After last week’s Five-Timers Club celebration with Jack Black, Saturday Night Live is closing out its two-week April run this Saturday with first-time host Colman Domingo.
Hosting in support of Michael, Domingo’s debut is a long time coming. At 56, he’s the oldest first-time host of the season—joining a relatively small group of first-timers over age 55 in recent years that’s included Jean Smart (73), Brendan Gleeson (67), Willem Dafoe (66), Emma Thompson (60), and RuPaul (59).
Musical guest Anitta also makes history this week as the first Brazilian headliner in SNL history, arriving with her upcoming album Equilibrium.
Here are five storylines we’ll be watching Saturday night:
Not Dead Yet
Few could have anticipated Marcello Hernández’s Domingo character making a return appearance in Jack Black’s Five-Timers Club sketch last week—especially after Ariana Grande shot down speculation that she might reunite with him on this year’s Christmas episode, joking on The Tonight Show that “Domingo is dead actually.”
But now that he’s back—Jack White’s frying pan to the head notwithstanding—might we see a Domingo-Colman Domingo pairing?
Though contemporary SNL doesn’t typically repeat characters on back-to-back episodes, the show has also rarely met a name-based gag it didn’t like—and this one practically writes itself.
Big Gay Sketch Show Reunion?
This won’t be Colman Domingo’s first time in the sketch spotlight. As LateNighter noted Thursday, the Emmy winner and two-time Oscar nominee got an early break as a cast member on Logo’s The Big Gay Sketch Show (2008–2010), alongside future SNL star Kate McKinnon. McKinnon hasn’t appeared during Season 51, last returning for the show’s 50th anniversary special in February 2025.
With her former scene partner back in sketch mode, the timing could be ideal for a cameo reunion.
The Four Seasons Cameo Watch
Beyond McKinnon, several of Domingo’s co-stars from Netflix’s The Four Seasons have deep SNL ties—and strong cameo potential.
Tina Fey, who created and stars in the series, was in the building for last week’s episode. Will Forte returned earlier this season in a string of MacGruber pretapes tied to the Epstein Files. And Steve Carell—absent from SNL since 2018 but a frequent host and cameo player before that—would be a headline-making surprise.
Record Watch: JAJ’s Trump
Even without appearing as Donald Trump last week, James Austin Johnson logged another standout episode, topping six minutes of screen time across a cold open, a music video lead, and multiple character pieces.
With Trump’s Iran ultimatum dominating the week’s political conversation, Johnson’s impression feels primed for a return. His next appearance as Trump would be his 13th this season—putting him within striking distance of Darrell Hammond’s record of 14 episodes portraying a sitting president (Bill Clinton, Season 23).
To break the record outright, Johnson would need to appear as Trump in three of the season’s final four episodes—a plausible path as the show heads into the homestretch.
Ashlegend Continues
With another standout turn in last week’s “Kathy,” Ashley Padilla continues to build the most dominant featured-player season in recent memory. Her 79 sketch appearances this season put her 10 ahead of next closest cast member Sarah Sherman.
Padilla is on track to become the first sophomore-year performer to lead the cast in sketch appearances since Amy Poehler in Season 28 (2002–03). The only others to accomplish that feat? Will Ferrell (S22), Phil Hartman (S13), Joe Piscopo (S7), and Dan Aykroyd (S2).
As her breakout season continues, each new host becomes another opportunity to see how SNL pairs its hottest performer. With Colman Domingo’s sketch background, expectations are high for what he and Padilla might deliver together.
This weekend’s Saturday Night Live airs Saturday, April 11 at 11:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock. Join us at LateNighter.com immediately after for the Saturday Night Network’s live after-show, where SNL experts and superfans share their hot takes on the night’s best and worst moments.
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