‘SNL’ Season 44 Premiere: Adam Driver to Host With Kanye West Performing

Saturday Night Live will kick off its 44th season with two familiar faces: Star Wars actor Adam Driver will host and Kanye West is slated to perform.

Driver was previously on SNL during season 41, appearing in the Jan. 16, 2016 episode just a month after Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit the big screen. This time, Driver’s appearance on the long-running NBC sketch comedy series comes after he starred in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman.

The actor’s other recent credits include Logan Lucky, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Meyerowitz Stories (New And Selected). Before joining the Star Wars franchise, he was best known for starring on Girls as Adam, a role that earned him three Emmy nominations.

Driver’s SNL episode from 2016 included several memorable sketches, including a pre-filmed Undercover Boss sketch where Kylo Ren went undercover at Starkiller Base.

As for West, he was also a featured performer during season 41, appearing in Melissa McCarthy’s Feb. 13 episode. This will be West’s seventh time performing on the show.

Earlier this year, West released his eighth solo album, Ye. He also released Kids See Ghosts, a collaborative album with Kid Cudi.

Earlier this month, West said a sequel to Watch The Throne is on its way. The album would be a follow-up to his first album with Jay-Z, which topped the Billboard charts in 2011 and included the hits “H*A*M,” “Otis” and “N– In Paris.”

The upcoming season of SNL will feature very little changes to the cast. Luke Null is leaving, but Chris Redd and Heidi Gardner are both expected to be back. The rest of the cast includes Beck Bennett, Bryant, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Colin Jost, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, Mikey Day, Melissa Villasenor and Alex Moffat.

Jost and Che, who anchor “Weekend Update,” are hosting the Emmys on NBC Monday at 8 p.m. ET.

Bryant, Jones and McKinnon were also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Alec Baldwin and Thompson were nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor. SNL itself was nominated for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.

Saturday Night Live kicks off its new season on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 11:30 p.m. ET.

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