Saturday Night Live Announces Ayo Edebiri's Debut

Saturday Night Live announced that Ayo Edebiri will be making her hosting debut next week. Joining the Emmy Award-winner will be Jennifer Lopez as musical guest. The Bear star is fresh off that Awards Season tour and building momentum as more and more people see the drama. On February 3, you can catch Edebiri and Lopez performing her new single on NBC. In the run up to the breakout performance on The Bear, Edebiri worked on Big Mouth, Sunnyside, The Rundown with Rob Thede and Dickinson. As her profile grew, more and more people became aware of her work. Along with all that, there was also a lot of stand-up comedy and tons of writing. 

Fans of the musical side of things will be elated to see Lopez perform new material from This Is Me… Now. That released is out February 16. A teaser for a visual film that will accompany the album set social media on fire last week. Amazon describes that wild time like this: "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."

AYO AND @JLO!!!
NEXT WEEK!!! pic.twitter.com/oBN2TvLkyN

— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) January 24, 2024

Ayo Edebiri's Previous Success On Big Mouth

When the decision was made to change Missy's voice actress on the Netflix smash-hit, a lot of fans wondered how the transition would go. A.V. Club talked to Edebiri about what she brings to the role. It turns out that identity plays a big factor in a show like Big Mouth.

"Not really. I think you get hired to bring yourself, your sensibilities, and your sense of humor to the room. And then my job as a writer is to go, 'Okay, I know who I am. What's your vision and how can I bring that to your [show]?' That's always been my favorite part of writing, that really cool collaborative process that you get to have by just being in a room with each other and making each other laugh," she told the outlet. "And I also think that feeling comes along with time because I've definitely been in positions where I'm so anxious."

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.    

Are you hyped for Ayo Edibri to host SNL? Let us know in the comments!