Pete Davidson Surprises ‘SNL’ Cast by Popping Up to Host in First Promo for Show’s Return

Pete Davidson is hosting Saturday Night Live thanks to an apparent loophole, as seen in the NBC series’ first promo for the show’s return following the end of the writers strike.

Davidson is set to make his hosting debut during the season 49 premiere this coming Saturday, with Ice Spice as the musical guest. Davidson, who exited the show in May 2022 after eight seasons as a performer, had been scheduled to host SNL in May before those plans were put on hold due to the strike.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

• Ted Sarandos: SAG-AFTRA Talks Fell Apart After Proposal of Levy on Each Streaming Subscriber

• Don't Call 'Frasier' a Reboot, Say Creators: "This Is His Third Act"

• SAG-AFTRA Accuses Studios of "Bully Tactics" as Talks Suspended

In the video released Wednesday, Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman are seen chatting in Studio 8H while they catch up about the summer. After Yang shares that he watched the entire series run of Suits, the pair are surprised to notice Davidson behind them.

“My apartment’s under construction, so I’m just living here,” Davidson explains while munching from a bag of potato chips.

After Fineman tells the Dumb Money star that only cast or hosts are allowed in the studio, he’s willing to make the necessary adjustments. “Oh, OK, I’ll do that,” Davidson replies. “The host thing — I’ll host.”

SNL’s upcoming season premiere following the work stoppage comes after the recent returns of the broadcast late night programs, in addition to HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. Comedy Central’s The Daily Show is set to return Monday.

SAG-AFTRA has noted that, although the actors union continues to strike, there is no problem with SNL castmembers and hosts appearing on the sketch show, which is under the contract that covers talk shows and unscripted programming. SAG-AFTRA recently issued a statement about the SNL cast, saying they “are not in violation of SAG-AFTRA strike rules, and we support them in fulfilling their contractual obligations.”

Best of The Hollywood Reporter

• 32 Reality TV Couples Who Are Still Together

• Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century (So Far)

• 'Yellowstone' and the Sprawling Dutton Family Tree

Click here to read the full article.