Quinta Brunson is getting rave reviews for her second Saturday Night Live hosting gig, and this week’s numbers bear out what many perceived: the Abbott Elementary star was much more of a presence on the show this go-around, increasing her screen time by a full five minutes over her 2023 SNL debut.
Scroll down to see how Brunson stacked up against each of the show’s named performers, including musical guest Benson Boone and surprise guests Sabrina Carpenter and Dwyane Wade.
Note: Our screen time calculation method has been developed in partnership with longtime SNL statistician Mike Murray, host of the Saturday Night Network’s weekly By The Numbers podcast. We prioritize face time, meaning that any contiguous (off-screen but in-scene) moments and practically all partial body appearances do not count. Screen time in the opening credits, bumpers, goodnights and cut-for-time sketches are not included, nor do those portions factor into our assessment of the episode’s total running time.
Quinta Brunson – 21:35 / 34.76%
Five of Brunson’s eight sketch performances this week were each at least two minutes long. Aside from her nearly six-minute monologue, she racked up her highest amount of screen time as Harriet Tubman in “Will and Todd’s Radical Experience.”
Kenan Thompson – 11:03 / 17.79%
Having previously outpaced each of his fellow castmates on November 9, Kenan Thompson is now the seventh cast member to do so more than once this season, playing sizable roles in a total of six sketches this week, all but one of which were live.
Mikey Day – 10:10 / 16.37%
This was the second consecutive episode in which Mikey Day logged more than 10 minutes of screen time. He follows Marcello Hernandez (March 8 and 29) as the second cast member to accomplish that feat this season.
Chloe Fineman – 7:52 / 12.67%
This was Chloe Fineman’s strongest Season 50 episode to date. Her nearly four-minute turn in “Ferry Altercation” (a sequel to Season 48’s “Traffic Altercation”) is now her longest single-sketch performance of the season, surpassing her work in October 12’s “Maybelline.”
James Austin Johnson – 7:20 / 11.81%
Following his 13th Season 50 cold open performance as Donald Trump, James Austin Johnson took part in three other live sketches. The only one in which he was seen for more than half a minute was “Jerry ‘Jackrabbit’ Tulane.”
Marcello Hernandez – 6:53 / 11.08%
Hernandez showed up six times in this episode, including during Brunson’s monologue. After Thompson and Bowen Yang, he is the third cast member to participate in three monologue segments this season, with his first two being those of Paul Mescal (December 7) and Jack Black (April 5).
Benson Boone – 6:28 / 10.41%
Between his performances of the songs “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” and “Mystical Magical,” SNL first-timer Boone made a self-referential cameo at the end of “Weekend Update.” The last musical guest to appear during the news segment was The Weeknd in March 2020.
Colin Jost – 5:49 / 9.37%
Colin Jost retains his title as Season 50 screen time leader, adding more than a minute to his lead this week alone. His work in “Ferry Altercation” was his fourth non-”Weekend Update” performance of the season, all of which combined add up to just under two minutes of screen time.
Sarah Sherman – 4:43 / 7.60%
Sarah Sherman now holds the sole distinction of appearing on “Weekend Update” six times this season. Her latest appearance as Applebee’s barfly Darlene was conducted by Michael Che, whose side of the desk she had not visited since December 2022.
Andrew Dismukes – 4:28 / 7.19%
This week marked the end of a four-episode streak during which Andrew Dismukes consistently earned six or more minutes of screen time. He logged over half of his May 3 time playing Todd in “Will and Todd’s Radical Experience.”
Michael Che – 4:04 / 6.55%
Since they each led one of the latest two “Weekend Update” interviews, Che and Jost’s screen time difference this week was relatively low. Sherman and Yang were the second duo to visit Che’s side of the desk this season, after Hernandez and Heidi Gardner on December 7.
Michael Longfellow – 4:03 / 6.52%
Michael Longfellow spent more than 86% of his time this week making his second “Weekend Update” appearance of the season (and his first on Jost’s side of the desk in 17 months). He also played small roles in “OnlySeniors” and “Jerry ‘Jackrabbit’ Tulane.”
Ego Nwodim – 3:50 / 6.17%
Though this was her fourth weakest Season 50 episode so far, Ego Nwodim remains in fifth place among the cast in cumulative screen time for the season. Her turn in “Two Bitches vs. a Gorilla” was her only live performance of the week.
Bowen Yang – 3:44 / 6.01%
Yang’s fifth “Weekend Update” visit this season was preceded by a reprisal of his Dr. Please character in “Leadership Summit.” He previously played the role in two Season 49 episodes opposite hosts Nate Bargatze and Ryan Gosling.
Emil Wakim – 3:14 / 5.21%
This was the second episode in a row in which Emil Wakim amassed more screen time than each of his two fellow featured players. His entire three minutes were divided between the night’s first two live, post-monologue sketches.
Heidi Gardner – 2:39 / 4.27%
Gardner and Nwodim were the only two cast members to take part in both May 3 pretapes (“OnlySeniors” and “Forever 31”). Unlike Nwodim, Gardner’s position on this season’s cumulative screen time list changed this week, as Day and Johnson bumped her down to eighth place.
Sabrina Carpenter – 2:31 / 4.05%
Of the nine celebrities who have made Season 50 monologue cameos, Carpenter’s screen time is the highest by far. The previous record of 1:37 was set by Andy Samberg when Michael Keaton hosted on October 19.
Dwyane Wade – 1:10 / 1.88%
Wade’s participation in Brunson’s monologue segment marked his very first SNL appearance. The former Miami Heat player received a full five seconds of applause upon taking the stage about a minute after Carpenter.
Devon Walker – 1:07 / 1.80%
Devon Walker’s May 3 screen time was spread over three segments, with his longest performance being in “OnlySeniors.” Since his promotion to repertory status at the start of this season, he has fallen under two minutes 11 times.
Jane Wickline – 0:41 / 1.10%
This was the first time in over three months that Jane Wickline clocked in under one minute. Nonetheless, in terms of total screen time for the season, she maintains a nearly three-minute lead over Walker, who has ranked at the bottom of the cast list since April 5.
Ashley Padilla – 0:40 / 1.07%
Ashley Padilla is currently only four seconds away from being surpassed by Emil Wakim as this season’s most heavily utilized featured player. Until Padilla displaced him on January 25, Wakim had held said distinction for more than a month.
Season 50 of SNL continues this coming weekend with host Walton Goggins and musical guest Arcade Fire.
Can’t get enough SNL stats? Join us for an in-depth discussion of this week’s screen time, power rankings, and more on the Saturday Night Network’s By The Numbers podcast, streaming live Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET, right here on LateNighter.
