one-offs previously had only taken place during election years.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
-
The Fien Print
‘Dear Edward’ Review: Apple TV+’s Series Starring Connie Britton and Taylor Schilling Is an Overstuffed Wallow in Misery
![]()
-
![]()
-
The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter Says ‘The Crown’ Is “Very Different” Now Than Her Seasons Were: “I Don’t Think They Should Carry On”
![]()
-
![]()
-
![]()
-
the legend of vox machina
‘The Legend of Vox Machina’ EPs on Season 2, Adapting an RPG for TV and Amazon as a Home for Animation
![]()
