First on LateNighter: Critics have largely heaped praise on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, but preliminary ratings are less than stellar.
Per Nielsen live-plus-same day data, the show’s March 8st episode with Lady Gaga performing double duty as both host and musical guest drew 4,625,000 total viewers and 806,000 viewers in the all-important 18-49 demo.
Compared to last week’s episode (with host Shane Gillis and musical guest Tate McRae), that’s up +8% among total viewers, and down -10% in the demo.
Amid a landmark a fiftieth season that kicked off with a series of highly rated pre-election episodes, Gaga’s ratings fall below average, ranking as the season’s 6th lowest-rated episode among total viewers (out of of fourteen so far), and the second-lowest rated episode among younger viewers. (Paul Mescal’s Dec 7th episode is this season’s only installment to rate lower in the demo.)
Nielsen ratings, of course, are only one measure of the show’s popularity. Many viewers watch the show on Peacock, and in clip form on social media and YouTube. This week’s cold open, for example—featuring SNL alum Mike Myers in his second appearance as Elon Musk—has racked up more than 5.8 million YouTube views as of this writing.
In addition to Myers’ return as Elon Musk, this weekend’s SNL also made headlines after its “Birthday at Friendly’s” sketch drew protest from some viewers for its comical depiction of a satanic ritual.
Saturday Night Live is off for two weeks. The show has yet to announce a host and musical guest for its next live episode on March 29th.
Complete season-to-date 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 |
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 |
| 1/25/25 | Shane Gillis / Tate McRae | 895 | 13.76 |
| 3/8/25 | Lady Gaga | 806 | 12.15 |
Ratings Data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
