Who's hosting Saturday Night Live tonight, February 24?
By Matt Moore
Saturday Night Live ends its brief hiatus tonight with a brand new episode. Tonight's host is a first-timer, but that doesn't mean he isn't without some SNL history.
SNL hasn't been on the air with a new episode since Feb. 3. It ended a three-weeks stretch of largely uneven episodes as season 49 turns the corner for the second half.
Tonight, SNL is back with a brand new episode hosted by Shane Gillis. The popular stand-up comedian makes his Saturday Night Live debut years after his infamous scandal that saw him dropped from the cast.
Gillis was added to the SNL cast as a featured player in 2019. He joined the cast alongside current stars Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman.
But Gillis' controversial comments made on a podcast came to light immediately after the announcement. His use of racial slurs along with other attempts at edgy comments led Lorne Michaels and SNL to fire him just days later.
Since then, Gillis has become one of the more successful stand-up comedians working today. His podcast appearances have also raised his profile. Apparently, enough time has passed that Saturday Night Live isn't worried about any blowback for inviting him to Studio 8H.
It will be interesting to see how exactly Gillis and SNL handle the elephant in the room. The obvious solution is to make light of the situation during the monologue and keep it brief. It's unlikely that Gillis or SNL want to dwell on the controversy. Instead, moving things forward will keep the focus on the comedy.
Saturday Night Live airs tonight, February 24, at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The show is also available on Peacock.