The SNL Season 52 premiere is officially in the books. Saturday Night Live returned to Studio 8H on Saturday night, September 26, 2026, with New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson making his hosting debut and global girl group KATSEYE stepping in as the season’s first musical guest.
The episode aired live at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and streamed on Peacock, kicking off the show’s 52nd season. Brunson is only the fifth professional basketball player to ever host SNL, and the first active NBA player to do it since LeBron James back in 2007. The Knicks guard earned the gig after one of the biggest summers of his life: he was named MVP of the 2026 NBA Finals after leading New York to its first championship in 53 years.
SNL Season 52 Premiere Cold Open: Trump and Mamdani
The season opened with a political cold open, as it often does. James Austin Johnson returned as President Donald Trump, this time paying a visit to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, played by guest star Ramy Yousef. Trump told Mamdani their bond was like “an unlikely animal friendship,” adding, “this could be us, but you playin’.” Ashley Padilla appeared as Trump’s assistant Natalie Harp, who promised to “end” Mamdani if he hurt Trump. In the end, Mamdani — desperate for federal funding for a housing project — agreed to follow Trump back on Instagram.
From there, Brunson took the stage for his monologue. He joked that the Knicks have a reputation as a last-quarter team, so viewers should expect the show to follow the same formula: a rough, nerve-wracking start followed by a strong finish. He then brought out some surprise guests — his Knicks teammates Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. Towns asked whether it was possible to “foul out” of SNL, while Anunoby reminded Brunson of a missed shot in Game 4 of the Finals. The teammates later closed out the night on stage with Brunson, the cast and KATSEYE, most of them wearing Knicks gear.
Best Sketches and Weekend Update Highlights
The rest of the SNL Season 52 premiere packed in a full lineup of new sketches. One standout parodied Shark Tank: a product called “Respectables,” glasses designed to stop men from staring at women’s chests by sounding an alarm whenever their eyes linger. Sarah Sherman played Lori Greiner, James Austin Johnson played Kevin O’Leary and Brunson took on Daymond John.
Other sketches included “Airport Massage Chairs,” where Mikey Day went full physical comedy as a passenger getting a little too into the complimentary terminal massage chairs, and “Men’s Support Group,” built around partners attending the Usher and Chris Brown tour. Brunson also led a High School Musical-style number as a singing basketball player, and KATSEYE popped up in a “Dream Academy Season Two” sketch that put the spotlight on new featured player Grace Reiter.
Weekend Update brought back Jeremy Culhane as Tucker Carlson, reviewing the summer’s biggest blockbusters at the desk. Jane Wickline, newly promoted to repertory player, appeared as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, nervously trying to calm everyone’s fears about artificial intelligence.
New SNL Season 52 Cast Members
The premiere also introduced two new featured players: comedian and filmmaker Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter, a sketch comic from American High. Reiter, born in 2001, is the first SNL cast member born in the 2000s. In addition, Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline were promoted to repertory status. For the full breakdown of the new lineup, see NBC’s official Season 52 cast list.
The changes follow the departure of longtime cast member Chloe Fineman after seven seasons, along with Martin Herlihy. Bowen Yang had already exited midway through last season. Season 51 wrapped on May 16 with Will Ferrell as host, and fans had a long summer to wonder what the new era would look like.
KATSEYE’s SNL Debut
As for the music, KATSEYE made their SNL debut as the season’s first musical guest. The Grammy-nominated global girl group, formed through a collaboration between HYBE and Geffen Records, released their third EP WILD on August 14 and are currently on their sold-out WILDWORLD tour. The group fits a growing wave of pop acts crossing into television — much like country stars Ella Langley and Tucker Wetmore, whose rumored romance has had music fans talking all month.
What’s Next for SNL Season 52
The next three episodes are already booked. Dakota Johnson, who recently starred alongside Colin Farrell in Taylor Swift’s viral “Patient Zero” teaser, will host on October 3 for her third time, with Turnstile as musical guest. Shane Gillis and Rosalía follow on October 10, and after a two-week break, Obsession breakout Inde Navarrette will host on October 31 with Gracie Abrams performing.
Sports stars keep finding second acts in entertainment — just look at how NFL legend John Madden became a pop-culture icon, a story Hollywood is now retelling with Nicolas Cage unrecognizable as Madden in the first trailer for the Amazon MGM biopic. Brunson’s easy charm and that all-Knicks finale gave the SNL Season 52 premiere exactly the hometown energy New York wanted.
Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and streams live on Peacock, with full episodes available on Peacock the next day. For a recap of every episode this season, see the Season 52 episode guide.