Saturday Night Live with host Adele: What to watch for

Saturday Night Live welcomes Adele to the show for her first turn as host

Saturday Night Live has had to think outside the box for the start of season 26 due to the unusual circumstances it finds itself in. The latest surprise comes as it taps singer Adele to host this week’s show.

SNL already surprised fans when it announced plans to return to Studio 8H with a live audience despite the ongoing pandemic. It made more headlines when Jim Carrey was brought on board to play former Vice President Joe Biden. Fans now know to expect anything in season 46.

Few people likely had Adele on their preseason list of potential hosts. The Grammy Award-winning artist was the musical guest back in 2008 and 2015 and reportedly has a new album coming soon. But it won’t be her singing that gets put in the spotlight this time around.

Joining Adele will be musical guest H.E.R., meaning there is a lot of talent coming to Saturday Night Live. Here’s what to watch for.

Adele’s acting skills will be put to the test on Saturday Night Live

Everyone knows that Adele is an incredible live performer when it comes to singing. Her live vocals are legendary and her television appearances are must-see events. But the question now is how will that translate to performing live comedy?

Adele doesn’t have any acting credits to her name beyond cameos or playing herself, so there isn’t much to go off of. However, late night fans are likely familiar with her appearance on “Carpool Karaoke” for The Late Late Show with James Corden. In that installment, she showed off a sense of humor that perhaps many fans were unaware of.

If the singer brings that same relaxed energy and fun-loving attitude, then there is no reason to think she won’t crush it as host. And considering that the current SNL cast is full of veterans, they’ll be sure to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

Is Saturday Night Live due for a cameo?

Other than Jim Carrey, Maya Rudolph, and Alec Baldwin, there has only been one cameo so far in season 46. Jason Momoa returned last week for a brief appearance in a sketch starring Beck Bennett. But with Carrey, Rudolph, and Baldwin expected to be major parts of this season, fans have yet to be surprised by a cameo.

It is understandably tricky to pull off right now. Studio 8H is under strict guidelines for who is coming in and out of the building. So asking someone to go through all that for a cameo could be a big ask. But cameos and surprise appearances have become such a large part of SNL in recent years.

Who could help change that and make a splash this week? How about Sacha Baron Cohen? Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm hit Amazon on Friday and a particular scene involving Rudy Giuliani has made headlines. Back in 2006 when Borat was released, Cohen appeared in character during the cold open.

Cohen was in Los Angeles for a Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance as Borat. So he could fly to New York and do something in studio or film a piece remotely. It’s a longshot but if SNL thinks now is the time to call in a cameo, they couldn’t do much better than Cohen.

What are your expectations for Adele on Saturday Night Live? Let us know in the comment section below.