NEW YORK — Comedian Shane Gillis is back on the Studio 8H stage on Saturday night to host “Saturday Night Live” for the third time, joined by musical guest Rosalía.
The broadcast marks the third episode of the sketch comedy show’s 52nd season, Billboard reported. The episode airs live nationwide on NBC at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, though broadcasts in some regions can face scheduling delays tied to live college football coverage, according to the New York Post.
Gillis returns to Studio 8H
Gillis has built a notable history with the long-running NBC comedy franchise. The stand-up comic was originally hired as a cast member in 2019 before producers dismissed him days later when past recordings surfaced showing him using racial and homophobic slurs, as reported by the New York Post and TVLine.
Following his departure, Gillis created the independent sketch comedy web series “Gilly and Keeves” alongside fellow performer John McKeever, toured widely and produced stand-up specials, TVLine reported. The comedian eventually returned to host “Saturday Night Live” in 2024, the same month Netflix picked up his comedy series “Tires.”
Ahead of Saturday’s broadcast, promotional videos released by the network paired Gillis with current cast member Veronika Slowikowska, according to the New York Post. The appearance follows the launch of the third season of “Tires” on Netflix and arrives before the November streaming premiere of the Prime Video biopic “Madden,” directed by David O. Russell, in which Gillis portrays an original character, according to reports from TVLine and the New York Post.
Musical guest and viewing options
Spanish recording artist Rosalía appears as the musical performer for the broadcast, marking her third appearance on “Saturday Night Live” following an initial spot as musical guest in 2022, the New York Post reported.
In addition to standard television broadcasts on local NBC affiliate stations, the episode is available for live streaming on Peacock, Billboard reported. Cable-free viewers can access the broadcast through digital live television distributors that carry local NBC channels, including DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and Sling Blue, with several platforms offering short-term trial access to new accounts, according to Billboard and the New York Post. Full episodes also arrive on Peacock for on-demand streaming on Sunday mornings.
What comes next for Season 52
The current season of the variety show features two newly hired cast members, down from five additions brought on during the previous year, according to the New York Post.
Following Saturday’s broadcast, “Saturday Night Live” is scheduled to go on a two-week hiatus before returning with a live episode on Halloween, the New York Post reported. NBC has not yet officially announced the host and musical guest lineup for that late-October broadcast.
