First on LateNighter: This weekend’s season finale of Saturday Night Live may not have delivered the emotional goodbyes many anticipated, but it did deliver viewers to NBC.
The show’s May 17th episode hosted by Scarlett Johansson with musical guest Bad Bunny drew 4.9 million total viewers and 890 viewers in the 18-49 demo for its linear telecast.
That’s according to Nielsen live-plus-same-date numbers
Compared to the show’s most recent episode (on May 10th, with host Walton Goggins and musical guest Arcade Fire), that’s up +16% among total viewers and up +7% among younger viewers.
While this week’s total viewing audience fell well short of this season’s highs in the run up to the election and SNL‘s 50th anniversary special, it was the highest the show has seen since late January when Timothee Chalamet hosted. As measured by audience share (the percentage of people tuned into the show among those watching television at the time), this week was the season’s second-best performing episode, with only the Nov 2 episode (featuring a cameo from Kamala Harris) commanding a larger share.
Among younger viewers, this week’s episode was the highest rated since March 1st when Shane Gillis hosted, with only the John Mulaney and Arian Grande-hosted episodes drawing a larger share.
Nielsen ratings, of course, are just one measure of the show’s popularity. Many viewers watch the show on Peacock, and in clip form on social media and YouTube. The show’s most-viewed clip on YouTube this week was the “Trump Middle East Trip” cold open, starring James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump, featuring Emil Wakim as the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. As of this writing, it’s been viewed more than 3.9 million times.
Saturday Night Live returns for its 51st season this fall. The show has not yet officially announced a premiere date.
Complete episode-by-episode Nielsen ratings charts for SNL‘s 50th season follow below:
Live+SD Ratings – All Viewers (P2+)
| Date | Host / Music Guest | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Avg Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/28/24 | Jean Smart / Jelly Roll | 5,388 | 15.16 |
| 10/5/24 | Nate Bargatze / Coldplay | 4,763 | 13.34 |
| 10/12/24 | Ariana Grande / Stevie Nicks | 5,573 | 15.60 |
| 10/19/24 | Michael Keaton / Billie Eilish | 4,777 | 12,80 |
| 11/2/24 | John Mulaney / Chappell Roan | 6,587 | 18.35 |
| 11/9/24 | Bill Burr / Mk.gee | 4,424 | 13.09 |
| 11/16/24 | Charli XCX | 4,287 | 12.49 |
| 12/7/24 | Paul Mescal / Shaboozey | 3,839 | 10.80 |
| 12/14/24 | Chris Rock / Gracie Abrams | 4,200 | 12.55 |
| 12/21/24 | Martin Short / Hozier | 4,793 | 13.96 |
| 1/18/25 | Dave Chappelle / GloRilla | 4,848 | 14.92 |
| 1/25/25 | Timothée Chalamet | 4,958 | 14.90 |
| 3/1/25 | Shane Gillis / Tate McRae | 4,275 | 13.92 |
| 3/8/25 | Lady Gaga | 4,625 | 15.00 |
| 3/29/25 | Mikey Madison / Morgan Wallen | 4,268 | 13.21 |
| 4/5/25 | Jack Black / Elton John & Brandi Carlile | 4,525 | 12.30 |
| 4/12/25 | Jon Hamm / Lizzo | 4,293 | 13.73 |
| 5/3/25 | Quina Brunson / Benson Boone | 4,369 | 14.99 |
| 5/10/25 | Walton Goggins / Arcade Fire | 4,215 | 13.88 |
| 5/17/25 | Scarlett Johansson / Bad Bunny | 4,874 | 16.21 |
Live+SD Ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)
| Date | Host / Music Guest | Avg Viewers (000s) | Avg Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/28/24 | Jean Smart / Jelly Roll | 1,126 | 13.72 |
| 10/5/24 | Nate Bargatze / Coldplay | 979 | 11.78 |
| 10/12/24* | Ariana Grande / Stevie Nicks | 1,266 | 15.72 |
| 10/19/24 | Michael Keaton / Billie Eilish | 946 | 11.17 |
| 11/2/24 | John Mulaney / Chappell Roan | 1,669 | 20.52 |
| 11/9/24 | Bill Burr / Mk.gee | 967 | 12.45 |
| 11/16/24 | Charli XCX | 863 | 11.32 |
| 12/7/24 | Paul Mescal / Shaboozey | 739 | 9.25 |
| 12/14/24 | Chris Rock / Gracie Abrams | 817 | 11.13 |
| 12/21/24 | Martin Short / Hozier | 940 | 12.20 |
| 1/18/25 | Dave Chappelle / GloRilla | 1,021 | 13.24 |
| 1/25/25 | Timothée Chalamet | 1,032 | 14.02 |
| 3/1/25 | Shane Gillis / Tate McRae | 895 | 13.76 |
| 3/8/25 | Lady Gaga | 806 | 12.15 |
| 3/29/25 | Mikey Madison / Morgan Wallen | 692 | 10.04 |
| 4/5/25 | Jack Black / Elton John & Brandi Carlile | 788 | 9.25 |
| 5/3/25 | Jon Hamm / Lizzo | 777 | 12.39 |
| 4/12/25 | Quinta Brunson / Benson Boone | 748 | 12.35 |
| 5/10/25 | Walton Goggins / Arcade Fire | 830 | 12.85 |
| 5/17/25 | Scarlett Johansson / Bad Bunny | 890 | 14.44 |
Ratings Data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
