Ayo Edebiri Inspires Saturday Night Live Cast With Jennifer Lopez

Ayo Edebiri is trying to inspire the Saturday Night Live cast in the newest promo for this week's show. The Bear star encounters all the SNL mainstays like Mikey Day and Ego Nwodim deep in a rut. They've been producing shows a ton already in this new year. Nwodim herself wonders, "Maybe we call Lorne [Michaels] and tell him we all got hit by a car?" It's a silly bit. But, it offers the perfect opportunity for Edebiri to swoop in and deliver some much-needed inspiration for everyone involved. Edebiri offers the thought that this Satrday could be special. She said, "What's this I'm hearing? This show could be the greatest show of our lives!"

Well, who knows if it will get that far, but there is reason for enthusiasm. Jennifer Lopez joins the cast of Saturday Night Live as the musical guest this week. Add all of that into the fact that Edebiri has become one of the more talked about actresses in Hollywood in recent weeks, and you've got some real reason for enthusiasm. As with a lot of SNL episodes, this one might be helped by the fact that The Bear star is no stranger to comedy. She's written on shows like Big Mouth and offered her voice to that project. So, you could be in for one of the season's stronger entries when things kick off this weekend.

J.Lo Provides Some Definite Interest

The SNL cast seems to react most positively to news of Lopez's performance. Part of that is a bit. But, also a music legend gracing the stage usually moves the needle for NBC's long-running program. Lopez is promoting her new Amazon movie/album This Is Me…Now: A Love Story. The trailer for that project sent all of social media reeling. 

Prime Video has a synopsis for the movie: "This Is Me…Now: A Love Story is like nothing you've ever seen from Jennifer Lopez. Alongside director Dave Meyers, Jennifer has created a narrative-driven cinematic odyssey, steeped in mythological storytelling and personal healing. Dropping in tandem with her first studio album in a decade, this genre-bending Amazon original showcases her journey to love through her own eyes. With fantastical costumes, breathtaking choreography, and star-studded cameos, this panorama is an introspective retrospective of Jennifer's resilient heart."

Who is in the Saturday Night Live cast?

Cast members for Saturday Night Live season 49 include almost the entire cast from season 48 of SNL. Returning stars include Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang. Featured players that are part of the cast include returning stars Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker, plus the show's only fully new cast member for the year, newcomer Chloe Troast. The comedy troupe Please Don't Destroy, made up of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy, are also a recurring part of the series. 

New Saturday Night Live Hosts

With the SAG-AFTRA Strike still without a resolution, Saturday Night Live is unable to tap actors to host new episodes since previously they would only appear on the series to promote some new work (prohibited by the rules of the SAG-AFTRA strike). As a result comedians and musicians have been the only hosts confirmed for Saturday Night Live season 49 with Pete Davidson, Bad Bunny, and Nate Bargatze taking the spotlight for the first three episodes.

Saturday Night Live Season 49 is ongoing now with new episodes airing on both NBC and Peacock, starting Saturdays at 11:30 PM ET. All 48  seasons of Saturday Night Live are also now streaming on Peacock.    

You excited for SNL? Let us know down in the comments!