‘SNL’ Returning to the Air Following Writers Strike
Long-running sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” will return Oct. 14 following a truncated last season due to the writers’ strike.
Former cast member Pete Davidson will host the Season 49 premiere, with Ice Spice as the musical guest. Davidson was scheduled to host the May 6 episode with musical guest Lil Uzi Vert before the strike shut down production, according to Associated Press.
The following week (Oct. 21), Bad Bunny will pull double duty as host and musical guest. The Grammy winner has been a musical guest on “SNL” before, but it will mark his hosting debut. The entire season 48 cast is slated to return, along with newcomer Chloe Troast.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), a union representing more than 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike May 2 over disputes with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The strike ended Sept. 27, allowing “SNL” and other talk shows, including “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” to return to production.
However, don’t expect actors to host SNL until the SAG-AFTRA strike, which ran concurrently with the WGA strike for several months, is resolved. The cast of “SNL,” many of whom are also in SAG-AFTRA, are allowed to work on the show under the Network Code Agreement.