Saturday Night Live fans who would rather sleep, head out for the evening, or watch the show on their own schedule can use this recap as a quick guide to last night’s episode, now available to stream on Peacock.
Saturday Night Live Season 52 Premiere: 9/26/26
Host: Jalen Brunson
Musical Guest: Katseye
Cast Movements: New cast members Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter made their SNL debuts.
Celeb Cameos: Ramy Youssef was back at Studio 8H, reprising his role as his real-life friend Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the episode’s cold open.
Jalen Brunson used his first-ever SNL monologue to bring several of his New York Knicks teammates onstage, including Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart. The appearance celebrated the history-making Knicks while giving Brunson some familiar faces to play off.
Katseye appeared as themselves in a pre-recorded sketch poking fun at the group’s beginnings on the Netflix series Pop Star Academy: Katseye, the show that also introduced viewers to “Nicole Kidman” singer Adéla.
SNL Sketch of the Night: The Mamdani-Trump-Natalie Harp Cold Open
The SNL Cold Open: Following its lengthy summer break, Saturday Night Live returned with a politically charged cold open that took aim at several of the season’s biggest headlines. Ramy Youssef once again played Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose TikTok updates urging New Yorkers to shelter during a Nor’easter are disrupted by the arrival of President Trump, portrayed by James Austin Johnson.
The sketch reached peak absurdity when Ashley Padilla appeared as Trump aide Natalie Harp, adding another entry to her growing collection of wildly unhinged white-woman characters. Harp became a subject of summer headlines after Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff claimed Trump seemed more focused on “spending time with Natalie” than carrying out his presidential responsibilities. Reports also drew attention to Harp’s unusually close proximity to the President, including an image that appeared to show her running after his motorcade. SNL blended those details and rumors into a character who resembles a blonde take on Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette in the hit film Obsession. Navarrette is also scheduled to host SNL on October 31.
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SNL Sketch of the Night Runner Up: “Newton’s Cradle!”
Katseye also starred in a playful sendup of pop-star training groups, unexpected scientific rules, and perhaps even the laws of physics. Both new cast members appeared in the sketch, with Grace Reiter quickly proving herself to be a promising comedic match for SNL regulars and frequent scene partners Jane Wickline and Veronika Slowikowska. After this sketch, you may never look at a Newton’s Cradle the same way again.
How To Watch Saturday Night Live For Free:
You can find individual clips from last night’s SNL online, but viewers looking for the complete episode will want to watch through NBC’s official streaming service, Peacock.
Peacock offers two main subscription options: Premium, which includes advertisements, and ad-free Premium Plus. The monthly price is $12.99 for Peacock Premium and $19.99 for Premium Plus.
Annual memberships offer a small discount by providing 12 months of access for the cost of 10. The yearly plans are priced at $129.99 with ads and $199.99 without ads.
Subscribers can also sign up for Peacock Premium Plus through Prime Video, where a seven-day free trial is available. That trial is not offered when subscribing directly through Peacock.
When Does Saturday Night Live Come Back?
The next new episode of Saturday Night Live is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2026, with Dakota Johnson hosting and Turnstile serving as the musical guest.
Below is the full list of announced SNL hosts and musical guests for the 2026–2027 season: