Saturday Night Live returns for its 52nd season on September 26, 2026, featuring New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson as host and musical guest Katseye. NBC announced a reworked cast following the departures of Chloe Fineman and Martin Herlihy, alongside the addition of new featured players Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter.
The historic NBC sketch comedy series is shaking up its roster as it heads back to Studio 8H in midtown Manhattan at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. When the lights go up for the premiere at 11:30 ET/10:30C/8:30PT on NBC and Peacock, streaming next-day on Peacock, the veteran core of Studio 8H will welcome a pair of fresh faces while adjusting to life after several major cast departures.
NBA stars who have hosted 'Saturday Night Live
Cast turnover was also a factor ahead of season 51. Amid a wave of departures, creator Lorne Michaels told Entertainment Tonight in September 2025 that bringing in different generations of comedians is how it revives itself. It's always hard when people leave, but there's a time for that,
he told the outlet, adding: Change is good.
The sketch comedy institution enters Season 52 with two new featured players added to the roster alongside returning features Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska. Comedians Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter earned their spots following executive auditions during the summer casting search. Ten days before the premiere, the network announced that comedians Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter had joined SNL following the exits of star Chloe Fineman and writer Martin Herlihy.
See the Comedians Who Are Joining (and Leaving!) “Saturday
Belo-Osagie, a New York City native, celebrated her casting by writing A DREAM COME TRUE
on her Instagram Stories in a repost, adding: See you on Saturdays chile.
In September 2026, NBC announced on Instagram that Belo-Osagie had joined the SNL season 52 lineup after auditioning for the show’s executives during its summer casting search. Reiter is part of the new batch of talent joining the show.
Meanwhile, Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline, who joined as Featured Players in 2024, are back as Repertory Players for their third year, while all five new Season 51 Featured Players are returning as well. They join returning repertory players Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernández, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman, and Kenan Thompson, who have returned to Studio 8H.
Saturday Night Live Season 52 Cast for 2026-2027
The fresh talent arrives to fill the space left by notable exits. Chloe Fineman, who joined the “SNL” cast for season 45 in 2019, isn’t returning for season 52. She announced her exit via Instagram in July. After 7 wonderful seasons at SNL I have decided it’s time for my next chapter,
she wrote. It’s cliche to say this but working at SNL has been the greatest privilege of my life. I still can’t really believe I got to be a part of it. I fell in love with the place the second I walked through the door.
Fineman added that while it’s really hard to leave SNL,
it does feel like the right time.
She is set to star in the upcoming Netflix thriller series “Myron Bolitar” as well as the upcoming romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Wedding.
Martin Herlihy also exited the series in September after five seasons. With the exception of Fineman and Bowen Yang, the entire “SNL 51” cast is returning for season 52. Bowen Yang won’t be back for season 52 either, as he left “SNL” midway through season 51. His final episode aired in December 2025. During a June 2026 episode of Variety’s Actors on Actors
series, Yang revealed that he initially wanted to leave after season 50, but “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels persuaded him to stay a bit longer. It was the first time I felt someone who made so many things possible for me being like, ‘I need you,’
Yang explained. I’m like, ‘I’m not going to turn that down.’
After six-and-a-half seasons, Bowen Yang exited the show midway through.
Opening night brings a rare crossover as Jalen Brunson hosts the season premiere. Jalen Brunson, who led the New York Knicks to the 2026 NBA championship – the team’s first title since 1973 – and was named Finals MVP, will host the season opener of Saturday Night Live
on NBC Saturday, just before the Knicks open training camp and begin their quest for another title. Brunson will join Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and LeBron James as the only people with deep NBA connections to host SNL. Jordan, Barkley (in his first of four times hosting) and James were active players when they hosted, and Russell was between NBA coaching jobs when he hosted. Ahead of Brunson hosting the opener of the show’s 52nd season, the lineage of NBA stars hosting SNL includes Bill Russell on November 3, 1979. After a cold open in that season 5 episode, Russell delivered his monologue, a riff on the teamwork required to win in the NBA and the teamwork required to make a great episode of SNL – with a big man in the middle of it all necessary for both to excel. He appeared in several skits, including one with Bill Murray who played a sports radio talk-show host who knew nothing about basketball.
