Jean Smart struggles to say a word Saturday night livepromo for the season 50 premiere, competing with nostalgic flashbacks from the series' early seasons.
“50 years of presenters, 50 years of laughter, 50 years of memories,” he said Tricks star — who will host the season premiere this Saturday — says in the promo. His words are interspersed with clips from the show’s early seasons, featuring stars like Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin and more.
As the trailer continues, Smart says, “Are you really going to show a clip from every season to interrupt me?” Her sentences then become more fragmented as further flashbacks cut her off mid-sentence and mid-word.
“Can we talk a little more about me?” he jokes.
Smart will be joined by musical guest Jelly Roll, both making their show debuts. On October 5, comedian Nate Bargatze will take his second turn as host, with musical guest Coldplay.
Ariana Grande and Stevie Nicks will follow on October 12, and Michael Keaton and Billie Eilish on October 19. John Mulaney will then host on November 2 with musical guest Chappell Roan.
In addition to its regular Saturday episodes, which air at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC, SNL will celebrate half a century on the air with a primetime special in February 2025.
Three new lead actors (Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline) will join the returning cast members for season 50. Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker move up to the main cast after serving as lead actors last season, while Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney and Chloe Troast departed between seasons.