Beloved 'SNL' Alum Returning to Host

By Daniel S. Levine

Former Saturday Night Live star Molly Shannon is returning to Studio 8H as host for the first time in over a decade. Shannon will host the April 8 episode, NBC and SNL announced on Monday. The show also set Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson and Ana de Armas as hosts for the other two new shows in April.

Brunson will host the April 1 episode, as previously announced. Her musical guest will be rapper Lil Yachty, whose latest album Let's Start Here topped Billboard's rock and alternative charts. Brunson created ABC's critically acclaimed comedy Abbott Elementary and stars in the series as teacher Janine Teagues. She won an Emmy for writing the Abbott Elementary pilot last year.

Shannon was a member of the SNL cast from 1995 to 2001. She returned to host the series for the first time on May 12, 2007. Although she hasn't hosted since she made a cameo appearance in a 2010 episode. In 2020, she returned for the SNL Live at Home tribute to music producer Hal Willner. Shannon stars in the movie A Good Person, now in theaters, and HBO Max's The Other Two, which returns for Season 3 on May 4.

The Jonas Brothers will be the musical guest for the April 8 episode. They previously appeared on SNL in February 2009 and May 2019. Nick Jonas appeared as a solo artist in April 2016 and February 2021. The JoBros will likely perform their new single "Waffle House," from their new album The Album.

Ana de Armas will host the April 15 episode with Karol G as the musical guest. De Armas just earned her first Oscar nomination for playing Marilyn Monroe in Blonde and stars in Apple TV+'s upcoming movie Ghosted. Karol G recently made Billboard history with Mañana Será Bonito, the first all-Spanish album by a female artist to top the chart.

The April shows were announced after a tense few weeks at Rockefeller Plaza. Post-production crew, who had been set to strike on April 1, agreed to their first-ever union contract, Variety reported on March 23. The deal resulted in an immediate pay increase for the crew, who mostly worked on the pre-taped segments. They will also receive health benefits and provisions for the nontraditional hours they work.

"The solidarity and bravery of this crew are just so impressive," Cathy Repola, National Executive Director of the Editors Guild, said in a statement. "They fought not just to improve their own working lives; they have also set a standard that will benefit all those who follow in their footsteps at this TV comedy institution. It was an honor to work with them on reaching this significant agreement."

SNL airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET. The series also streams live on Peacock. 

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