'SNL': Idris Elba, Khalid Set for March 9 Episode

NBC has announced that Idris Elba will host Saturday Night Live on March 9, with musical guest [...]

By Michael Hein

NBC has announced that Idris Elba will host Saturday Night Live on March 9, with musical guest Khalid.

SNL is keeping the hits coming with its next round of celebrity guests. On Wednesday, the show's official Twitter account announced that Elba will be hosting in three weeks, with Khalid as musical support.

This will be Elba's first time hosting the acclaimed sketch comedy show. The actor is a huge international star, so there is no doubt fans will be happy to see him on that familiar stage.

In all likelihood, Elba is taking the gig to help promote his upcoming movie, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Elba is joining the franchise as the antagonist for a spin-off, which focuses on the characters Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham).

In addition, Elba will has a new TV series debuting later that week on Netflix in the U.K. Turn Up Charlie follows a struggling D.J. (Elba) who takes a job as his best friend's nanny to make ends meet.

Beyond that, Elba has the blend of star power and stage presence that makes him perfect for SNL. The actor is great on social media, where he keeps things real with his fans, and he is frank and humble in interviews.

Meanwhile, Khalid is a rising star in the R&B world who will also be appearing on SNL for the first time. The singer-songwriter is just 21 years old, yet he already has many awards and nominations — including five nods at the Grammys — to his name.

Elba and Khalid's episode will follow the March 2 show, hosted by John Mulaney with musical guest Thomas Rhett. Mulaney spent a long time as a beloved writer on SNL, and has since hosted as his personal career takes off. The comedian has a lot of ongoing projects in the works, including Documentary Now! and Big Mouth on Netflix.

Mulaney hosted the show last April with musical guest Jack White. He has also made a few cameo appearances, including one where he played Stefon (Bill Hader)'s lawyer.

In the meantime, SNL is taking this upcoming weekend off. The show has been on a hot streak with two great shows in a row, one of which inspired an angry response from President Donald Trump. The president promised "retribution" against the satirical show after it mocked his press conference last week.

This will be SNL's second weekend off of the season.

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