Comedian Nate Bargatze will make his “SNL” host debut on Oct. 28.
Bargatze will be joined on the NBC sketch show by the Foo Fighters, who will take the “SNL” stage for the ninth time as they tour for their 11th album, “But Here We Are.” The Grammy Award-nominated comedian will stop at 30 Rock while performing on his nationwide “Be Funny” stand-up tour.
As Season 49’s third host so far, Bargatze will follow “SNL” alum Pete Davidson, who hosted the show’s first post-strike show on Oct. 14, as well as Bad Bunny, who will serve as both the host and musical guest for this Saturday’s episode (Oct. 21). Davidson was joined by musical guest Ice Spice, who was introduced by “Karma” collaborator Taylor Swift in a surprise appearance.
“SNL” made its triumphant return this weekend in its first episode since the onset of the writers’ strike in early May, and fans were certainly ready for its return as the Saturday night episode scored 4.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day figures, marking a 19% uptick from last season’s 2022 premiere.
The return also locked down a 0.96 demo rating among adults 18-49, up 31% when compared to demo viewership for the Season 48 premiere, securing its best season premiere demo performance since 2020.
Swift wasn’t the only surprise appearance on this weekend’s telecast, as her beau and NFL star Travis Kelce also appeared during the episode in a sketch parodying the craze surrounding recent NFL games, including Kelce’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, after Swift was spotted at a couple games.
Prior to the WGA strike that prompted the show to finish its season early, Kieran Culkin and Jennifer Coolidge were slated to host the two final “Saturday Night Live” episodes of the season, with the Foo Fighters set to serve as the musical guest for the May 20 season finale alongside “The White Lotus” star.
