Flashback of Joe Montana hosting SNL ahead of Season 48 premiere originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
It’s hard to imagine Saturday Night Live without some of the legendary cast members who said their farewells at the end of the 47th season, including the praised Pete Davidson. But one thing that won’t be changing is the fact that this season, like the past 47 seasons, will feature the best of the best when it comes to hosts and musical guests.
The hit late-night sketchy comedy show is, and has always been, one of the most beloved performances on television, and that’s mainly due to the niche and unique aspect of the show that includes a fresh guest and musical performer with each episode.
From actors like Paul Rudd and Natalie Portman to artists like Billie Eilish and Lizzo, the spectrum of creativity expands beyond comparison. Sometimes even a brave athlete will make his or her way on the star-studded stage to vanguard the 2-hour comedic exposé.
Let’s take a look at which courageous athletes have stood front-and-center to host SNL, as well as what this season is looking like in regards to the cast:
Which athletes have hosted Saturday Night Live?
There have been a total of 32 athletes who have fearlessly recited an SNL monologue and performed in a variety of sketches on the Studio 8H stage, with the most recent being professional football player J.J. Watt in Feb. 2020.
Here is the full list of athletes who have hosted Saturday Night Live:
1. Fran Tarkenton
Hosted: Jan. 29, 1977
Occupation: Former football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings
2. O.J. Simpson
Hosted: Feb. 25, 1978
Occupation: Former football running back for the San Francisco 49ers
Hosted: Nov. 3, 1979
Occupation: Former basketball center for the Boston Celtics
Hosted: Jan. 30, 1982
Occupation: Former football player, coach, sports commentator
5. Bob Uecker
Hosted: Oct. 13, 1984
Occupation: Former baseball player, current Milwaukee Brewers announcer
6. Alex Karras
Hosted: Feb. 2, 1985
Occupation: Former defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions
7. Mr. T and Hulk Hogan (co-hosts)
Hosted: March 30, 1985
Occupation: Former professional wrestlers
8. Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Hosted: May 17, 1986 (co-hosted with journalist Jimmy Breslin)
Occupation: Former boxer
9. Billy Martin
Hosted: May 24, 1986 (co-hosted with actress Anjelica Huston)
Occupation: Former New York Yankees manager
Hosted: January 24, 1987
Occupation: Former football players for the San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bears respectively
11. Carl Weathers
Hosted: Jan. 30, 1988
Occupation: Former professional football player, signed with Oakland Raiders
Hosted: May 13, 1989
Occupation: Former professional hockey player for the New York Rangers
Hosted: Nov. 11, 1989
Occupation: Former professional tennis player
*first female athlete to host SNL
Hosted: Sept. 28, 1991
Occupation: Former professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards
Hosted: Sept. 25, 1993 (hosted four times)
Occupation: Former professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets
16. Nancy Kerrigan
Hosted: March 12, 1994
Occupation: American Olympic figure skater
17. George Foreman
Hosted: Dec. 17, 1994
Occupation: Former professional boxer
Hosted: Feb. 18, 1995
Occupation: Former professional football player for the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys and 49ers
Hosted: March 18, 2000 (hosted five times)
Occupation: Former professional wrestler
Hosted: Dec. 1, 2001
Occupation: Former professional baseball player for the New York Yankees
21. Jonny Moseley
Hosted: March 2, 2002
Occupation: Olympic freestyle skier
22. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Hosted: April 13, 2002
Occupation: Former professional wrestler
23. Jeff Gordon
Hosted: Jan. 11, 2003
Occupation: Former professional NASCAR racer
24. Andy Roddick
Hosted: Nov. 8, 2003
Occupation: Former professional tennis champion
Hosted: April 16, 2005
Occupation: Professional football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
26. Lance Armstrong
Hosted: Oct. 29, 2005
Occupation: Former professional road racing cyclist
Hosted: March 24, 2007
Occupation: Former professional quarterback for the Denver Broncos
Hosted: Sept. 29, 2007
Occupation: Professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers
Hosted: Sept. 13, 2008
Occupation: Olympic swimmer
30. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Hosted: March 7, 2009
Occupation: Former professional wrestler
31. Charles Barkley
Hosted: Jan. 9, 2010
Occupation: Former professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers
32. Charles Barkley
Hosted: Jan. 7, 2012
Occupation: Former professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers
Hosted: May 5, 2012
Occupation: Former professional football player for the New York Giants
34. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Hosted: March 28, 2015
Occupation: Former professional wrestler
35. Ronda Rousey
Hosted: Jan. 23, 2016
Occupation: Professional wrestler
Hosted: Dec. 10, 2016
Occupation: Former professional wrestler
37. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Hosted: May 20, 2017
Occupation: Former professional wrestler
38. Charles Barkley
Hosted: March 3, 2018
Occupation: Former professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers
Hosted: Feb. 1, 2020
Occupation: Professional football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals
When is SNL back?
Saturday Night Live will air live on NBC at 11:29 p.m. ET starting Saturday, Oct. 1 for its 48th season.
Who will be the first host of SNL’s 48th season?
“Top Gun: Maverick” star Miles Teller will be hosting the first episode of Saturday Night Live’s 48th season.
This will be the debut of the 35-year-old actor as a host of the show.
Who will be the first musical guest of SNL’s 48th season?
Critically-acclaimed rapper and four-time Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar will be the musical guest of the first episode of SNL’s 48th season.
This will be Lamar’s fifth performance on the late-night sketch show, previously appearing in 2013, twice in 2014 and 2018.
Why did cast members leave after the 47th season?
Saturday Night Live’s creator Lorne Michaels told the New York Times that season 48 will be “a year of reinvention.”
He claims the exodus of so many cherished cast members is paralleled to the pandemic, which set the tone for a situation “where no one could really leave, because there were no jobs.”
The cast crew over the many months were crippled by the pandemic and it “got to a point where we had a lot of people, and people weren’t getting enough playing time,” said Michaels.
But not to worry, the 77-year-old mind behind SNL assures all fans of the iconic sketch series that he has no plans to retire.
Which cast members left after the 47th season?
The first blow to the SNL posse came at the end of last season when members, including Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson, announced they will no longer play their roles in the cast.
The full list of cast members who existed include: Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney.
Early in September, SNL fans learned of three other well-liked cast members who decided they won’t be returning to the long-running sketch show’s stage. These cast members include Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor and Aristotle Athari.
Who are the new cast members joining for this season?
The show announced there will be four new members joining the Saturday Night Live squad this season, including Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker.
Hernandez is a Cuban/Dominican stand up comedian, writer and actor who has made a name for himself by opening up for comedians like Jim Breuer and Gilbert Gottfried. He has been doing stand up since he was 18 years old, beginning in 2016.
Kearney is an American actor and stand up comedian who recently starred in the 2022 Amazon Prime series “A League of Their Own.” They are the first out non-binary cast member of Saturday Night Live, identifying with they/them pronouns.
Longfellow is a stand up comedian from Phoenix, Ariz. who visits comedy festivals and clubs all over the world to perform his shows. He competed on a reality show called “Bring the Funny” and was featured as one of the eight comedians chosen for the Netflix special “Introducing…” hosted by Mo Amer.
Walker has been on SNL’s radar since 2017 when he was included in the 2017 Comedy Central “Up Next” showcase. Since then, he has been featured in a myriad of comedy festivals like Clusterfest, Moontower Comedy Festival and the Big Sky Comedy Festival.
