First on LateNighter: Matt Damon’s Saturday Night Live dipped from Olivia Rodrigo’s near season-high last week, but still delivered a strong late-season ratings showing—up double digits from the same weekend last year.
Per Nielsen Live+Same Day data, SNL‘s May 9 episode, which also featured musical guest Noah Kahan, drew an average of 4.7 million total viewers and 952,000 viewers aged 18–49.
That’s a 6% decrease in total audience and a 14% decrease in the advertiser-coveted demo from the show’s May 2 episode, the second-highest rated SNL episode of the season to date.
Year-over-year, compared to SNL‘s May 10, 2025 episode (with host Walton Goggins and musical guest Arcade Fire), this weekend’s episode was up 11% among total viewers and up 19% in the demo.
Among the 19 SNL episodes to air so far this season, Damon’s episode ranks No. 5 in total viewers and No. 6 among viewers aged 18–49.
As always, bottom-line viewership will rise when Live+3 numbers—which include delayed viewing—come in. (For example, per Nielsen, the show’s May 2 episode gained 2.2 million total viewers in the three days following its broadcast, with Live+3 figures topping out at 6.9 million total viewers, while demo viewership grew by 52% to 1.7 million viewers.)
It’s also worth noting that linear ratings are just one piece of the pie, especially among younger viewers. Live+Same Day figures do not include live viewing on Peacock or social media, nor do they account for the show’s YouTube performance, where this weekend’s “Kavanaugh, Hegseth, Patel Bar Cold Open” had accumulated more than four million views as of Wednesday morning.
Expectations are high for this weekend’s season finale, which often draws one of the season’s largest audiences. Will Ferrell is set to host alongside musical guest Paul McCartney (with signs that fellow former Beatle Ringo Starr might perform with him).
Episode-by-episode Nielsen ratings charts for SNL’s 51st season follow below.
Live+SD Ratings – All Viewers (P2+)
| Date | Host / Music Guest | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Avg Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/9/26 | Matt Damon / Noah Kahan | 4,679 | 13.87 |
| 5/2/26 | Olivia Rodrigo | 4,993 | 15.89 |
| 4/11/26 | Colman Domingo / Anitta | 4,148 | 13.00 |
| 4/4/26 | Jack Black / Jack White | 4,500 | 13.12 |
| 3/14/26 | Harry Styles | 4,792 | 13.70 |
| 3/7/26 | Ryan Gosling / Gorillaz | 4,342 | 14.31 |
| 2/28/26 | Connor Storrie / Mumford & Sons | 4,611 | 19.26 |
| 1/31/26 | Alexander Skarsgård / Cardi B | 4,820 | 15.18 |
| 1/24/26 | Teyana Taylor / Geese | 4,437 | 14.42 |
| 1/17/26 | Finn Wolfhard / A$AP Rocky | 4,140 | 15.19 |
| 12/20/25 | Ariana Grande / Cher | 5,404 | 16.83 |
| 12/13/25 | Josh O’Connor / Lily Allen | 3,949 | 13.08 |
| 12/6/25 | Melissa McCarthy / Dijon | 4,304 | 12.62 |
| 11/15/25 | Glen Powell / Olivia Dean | 4,165 | 14.41 |
| 11/8/25 | Nikki Glaser / sombr | 4,023 | 13.75 |
| 11/1/25 | Miles Teller / Brandi Carlile | 3,496 | 7.47 |
| 10/18/25 | Sabrina Carpenter | 4,248 | 14.67 |
| 10/11/25 | Amy Poehler / Role Model | 4,369 | 14.05 |
| 10/4/25 | Bad Bunny / Doja Cat | 4,634 | 14.99 |
Live+SD Ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)
| Date | Host / Music Guest | Avg Viewers (000s) | Avg Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/9/26 | Matt Damon / Noah Kahan | 952 | 11.60 |
| 5/2/26 | Olivia Rodrigo | 1,104 | 16.94 |
| 4/11/26 | Colman Domingo / Anitta | 842 | 12.43 |
| 4/4/26 | Jack Black / Jack White | 1,040 | 13.74 |
| 3/14/26 | Harry Styles | 942 | 12.16 |
| 3/7/26 | Ryan Gosling / Gorillaz | 817 | 12.87 |
| 2/28/26 | Connor Storrie / Mumford & Sons | 1,029 | 15.19 |
| 1/31/26 | Alexander Skarsgård / Cardi B | 950 | 14.32 |
| 1/24/26 | Teyana Taylor / Geese | 695 | 11.06 |
| 1/17/26 | Finn Wolfhard / A$AP Rocky | 858 | 14.53 |
| 12/20/25 | Ariana Grande / Cher | 1,224 | 17.71 |
| 12/13/25 | Josh O’Connor / Lily Allen | 710 | 11.23 |
| 12/6/25 | Melissa McCarthy / Dijon | 746 | 9.87 |
| 11/15/25 | Glen Powell / Olivia Dean | 799 | 13.48 |
| 11/8/25 | Nikki Glaser / sombr | 733 | 11.97 |
| 11/1/25 | Miles Teller / Brandi Carlile | 605 | 4.98 |
| 10/18/25 | Sabrina Carpenter | 938 | 14.92 |
| 10/11/25 | Amy Poehler / Role Model | 893 | 12.91 |
| 10/4/25 | Bad Bunny / Doja Cat | 1,125 | 16.33 |
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