Saturday Night Live opens its 52nd season on Sept. 26, and the lineup for the premiere is a reminder that the show has spent decades treating its first episode as a statement. Jalen Brunson hosts, KATSEYE performs, and the rest of the bill reaches back across half a century of pop history.
The SNL Season 52 premiere pairs Brunson, the New York Knicks’ All-Star point guard and 2026 NBA Finals MVP, with KATSEYE as musical guest. That combination joins a long list of names who have opened seasons since the show began in 1975. The show has booked big acts for its first episodes, and this year is no exception.
Brunson and KATSEYE
Brunson becomes the third basketball star to host a season-opener. Charles Barkley did it in 1993, and LeBron James followed in 2007. Brunson’s NBA Finals MVP win adds weight to a booking that already carried plenty of it.
KATSEYE arrives with six top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, led by “Gabriela,” which reached No. 21. The group received two Grammy nods this year: best new artist and best pop duo/group performance for “Gabriela.” Their booking makes KATSEYE the first all-female group to perform as a season-opening musical guest.
“Gabriela” reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The pairing is notable for the history it breaks. KATSEYE’s booking changes the shape of the show’s past.
A Long Line of First Episodes
SNL has been doing this since its very first broadcast. Legendary comedian George Carlin hosted the inaugural episode on Oct. 11, 1975, with two musical guests: Billy Preston and Janis Ian. That was the only time an SNL season opener featured two unrelated musical guests.
Preston performed “Nothing From Nothing,” a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1974, and his current single “Fancy Lady.” Ian performed her classic “At Seventeen,” a No. 3 hit, and “In the Winter.” Between the Lines, the album containing Ian’s songs, had topped the Billboard 200 in the issue dated Sept. 20.
Carlin delivered three monologues, including his classic “Baseball-Football” routine.
Steve Martin Leads the List
Steve Martin has hosted four season-openers, more than anyone else. Tom Hanks is second with two. Ye (formerly Kanye West) has been the musical guest on three season-openers, more than anyone else.
The Rolling Stones and Miley Cyrus are the only performers who were both host and musical guest on a season-opener.
Here’s how some of those early seasons looked:
- Season 2: Lily Tomlin hosted, with James Taylor performing “Shower the People,” “(I’m a) Road Runner” and the title track from Sweet Baby James.
- Season 3: Steve Martin hosted again, with Jackson Browne performing “Running on Empty” and “The Pretender.” The Pretender reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in December 1976; Running on Empty reached No. 3 in March 1978.
- Season 4: The Rolling Stones hosted themselves, performing “Beast of Burden,” “Respectable” and “Shattered” from Some Girls, a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 for two weeks in July. Band members also appeared in two sketches, including a parody of The Tomorrow Show with Dan Aykroyd as Tom Snyder interviewing Mick Jagger.
- Season 6: Elliott Gould hosted, with Kid Creole & the Coconuts performing “Mister Softee” and “There But for the Grace of God Go I.” The group had not yet cracked the Billboard 200 or the Hot 100.
- Season 7: There was no host for the premiere, though Rod Stewart performed “Young Turks,” which hit No. 5 on the Hot 100 in December, plus “She Won’t Dance With Me” and “Hot Legs,” with Tina Turner joining on that last track.
- Season 8: Chevy Chase hosted, with Queen performing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Under Pressure” (without David Bowie, who had teamed with them on the record). It was Queen’s final live performance in the U.S. with Freddie Mercury, who died nine years later.
What the Pattern Shows
The pattern is consistent. Producers treat the first episode as a statement, and they book accordingly. Big names, big numbers, big cultural moments.
The show has also used its premieres to mark generational shifts. The first season opened with Carlin and Preston, both veterans of the comedy circuit. The second brought James Taylor, a major pop presence. The third season saw Martin, then a rising comedian, host alongside Jackson Browne, whose albums were moving up the charts.
The show has also booked groups on the rise. Kid Creole & the Coconuts arrived before they cracked the charts. Blondie was the first act associated with the new wave scene to be booked as a season-opening musical guest.
A Decade of Musical Guests
The musical guests alone could fill a playlist of American pop history. Preston and Ian opened the door. Taylor and Browne carried the torch. Blondie introduced new wave. Kid Creole & the Coconuts were early.
KATSEYE continues that tradition. Brunson carries the basketball legacy. The show has booked big names for its first episodes, and this year is no exception.
The season opener is a statement. It sets the tone for everything that follows. And for one night, it belongs to Brunson and KATSEYE.
Source material: “Here’s the Host & Musical Guest for Every ‘Saturday Night Live’ Season Premiere,” Billboard.
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