New ‘SNL’ Not on Tonight, NBC Re-Airing John Mulaney’s Episode With The Strokes

If you were hoping to catch a new episode of Saturday Night Live tonight, you’re going to be out of luck. Instead of airing a new episode, the sketch comedy series will air the episode hosted by John Mulaney that premiered on Oct. 31. SNL has not yet revealed when they will be back to producing new episodes.

The Mulaney-fronted episode of SNL aired on Halloween and saw The Strokes as the musical guest. The episode marked the comedian’s fourth time as a host, following his time as one of the show’s writers. After working as a writer on SNL from 2008 to 2012, Mulaney hosted the show in April 2018, March 2019, February 2020, and, most recently, on Oct. 31, 2020. When it comes to The Strokes, they previously performed on SNL in January 2002, January 2006, and March 2011. They were initially due to perform on an episode set to air in April 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, their appearance was canceled and the show moved to an “at home” format for the remainder of the season.

The airing of Mulaney’s most recent SNL hosting stint will air days after it was reported that he entered rehab for substance abuse. According to Page Six, a source close to the comedian said that he had entered rehab for alcoholism and cocaine addiction. Mulaney frequently joked about his sobriety and his past with addiction in his stand-up comedy routines. He reportedly first became sober at 23. The 38-year-old is said to be seeking treatment at a rehab facility in Pennsylvania for a 60-day stint. The source shared that Mulaney’s struggle with addiction troubled him during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Mulaney also revealed in early December that he had taken a job as a staff writer on Seth Meyers’ late-night show for the sake of his mental health.) However, they did not share specific details regarding whether Mulaney relapsed.

“John’s friends and family are happy that he’s finally getting some help and focusing on his health,” the insider told Page Six. “His fans know he’s struggled in the past with sobriety; he has talked about it openly. Unfortunately, he has struggled again during the pandemic.” They added, “He’s on board with his recovery, he’s not fighting against rehab.” Mulaney’s representatives were reached for comment on this report, but they declined to comment.