Following the confirmation of Saturday Night Live Season 47 earlier this month, it was confirmed that both Beck Bennett and Lauren Holt would be leaving the show. Luckily, fans still have a lot to look forward to as a number of cast members, including Bowen Yang, prepare to return to the NBC comedy sketch series.
Created by Lorne Michaels in 1975, the long-running show, which has nabbed an impressive 86 Primetime Emmy Awards, is set to debut its latest set of episodes this weekend.
Keep reading to find out what you can expect this season.
When is the Release Date of ‘Saturday Night Live’ Season 47?
On Monday, September 27, People magazine revealed that Saturday Night Live season 47 is set to premiere on NBC this Saturday, October 2, with Owen Wilson acting as host and Kacey Musgraves serving as the night’s musical guest.
The outlet also confirmed that while Bennet and Holt have left the NBC series ahead of season 47, Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson, Sarah Sherman, Punkie Johnson, and Andrew Dismukes have been confirmed as the official featured cast members of the 2021-2022 season.
Who is in the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’ Season 47?
As People magazine shared, the ensemble cast of Saturday Night Live season 47 consists of Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Cecily Strong, and Kenan Thompson.
Meanwhile, Melissa Villaseñor, Chloe Fineman, and Bowen Yang have been promoted to repertory cast status for the new season.
Holt had joined the Saturday Night Live cast in 2020 while Bennett was part of the show for much longer, having been added in 2013.
Who is Hosting SNL during Season 47?
While only time will tell which celebrities will serve as featured guests on Saturday Night Live season 47, a number of the show’s main attractions have been announced in advance, including the lineup for the upcoming month of October.
According to People magazine, Kim Kardashian West will host on October 9 with Halsey as her performer. Then, the following week, on October 16, Rami Malek will host as Young Thug performs, and the next week after that, SNL alum Jason Sudeikis will return to the show as host as Brandi Carlile performs.
Filming SNL During COVID Brought Challenges
Earlier this month, amid the series’ latest Emmy win, Michaels spoke about having to film in the midst of a pandemic.
“We began our last season with six live election shows in a Covid bubble with everyone wearing masks and a small audience of exhausted first responders. No better way to do comedy. Jim Carrey was Biden, Maya Rudolp was Kamala, Alec Baldwin was Trump and Kate McKinnon was mostly everyone else," he recalled, via Deadline. "Fatigue soon turned to exhilaration and we got to work. The cast, the crew, the writers and the entire production team all rose to the occasion and that show won this Emmy."
Saturday Night Live season 47 premieres on Saturday, October 2, at 11:30 p.m. EST on NBC.
