SNL 52 Kicks Off Sept. 26th; Jalen Brunson, Inde Navarrette & More

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Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL 52 Kicks Off Sept. 26th; Jalen Brunson, Inde Navarrette & More

SNL Season 52 "Knicks"-off with Jalen Brunson and KATSEYE on September 26th. From there, we have Shane Gillis, Inde Navarrette, and more!

Published Wed, 09 Sep 2026 12:23:18 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary

  • SNL Season 52 premieres Sept. 26 on NBC with first-time host Jalen Brunson and musical guest KATSEYE.
  • The first four SNL Season 52 shows include Dakota Johnson, Shane Gillis, Inde Navarrette, Turnstile, and Rosalía.
  • Jalen Brunson opens the new SNL season, while KATSEYE, Turnstile, and Inde Navarrette mark notable debuts.
  • The roundup also highlights SNL Season 51’s most-watched cold opens, monologues, sketches, and Weekend Update bits.

NBC's Saturday Night Live will be back on September 26th, and the late-night sketch comedy series is brining some NBA and musical greatness with it when it does, with New York Knicks Champ & MVP Jalen Brunson set to be joined by KATSEYE. Here's a rundown of the first four shows: Sept. 26th: Jalen Brunson & KATSEYE; Oct. 3rd: Dakota Johnson & Turnstile; Oct. 10th: Shane Gillis & Rosalía; Oct. 31st: Inde Navarrette & Gracie Abrams. Brunson will host for the first time for the 52nd season premiere. KATSEYE will make their debut as musical guests. Johnson will return as host for the third time, while Turnstile will perform as musical guests for the first time. Gillis will make his third show, with Rosalía taking the stage for the second time as musical guest. Following a two-week break, SNL will return on Oct. 31st with Navarrette making her hosting debut. Abrams will make her second appearance as musical guest.

SNL (Image: NBCUniversal)

Over the summer, SNL released its Season 51 "Top 5" lists: most-watched cold opens, most-watched monologues, most-watched live sketches, most-watched pretaped sketches, and most-watched "Weekend Update" features. The lists were compiled by looking at how each sketch performed across the show's digital platforms. Here's a look at the "Top 5" compilation videos that were released, along with an extended list offering a look at the 10 top sketches/segments for each category:

Top 10 Most-Watched Cold Opens:

  • 10. NYC Mayoral Debate Cold Open
  • 9. Jeffrey Epstein Ghost Cold Open
  • 8. Trump Making Calls Cold Open
  • 7. Trump Iran War Address Cold Open
  • 6. Pete Hegseth Cold Open
  • 5. Cabinet Meeting Cold Open
  • 4. Epstein White House Briefing Cold Open
  • 3. Hegseth and Patel Iran Press Briefing Cold Open
  • 2. Pentagon Press Conference Cold Open
  • 1. Domingo Cold Open

Top 10 Most-Watched Monologues:

  • 10. Will Ferrell Monologue
  • 9. Nikki Glaser Monologue
  • 8. Matt Damon Monologue
  • 7. Harry Styles Monologue
  • 6. Connor Storrie Monologue
  • 5. Jack Black Monologue
  • 4. Bad Bunny Monologue
  • 3. Sabrina Carpenter Monologue
  • 2. Finn Wolfhard Monologue
  • 1. Olivia Rodrigo Monologue

Top 10 Most-Watched Live Sketches:

  • 10. Shop TV: Lava Cake
  • 9. Mom Confession
  • 8. Elf on the Shelf Support Group
  • 7. Sebastian Maniscalco: Bachelor Party
  • 6. KPop Demon Hunters
  • 5. My Ex
  • 4. Sebastian Maniscalco: New Lawyer
  • 3. Passing Notes
  • 2. Dancing 101
  • 1. El Chavo Del Ocho

Top 10 Most-Watched Pretaped Sketches:

  • 10. Random Duet Christmas Spectacular
  • 9. CPAP Commercial
  • 8. Plans
  • 7. The Gentlemen's Code
  • 6. MAHAspital
  • 5. White House Makeover
  • 4. Missing Wives Docuseries
  • 3. Stranger Things Promo
  • 2. Home Alone
  • 1. Heated Wizardry

Top 10 Most-Watched Weekend Update Features:

  • 10. Tucker Carlson on Liberal Politics and the 2026 Met Gala
  • 9. Alix Earle and Alex Cooper on Their Brewing Feud
  • 8. Michael Che's Nephew Threatens Santa
  • 7. Jack Harlow on His New Album
  • 6. Professor Snape Addresses New Spin on Harry Potter Role
  • 5. Red Heart and Aerial Tramway Emojis on Apple's New Emojis Release
  • 4. Tucker Carlson on Liberal Politics and the 2026 Oscars
  • 3. Two Kids from the Back of the Bus
  • 2. Punch the Monkey and His Mom
  • 1. Tamara on Her Resolutions on Buttons

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