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The week before, Jack Black returned to become a Five-Timer, with help from Tina Fey, Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Hill, Candice Bergen and Jack White, with McCarthy joining Black in the night’s off-the-rails 10 to 1 sketch, “Airbnb Super Host.”
And in the blink of an eye, we’re barreling toward the Season 51 finale. So when’s the next new Saturday Night Live episode?
We’ve got all the answers below.
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Is there a new SNL episode tonight, April 18?
No. As the cast, writers, and crew prepare for the final three-episode run to cap off Season 51, SNL will be taking a brief hiatus from new episodes.
Tonight, viewers will enjoy a repeat from earlier in the season: the December 13, 2025 Josh O’Connor/Lily Allen episode that introduced the world to the two “most sensitive male strippers in all the Catskills.”
However, brand-new episodes are just around the corner. It’s officially time to get excited, as there’s a double-duty episode in the works and two fan favorites are returning.
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When is the next new episode of Saturday Night Live?
SNL returns on May 2 in a big way. Singer songwrier Olivia Rodrigo is pulling double duty as the episode’s Host and Musical Guest; she’s the third double-duty host of the season after Sabrina Carpenter and Harry Styles. The 23-year-old was Musical Guest in Season 49, but May 2 will mark her first time hosting.
Rodrigo’s follow-up to Sour, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, is due June 12, 2026.
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From there, viewers will barely have time to catch their breath as Season 51 wraps up at a breakneck pace. The May 9 episode brings back fan-favorite Matt Damon as Host for the third time, with singer-songwriter Noah Kahan set to return as Musical guest.
After Damon and the cast say their goodbyes at the end of the May 9 episode, all attention will be on the Season 51 Finale just one week later, because it doesn’t get any bigger than who’s scheduled to host and perform!
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When is the SNL season finale and who is hosting?
Mark those calendars: SNL‘s Season 51 Finale is on May 16, 2026, with Will Ferrell as Host and Paul McCartney as the Musical Guest.
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It doesn’t get any more iconic than Ferrell returning home for the Season Finale. The star was a member of the cast from Seasons 21 through 27, and on May 9, he’ll make his first trip back to Studio 8H as a Host since Season 45.
McCartney has some serious history with SNL himself — the former Beatle made his first appearance as a Musical Guest in Season 5, and the Season Finale will be the legendary artist’s fifth time performing solo in Studio 8H.