NEW YORK — Fresh off its historic 50th season, Saturday Night Live is kicking off its 51st with three familiar faces at the helm. NBC announced Thursday that Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler and Sabrina Carpenter will host the first three episodes of the new season, continuing a run of high-profile returns to Studio 8H after a landmark celebration year. All three were prominently involved in SNL’s 50th-anniversary festivities, underscoring the show’s enduring pull for both music and comedy. Bad Bunny will lead off the run, hosting on Oct. 4, with Doja Cat set as the musical guest on that episode. The Puerto Rico–born superstar has been on a historic run of late, wrapping a residency abroad and contributing to the Season 50 homecoming concert and anniversary sketches, though he will not perform as the musical guest on his own night. This marks Bunny’s second time hosting SNL.
Amy Poehler, an alumna of the show, will take the stage for the Oct. 11 edition, with Role Model as the musical guest making his first appearance on the program. Poehler’s episode lands exactly 50 years to the day after SNL’s very first episode premiered on Oct. 11, 1975. It’s her second solo hosting gig and third time hosting overall. Poehler’s appearances during the anniversary celebrations included a memorable audience Q&A session with Tina Fey that highlighted the enduring link between former and current cast members.
Sabrina Carpenter completes the opening trio by serving as both host and musical guest on Oct. 18. It is Carpenter’s first time hosting and her second as a musical guest, and she was a fixture of the anniversary festivities as well, opening the show with a duet alongside Paul Simon and appearing in a sketch. The trio’s selections come as SNL looks to balance familiar faces with the new era it has begun to shape after a wave of departures.
Beyond the hosting lineup, the show’s broader transition has included notable cast changes. After several high-profile exits, SNL has added five new featured players to its stable for the new season, continuing a process of renewal that accompanies the return to a regular production rhythm for the long-running sketch series. The 50th season and its anniversary programming earned 12 Emmys, including recognition for the main telecast as an outstanding variety special. In accepting the award, executive producer Lorne Michaels noted the milestone with modest humor, saying he never dreamed of doing the show for another 50 years after winning his first Emmy in 1975. “I won this award for the first time 50 years ago, in 1975,” Michaels told colleagues after the win, reflecting on the journey from the program’s launch to its enduring cultural footprint.