“Saturday Night Live” keeps rolling through its fifth season this week, and tonight’s episode brings back Dakota Johnson for a third hosting turn, along with a rock band making its debut as musical guest. The show airs at 11:30 p.m. ET, with the full episode landing on Peacock Sunday morning.
Johnson first hosted “SNL” in 2015 to promote her breakout role in “Fifty Shades of Grey.” She returned nine years later to promote “Madame Web,” a less-breakout role that drew some attention anyway. Now she’s back again, this time to push “Verity,” another adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novels starring Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett.
Dakota Johnson’s Third Hosting Stint
Johnson’s return puts her over halfway to the “Five Timers Club” robe, a coveted honor for repeat hosts. The club rewards anyone who appears five times as host, and Johnson has now reached three. She’ll need two more to get the robe.
The promo material suggests she might poke fun at her past work. Last time she hosted, she brought back the Please Don’t Destroy crew for a roast battle sketch. Tonight, she could go back to “Madame Web” again. Or she might let Taylor Swift take a hit, since Johnson is set to star in Swift’s upcoming music video “Patient Zero,” a song from Swift’s “The Life of A Showgirl: The Encore” deluxe album.
Turnstile Makes Their Debut
Tonight’s musical guest is Turnstile, a rock band making their first appearance on the show. The group features lead singer Brendan Yates, bassist Franz Lyons, drummer Daniel Fang, and two guitarists, Pat McCrory and Meg Mills.
Turnstile formed in 2010, but they only started gaining real recognition in the 2020s. They picked up their first Grammy nominations in the rock and metal categories in 2023, and they won their first two Grammys in 2026. Tonight’s episode gives them two performances to celebrate those wins.
New Faces Join The Cast
The show has changed since last week’s premiere. Chloe Fineman and Martin Herlihy are out, and TikTok stars Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter have stepped in to fill the gaps. Both made their debut appearances in last week’s prerecorded “Dream Academy” sketch with Katseye and the “Young Rell’s Crew” with Jalen Brunson.
They still seem to be finding their footing on “SNL” before showing audiences their true talents.
What Time To Watch
“SNL” airs at the same time every week. Episodes begin at 11:30 p.m. ET, 10:30 p.m. CT, and 8:30 p.m. PT. NBC broadcasts the episode live, and Peacock streams it simultaneously. If you miss the live show, the full episode lands on Peacock Sunday morning.
If you don’t have a Peacock subscription, NBC uploads many clips of the show to YouTube. That gets you snippets, not the full episode.
Next Week’s Lineup
The third episode of Season 52 has another third-time host: Shane Gillis. Fans may remember Gillis was once fired from “SNL” after a video resurfaced in 2019 of the comedian using racial slurs. Since then, Gillis has become a successful comedian on his own.
This will be his third year hosting in a row. Rosalía will join Gillis as the musical guest, who has also performed on the show once before.
The Numbers Behind Tonight’s Episode
- Host: Dakota Johnson (third time)
- Musical guest: Turnstile (debut)
- Time: 11:30 p.m. ET, 10:30 p.m. CT, 8:30 p.m. PT
- Full episode: available on Peacock Sunday morning
- Next host: Shane Gillis (third time)
The lineup reads like a mix of old hands and fresh faces. Johnson brings her three-host record to the stage, while Turnstile brings their Grammy wins. Belo-Osagie and Reiter bring their TikTok followings.
Either way, it’s a full slate of talent for one night of comedy.
Catch it live tonight, or stream it on Peacock Sunday morning if you miss it.
See the video the story is built around at TVLine.
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