'SNL' Reveals James McAvoy, Meek Mill as January 26 Host, Musical Guest

X-Men series actor James McAvoy will host the Jan. 26 episode of Saturday Night Live, the show's [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

X-Men series actor James McAvoy will host the Jan. 26 episode of Saturday Night Live, the show's second and final January episode, NBC announced Monday.

McAvoy's hosting gig is timed for the Jan. 18 release of M. Night Shyamalan's Glass, in which he reprises his Split role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and The Horde.

McAvoy is best known for playing Professor Xavier in the most recent X-Men movies and is reprising the role in Dark Phoenix, which opens on June 7. He also stars in It: Chapter Two, which opens on Sept. 6. This will be his first time appearing on Saturday Night Live.

In Glass, McAvoy plays the same role he had in Shyamalan's Split. Like Glass, Split was also a sequel to Unbreakable, although McAvoy recently told Digital Spy he did not realize it at first.

"I read the first version of Split that I got sent and there was a little tenuous clue there – if I had been sharper eyed, I'd have seen it, but I missed it. I got into rehearsals, and he kept talking about Unbreakable," McAvoy said.

"And then it became clear, it dawned on me, the veil was lifted and I was like, 'Oh my God,'" he continued. "Then a few weeks after that, I came clean with him and I was like, 'Dude, I did not get that at all.' I think he realized that the little clue he was giving everybody just needed to be amped up, and he ended up coming up with a really cool scene at the end as well."

The musical guest is rapper Meek Mill, who released the album Championships in November. The album includes the tracks "Going Bad" and "Dangerous."

Mill celebrated the news on Twitter by sharing NBC's announcement and adding trophy and fire emojis, split by a hand-covered face emoji.

In April 2018, Mill was released from prison after five months behind bars. The Philadelphia rapper was arrested in New York City in November 2017 on a probation violation charge.

"I'd like to thank God, my family, and all my public advocates for their love, support and encouragement during this difficult time. While the past five months have been a nightmare, the prayers, visits, calls, letters and rallies have helped me stay positive," Mill wrote on Twitter at the time. "While the past five months have been a nightmare, the prayers, visits, calls, letters and rallies have helped me stay positive. To the Philadelphia District Attorney's office, I'm grateful for your commitment to justice — not only for my case, but for others that have been wrongfully jailed due to police misconduct."

Since his release, Mill has worked as an advocate for changing the criminal justice system, speaking out for those who cannot afford the same resources he had.

Like McAvoy, this will also be Mill's first appearance on the show.

SNL previously announced the guests for this weekend's episode on Jan. 19. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan will host with the group Greta Van Fleet as musical guests.

SNL airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: Dave Benett/WireImage/Getty Images

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