Who are the SNL host and musical guest tonight, March 11th?
By Hector Cruz
Scarlett Johansson returns to host “SNL” for a fifth time tonight, joined by Lorde performing on the show for the first time.
Saturday Night Live has booked several first time hosts this season, but it is following the debut of Octavia Spencer last weekend with a relative pro, as Scarlett Johansson joins the five timers club tonight, an exclusive group that includes the likes of Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Goodman, Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck. The actress becomes just the fourth woman to be bestowed the honor, joining Tina Fey, Drew Barrymore and Candice Bergen. Johansson last presided over an episode of SNL in May 2015, after hosting gigs in January 2006, April 2007, and November 2010.
Joining her will be New Zealand musician Lorde making her performance debut. Her sophomore album, Melodrama, is set to be released in June. So far, she has released the singles “Green Light” and “Liability.” The singer starred alongside Johansson and SNL cast member Beck Bennett in a promo for tonight’s episode where Benett is reprimanded by Johansson for overusing the word “drop” to describe the women’s respective projects being released. In another ad, The Avengers actress fiercely trains for her hosting duties as Pete Davidson and Aidy Bryant look on.
Johansson will be on to promote the sci-fi film Ghost in the Shell, based on the manga of the same name, which hits theaters on March 31. Johansson’s casting in the lead role has been a source of controversy, leading to accusations of whitewashing after it was reported that CGI was originally used to alter Johansson’s appearance to make her look Asian, though the studio has denied the claim. Her next project is the dark comedy Rough Night, co-starring SNL‘s Kate McKinnon, revolving around a group of college friends who reunite 10 years later for a wild bachelorette weekend in Miami where things soon take a dark turn.
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Johnansson made headlines this week when it was revealed that she has officially filed for divorce from her estranged husband of less than three years, Frenchman Romain Dauriac, setting up what the tabloids are already deeming “an ugly custody battle” over their 2-year-old daughter, Rose.
SNL airs tonight at 11:30 p.m. on NBC.