Saturday Night Live returns this week with Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa hosting the fifth episode on 18 November in the return season of the show after a long hiatus due to the writer’s strike.
Musical guest Tate McRae, a rising Canadian pop singer-songwriter, will join Mr Momoa.
The show has been under fire after last week’s “distasteful” sketch, where actor Timothee Chalamet made a Hamas joke amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Mr Chalamet’s skit joked that his character was in a band called Hamas, which received backlash on social media, calling it “out of touch and disrespectful.”
Other sketches were more well received, such as the actor portraying Australian pop icon Troye Sivan, but writers may hope this week to rectify the bad taste left after last week’s episode.
The sketch show, which has been running for almost five decades, returned on 14 October with past cast member Pete Davidson hosting the show, with music from rapper Ice Spice.
After finishing in April this year, the show has returned to our screens for its 49th season after pausing production for the Writer’s Guild of America strike, which ended on 27 September after reaching a tentative deal for job security with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Alongside Mr Chalamet, singer Bad Bunny, who also provided a musical performance, and comedian Nate Bargatze also hosted previous episodes this season.
The cast is the same as the last season, with the exception of one new actor, rising star Chloe Troast.
Here is everything you need to know about the next episode of SNL:
Who’s hosting this week?
Jason Momoa last appeared on SNL five years ago, where he most memorably reprised his role as Khal Drogo, the chieftain of the Dothraki, from popular TV show Game of Thrones.
This time, Mr Momoa will host the show to promote Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which will mark the final installment in the DC comic Extended Universe before a new DC interconnected franchise launches.
Jason Momoa previously appeared on SNL in 2018 reprising his Game of Thrones role Khal Drogo— (YouTube/Saturday Night Live)
Mr Momoa is set to return to the lead role of Aquaman in the upcoming movie, which will debut in cinemas on 22 December in the US and 20 December in the UK.
Cast member Chloe Fineman was particularly ecstatic about Aquaman being in the studio.
“So cool, standing next to Aquaman,” she said in a promotional video for the episode.
“Well, Chloe, the human body is 60 per cent water, so in a way, we’re all Aquaman,” the Hawaiin actor replied.
“Okay, brawn and brains, I like it,” Ms Fineman exclaimed before Mr Momoa started listing random general knowledge facts to prove his intelligence.
He ends with, “Chocolate milk comes from brown cows,” in a confidently calm tone, to which Ms McRae replies, “That can’t be right.”
The upcoming host was also seen in another comedy skit, forgetting one crucial personal belonging when he turned up to rehearse for the SNL episode in everything but his pants.
In the video, Mr Momoa can be seen overwhelmed with excitement when he walks into studio 8H until cast member Ego Nwodim breaks his daydream.
Jason Momoa forgets his pants as he frolics into the SNL studio— (X/Saturday Night Live)
“We love you, but you just can’t be wearing your underwear,” says Ms Nwodim, with the camera panning back to reveal Mr Momoa’s bare legs with pixelation below his waste. “This is a workplace.”
“I’m sorry. When I get excited, I forget my pants,” he replies apologetically but refuses to put his trousers back on as he carries on frolicking around the set.
Mr Momoa’s most recent project saw him enter into the Fast and Furious franchise with the role of villain Dante Reyes in Fast X.
Who’s performing this week?
Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae will perform on this week’s episode.
At only 20 years old, the singer has already had a successful career after gaining prominence on the American TV competition So You Think You Can Dance? and uploading original songs on YouTube.
Ms MsRae released her first album, ‘i used to think i could fly’ in 2022 and has just debuted her most recent single, ‘exes,’ on Friday.
What time does SNL air?
SNL airs at 11.30pm ET (10.30pm CT, 9.30pm MT and 8.30pm PT) on Saturday nights.
How can I watch?
The sketch show is available in the UK on Sky, on the Sky Comedy channel at 9pm on Sunday evenings.
In the US, the live show will air on NBC each Saturday.
The show can be caught up on NBC’s streaming service Peacock the next day.
Highlights and sketches from the show will appear on the SNL YouTube Channel.
