'Saturday Night Live' Reveals First 3 Hosts, Guests of Season 44

Saturday Night Live returns for its forty-fourth season on Saturday, Sept. 29, and the [...]

By Hannah Barnes

Saturday Night Live returns for its forty-fourth season on Saturday, Sept. 29, and the long-running comedy show has announced its first three celebrity hosts and musical guests for the season.

Revealing the news on Twitter, SNL announced that its first episode of the season will be hosted by actor Adam Driver with musical guest Kanye West.

Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina will helm the Oct. 6 episode with musical guest Travis Scott, while SNL alum Seth Meyers will host the season's third episode with music by Paul Simon.

The previews for Driver's episode were released after the announcement, with the actor reflecting on his first stint as SNL host, which saw him perform an Aladdin-inspired sketch with Cecily Strong.

In the preview clip, cast member Kate McKinnon steps in, though things don't quite go to plan.

West's appearance will mark his seventh time as a musical guest on the show, with the rapper's new album, Yandhi, set to arrive on the same day.

Both Awkwafina and Scott will make their debuts on the show, while Meyers and Simon are old pros, Meyers having been a cast member from 2001-2014 and Simon set to make his 15th appearance as musical guest.

SNL has been on the rise over the past few seasons, with the show earning its highest ratings since the mid-'90s. During awards season this year, the series was nominated for 21 Emmy Awards, nabbing eight.

Season 44 will introduce new cast member Ego Nwodim, as well as four new writers.

The show recently made headlines after original cast member Chevy Chase criticized the show's recent humor and its creator and executive producer, Lorne Michaels.

"I'm amazed that Lorne has gone so low. I had to watch a little of it, and I just couldn't f—ing believe it," Chase told the Washington Post. "That means a whole generation of s—heads laughs at the worst f—ing humor in the world. You know what I mean? How could you dare give that generation worse s— than they already have in their lives? It just drives me nuts."

Current cast member Pete Davidson fired back during an interview on Howard Stern's SiriusXM radio show, slamming Chase for his comments.

"He's a f—ing douchebag. F— Chevy Chase. I hate that dude," Davidson said. "He's just a genuinely bad, racist person, and I don't like him…F— him…He's a putz. I don't like him."

"It's just disrespectful to Lorne too, a guy who gave you a career," he added. "No matter how big you get, you can't forget what that guy did for you."

Photo Credit: NBC

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