When will the next episode of Saturday Night Live air, and who will be the host? The show, currently on its 47th season at NBC, is set to return for two weeks before taking its usual hiatus over the holidays. With Owen Wilson starring in this year's season premiere, other hosts for the season have included Jason Sudeikis, Jonathan Majors, and Rami Malek. Most recently, the show featured Marvel star, actor Simu Liu from the blockbuster hit Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The musical guests this year have also been top tier, with performances from Taylor Swift, Halsey, Ed Sheeran, and Brandi Carlile, among others.
Perhaps the most notable surprise of the season came from host Kim Kardashian West. The multi-hyphenate reality TV star, businesswoman, and law student had a great time making fun of herself and her family, while also managing to raise the show's ratings and ultimately pull off one of the better episodes of the year so far. Though more has been made about Kardashian West's new relationship with Pete Davidson than her unexpected hosting chops, her skewering, self-aware monologue deserves to go down in SNL history.
With all that fun, audiences may be wondering when SNL will return. Saturday Night Live will return on December 11th, with Billie Eilish pulling double duty as both host and musical guest. Billie Eilish's James Bond theme song was recently heard in the franchise's latest film, No Time To Die, and her second studio album, Happier Than Ever, was released this past July. The 19-year-old is already a seven-time Grammy award winner, with more nominations announced for 2022. In 2020, she won Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album, as well as Record and Song of the Year for her hit "Bad Guy." In 2021, she won Record of the Year again for "Everything I Wanted" and Best Song Written for Visual Media for "No Time To Die."
Though this will be Billie Eilish's first time hosting Saturday Night Live, it is her second time appearing as a musical guest. She previously performed on the show in 2019 for an episode hosted by Woody Harrelson. Billie Eilish's song "Bad Guy" featured a Fred Astaire-inspired optical illusion that involved a giant box rotating 360 degrees, effectively making it look like she was climbing the walls. Her memorable performance gives her a lot to live up to in her upcoming episode, and it should be fun to see if and how she tries to outdo herself.
On December 18, Paul Rudd is taking up hosting duties with musical guest Charli XCX. This duo will be tasked with closing out the show for 2021 before it goes on a short hiatus for the holidays. Following this break, Saturday Night Live is set to return in January 2022.