First on LateNighter: Saturday Night Live tipped off its 52nd season this weekend with 1.14 million viewers ages 18–49, a larger audience in the key demo than all but one episode last season.
The Jalen Brunson-hosted premiere was up 1.3% in the demo from last year’s Bad Bunny season opener, while its 18.44 share topped every episode of Season 51. That’s according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data.
Only last December’s Ariana Grande/Cher episode drew a larger live-plus-same-day audience among viewers 18–49 last season, with 1.224 million.
The news was slightly less rosy among total viewers, where Saturday’s premiere averaged 4.61 million, down 0.5% from the 4.63 million who watched last year’s season opener. Its 17.04 share, however, was up from last year’s 14.99.
It should be noted that a college football overrun pushed SNL back by 16 minutes across much of the country, with the Nielsen-measured telecast beginning at 11:46 p.m. The show still aired live on Peacock and on NBC’s flagship station in New York.
Expect numbers across both measures to grow considerably as delayed viewing data comes in over the coming days. Last year’s Bad Bunny/Doja Cat premiere grew from 4.63 million live-plus-same-day viewers to 6.49 million total viewers in Nielsen’s live-plus-three-day data, an increase of roughly 40%. Its audience among viewers 18–49 grew by nearly 50% over the same period.
Of course, linear ratings are just one piece of the pie, especially among younger viewers. Live-plus-same-day data does not include live viewing on Peacock, nor does it take into account the show’s YouTube views, where this week’s Trump-Mamdani cold open has already logged 4.5 million views.
Saturday Night Live returns this weekend with Dakota Johnson hosting and Turnstile as musical guest.
Complete 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 % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/4/25 | Bad Bunny / Doja Cat | 4,634 | 14.99 |
| 10/11/25 | Amy Poehler / Role Model | 4,369 | 14.05 |
| 10/18/25 | Sabrina Carpenter | 4,248 | 14.67 |
| 11/1/25 | Miles Teller / Brandi Carlile | 3,496 | 7.47 |
| 11/8/25 | Nikki Glaser / sombr | 4,023 | 13.75 |
| 11/15/25 | Glen Powell / Olivia Dean | 4,165 | 14.41 |
| 12/6/25 | Melissa McCarthy / Dijon | 4,304 | 12.62 |
| 12/13/25 | Josh O’Connor / Lily Allen | 3,949 | 13.08 |
| 12/20/25 | Ariana Grande / Cher | 5,404 | 16.83 |
| 1/17/26 | Finn Wolfhard / A$AP Rocky | 4,140 | 15.19 |
| 1/24/26 | Teyana Taylor / Geese | 4,437 | 14.42 |
| 1/31/26 | Alexander Skarsgård / Cardi B | 4,820 | 15.18 |
| 2/28/26 | Connor Storrie / Mumford & Sons | 4,611 | 19.26 |
| 3/7/26 | Ryan Gosling / Gorillaz | 4,342 | 14.31 |
| 3/14/26 | Harry Styles | 4,792 | 13.70 |
| 4/4/26 | Jack Black / Jack White | 4,500 | 13.12 |
| 4/11/26 | Colman Domingo / Anitta | 4,148 | 13.00 |
| 5/2/26 | Olivia Rodrigo | 4,993 | 15.89 |
| 5/9/26 | Matt Damon / Noah Kahan | 4,679 | 13.87 |
| 5/16/26 | Will Ferrell / Paul McCartney | 5,303 | 16.03 |
Live+SD Ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)
| Date | Host / Music Guest | Avg Viewers (000s) | Avg Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/4/25 | Bad Bunny / Doja Cat | 1,125 | 16.33 |
| 10/11/25 | Amy Poehler / Role Model | 893 | 12.91 |
| 10/18/25 | Sabrina Carpenter | 938 | 14.92 |
| 11/1/25 | Miles Teller / Brandi Carlile | 605 | 4.98 |
| 11/8/25 | Nikki Glaser / sombr | 733 | 11.97 |
| 11/15/25 | Glen Powell / Olivia Dean | 799 | 13.48 |
| 12/6/25 | Melissa McCarthy / Dijon | 746 | 9.87 |
| 12/13/25 | Josh O’Connor / Lily Allen | 710 | 11.23 |
| 12/20/25 | Ariana Grande / Cher | 1,224 | 17.71 |
| 1/17/26 | Finn Wolfhard / A$AP Rocky | 858 | 14.53 |
| 1/24/26 | Teyana Taylor / Geese | 695 | 11.06 |
| 1/31/26 | Alexander Skarsgård / Cardi B | 950 | 14.32 |
| 2/28/26 | Connor Storrie / Mumford & Sons | 1,029 | 15.19 |
| 3/7/26 | Ryan Gosling / Gorillaz | 817 | 12.87 |
| 3/14/26 | Harry Styles | 942 | 12.16 |
| 4/4/26 | Jack Black / Jack White | 1,040 | 13.74 |
| 4/11/26 | Colman Domingo / Anitta | 842 | 12.43 |
| 5/2/26 | Olivia Rodrigo | 1,104 | 16.94 |
| 5/9/26 | Matt Damon / Noah Kahan | 952 | 11.60 |
| 5/16/26 | Will Ferrell / Paul McCartney | 1,120 | 14.11 |
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