The winter break is here, and that’s not a surprise to many people. Saturday Night Live is off the air for the rest of 2025, but it will return very soon. The return date is set, along with the host and musical guest.
There is a lot to look forward to as 2026 begins. However, we do have to start this on a sad note. Saturday Night Live will be without one of its biggest stars when it returns, as Bowen Yang has chosen to leave in the middle of the season. The Saturday, Dec. 20 episode was his last.
But now we look forward, as cast changes happen all the time. Saturday Night Live will be back in January.
When will Saturday Night Live return in January 2026?
In some good news, the winter break isn’t too long. It’s a little longer than some of the late-night shows, but it’s shorter than a lot of primetime breaks. Saturday Night Live will return on Saturday, Jan. 17.
As usual, it will air at 11:30/10:30c on NBC. And yes, you will be able to catch up on Peacock the following day if you can’t stay up to watch it.
This break is standard. The weeks of Christmas and New Year are traditionally skipped, and then we start to look forward to the return in mid-January. Again, it’s a shorter break than most primetime shows, with the likes of CBS holding their primetime scripted shows until February!
Who will host SNL season 51’s winter premiere?
Saturday Night Live season 51 episode 10 will be hosted by Finn Wolfhard, who most people will know from Stranger Things. This isn’t surprising considering Stranger Things will have officially come ot an end by the time the episode airs. The final episode will air on New Year’s Eve, marking the end of an epic journey.
This is Wolfhard’s hosting debut, but he does have a connection to the show. He starred in Saturday Night from Jason Reitman, telling the story of the first night SNL ran on Oct. 11, 1975. He also has a dream of recreating the Underground Rock Festival sketch that Nasim Pedrad and Jason Sudekis performed, according to Deadline.
Who is the musical guest on SNL season 51 episode 10?
The winter premiere will also see A$AP Rocky perform. Now, this is the first time A$AP Rocky has performed as the musical guest on the series, but it is not the first time he has appeared.
Back in 2018, he made a cameo in the episode Donald Glover hosted. Now he is here to perform his new album, marking an exciting return for SNL.
Saturday Night Live returns on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 11:30/10:30c on NBC.