Saturday Night Live host bookings tend to fall into a handful of familiar buckets: returning favorites, marquee-name actors, comics on the rise, and what we’ll call—with a nod to Will Ferrell’s Alex Trebek—potpourri.
Josh O’Connor lands squarely in that last category. A first-time host with serious dramatic credentials but limited name recognition in the U.S., he arrives as a genuine unknown quantity for most of the audience—an import without a clear set of expectations attached. History shows that could work to his—and the show’s—advantage—or their disadvantage.
Here are five storylines we’ll be watching this Saturday night:
Saturday Night ‘Knives’
Josh O’Connor may be new to SNL, but he’s hardly flying solo on the publicity trail. His new film Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man is packed with past SNL hosts—including Daniel Craig, Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, and Glenn Close.
With that many SNL-adjacent stars in his contacts list, don’t be shocked if a Wake Up Dead Man castmate (or two) turns up in O’Connor’s monologue or sneaks into a sketch. SNL loves a cameo, and this ensemble practically begs for one.
SNL UK Preview
With the Lorne Michaels-produced SNL UK aiming for a 2026 premiere, speculation has already begun about who might anchor the show’s early episodes. Josh O’Connor—born in Southampton—feels like the kind of performer the new franchise will inevitably be eying. Assuming it goes well, don’t be surprised to see O’Connor tapped to host an early episode of the UK iteration.
Fun fact: With Lily Allen as musical guest, this weekend’s episode marks SNL’s first UK/UK headlining pair since Eric Idle and Kate Bush in 1978.
Once Again, Lily Allen
It’s not quite the 38-year gap we’ll see when Cher returns next week, but Lily Allen’s appearance marks almost 19 years since she last performed on SNL. Back then, she was a relative unknown, featured on an episode hosted by Drew Barrymore as she joined the Five-Timers Club.
Nearly two decades later, Allen returns with far more cultural visibility. Her new album West End Girl has been widely discussed for its lyrics about the dissolution of her marriage to former SNL host David Harbour. The show has rarely placed musical guests in sketches this season—double duty host Sabrina Carpenter being the notable exception—but given Allen’s current moment, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her appear outside her musical slots.
Culhane Mania
Rookie featured player Jeremy Culhane continues to build one of the season’s most compelling breakout cases. As LateNighter’s resident SNL statistician Mike Murray noted in his most recent Screen Time report, Culhane has logged his longest appearance of the season for three consecutive episodes running.
While “Pinwheel” remains the most quotable piece this season, it was last week’s “Free Sample” sketch that really turned heads. Holding his own opposite Melissa McCarthy—one of the show’s all-time great hosts—signaled a growing level of trust from the producers. Like Ashley Padilla before him, Culhane feels on the cusp of a full breakout. If the momentum continues this week, that narrative may crystallize.
Release the Files
The 30-day window for the release of the Epstein files closes next week, and the timing presents an unusual dynamic across late night. With The Daily Show having just wrapped its season (and Last Week Tonight on break until February), only Fallon, Meyers, Kimmel, Colbert, and SNL remain in a position to address the story before the holiday break.
If the documents drop this Friday or Saturday, SNL would have the first opportunity to respond—a rarity for the show in major political news cycles. Likewise, if the release lands on the deadline of Friday December 19, SNL would again hold a unique position as the last show of the year with a chance to cover the story. Provided the opportunity, will SNL run with the ball—or fumble it?
This weekend’s Saturday Night Live airs Saturday, Dec. 13 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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The main story line is who the fuck is Josh O’Connor
Duhidunno!¯\_(ツ)_/¯