“Saturday Night Live ”announces season 50 hosts and musical guests: Jean Smart, Ariana Grande, Chappell Roan, more

The legendary sketch show returns on Sept. 28.

Saturday Night Live season 50 is already off to an entertaining start.

The legendary NBC sketch show announced its first five show dates, hosts, and musical guests ahead of the season premiere on Sept. 28, which will be hosted by Hacks star Jean Smart, making her SNL debut fresh off an Emmys win as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, alongside first-time musical guest Jelly Roll.

The full announced lineup includes:

Sept. 28 — Host Jean Smart with musical guest Jelly Roll

Oct. 5 – Host Nate Bargatze with musical guest Coldplay

Oct. 12 – Host Ariana Grande with musical guest Stevie Nicks

Oct. 19 – Host Michael Keaton with musical guest Billie Eilish

Nov. 2 – Host John Mulaney with musical guest Chappell Roan

Although the show's format remains familiar even 50 years in, there were some cast shake-ups heading into the new season. First, Punkie Johnson announced in August that she was leaving the cast after four seasons on the show. "I never grew up in sketch, I never went to a sketch school, I didn't really feel like I fit, like that was my zone," Johnson later explained of her departure. "That show is for a different type of person."

Next came news that two featured players would not remain on the season 50 cast. Molly Kearney, the show's first nonbinary cast member, announced they were leaving after joining in 2022, writing on Instagram, "That's a wrap on my time on SNL!" Then Chloe Troast announced that she "was not asked back to SNL," after joining the cast last year.

Featured players are typically either promoted to repertory status or let go after two years. The former is the case for Kearney and Troast's featured comrades Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker, who were all promoted to the main cast for season 50.

There will also be some brand new faces on the show as Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline join as new featured players.

Other cast members expected to return for season 50 are Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang, plus longtime "Weekend Update" anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost.

Maya Rudolph is heavily anticipated to reprise her Emmy-winning impression of Kamala Harris during the sitting VP's presidential run this election season.

Coinciding with the show's 50th season, Jason Reitman's SNL biographical movie, Saturday Night, premieres in Los Angeles, New York City, and Toronto on Friday, Sept. 27, followed by a limited release on Oct. 4, and opening wide on Oct. 11. 

SNL season 50 premieres Saturday, Sept. 28, at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.