Jack Harlow Set for 'SNL' in Historic First

By Daniel S. Levine

Saturday Night Live is bringing back rapper Jack Harlow for the second time in three seasons. Harlow will do double-duty as host and musical guest on the Saturday, Oct. 29 episode. This is the first time in the show's long history that two consecutive episodes will be hosted by the same person who is also the musical guest. This weekend, Megan Thee Stallion hosted and performed.

Harlow's second appearance on SNL comes a few months after he released his second studio album, Come Home the Kids Miss You. The album features the singles "Nail Tech" and "First Class." Harlow also recently wrapped up filming on 20th Century Studios' White Men Can't Jump remake, which serves as his acting debut. Harlow also recently collaborated with Lil Nas X on "Industry Baby," which won Top Rap Song at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards and was nominated for a Grammy.

Harlow made his Saturday Night Live debut as a musical guest during the March 27, 2021 episode hosted by Maya Rudolph. Harlow performed a medley of "Tyler Herro" and "Whats Poppin" first, then brought in Adam Levine to perform "Same Guy." He also appeared in the pre-recorded "NFTs" sketch.

Harlow's hosting earned a mixed response from SNL's fans on social media. "Are you guys having a hard time getting two guests? Lmao," one person asked on Instagram. "Can we please return to hosts who are actually funny? Please? Just even once this season?" one person asked on Twitter. "No. Please no more musical guests doubling as hosts. Are there NO comedians out there to host [SNL]?" another wondered.

This weekend's episode was hosted by Megan Thee Stallion, who also served as the musical guest. Hosts rarely pull double-duty, but Season 48 will be the second consecutive season with at least two double-duty stars. Last season, Billie Eilish hosted and performed during the Dec 11, 2021 episode. Lizzo also hosted and performed during the April 16 episode.

SNL Season 48 has gotten off to a rocky start, following the mass exodus of cast members over the summer. This year's cast includes Michael Che, Mickey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Punkie Johnson, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, and Bowne Yang. The featured players are Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Michael Longfellow, Molly Kearney, Sarah Sherman, and Devon Walker. New episodes air Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and are available to stream on Peacock.

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