Photo:getty (2)
getty (2)
Saturday Night Livehas tapped a familiar face to open its 49th season —Pete Davidson!
The 29-year-old comedian — who departed fromSaturday Night Livein 2022 after eight seasons — wasset to host an episodelast May, but it was canceled due toWriters Guild of America (WGA)strike, whichendedlast week.
TheofficialSNLInstagram accountalso made the news official with their signature cork board announcement showing the names of all three stars.
In addition to the host announcement, the sketch series will welcome Chloe Troast to the cast as a featured player.
Returning cast members includeMichael Che,Colin Jost,Bowen Yang,Mikey Day,Andrew Dismukes,Chloe Fineman,Heidi Gardner,Punkie Johnson,Ego NwodimandKenan Thompson— who is celebratinghis 20th anniversaryon the program.
The season 49 announcement comes as theSAG-AFTRA strikecontinues; however, the show is able to return because it falls under the union’s Network Code.
“SAG-AFTRA members appearing onSaturday Night Liveeither as hosts, guests, or cast members are working under the Network Code agreement, which is not a contract we are striking. They are not in violation of SAG-AFTRA strike rules, and we support them in fulfilling their contractual obligations,” the union said ina statement.
“The program is a SAG-AFTRA non-dramatic production under a separate agreement that is not subject to the union’s strike order,” the statement continued.
“The majority of our members who are regular cast onSaturday Night Livehad contractual obligations to the show prior to the strike. Many are under option agreements that require them to return to the show if the producers exercise their option which the producers have done.”
The statement concluded, “It is important to recognize that SAG-AFTRA is fighting against the studios and not members who are required to go to work every day under other union contracts or personal service agreements. We stand with our union siblings across the industry as we also recognize our obligations under federal labor law.”
Late-night shows includingThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,Jimmy Kimmel Live!,Late Night with Seth Meyers,This Week Tonight with John OliverandThe Daily Showhave alsoannounced their returnto the airwaves post-strike.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Season 49 ofSaturday Night Livepremieres Oct. 14 at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC.
source: people.com
