First on LateNighter: Saturday Night Live clawed back some of its audience this weekend following last week’s all-time low opposite Game 7 of the World Series.
According to just-released Nielsen Live+Same Day ratings, the show’s November 8, 2025 episode, hosted by Nikki Glaser with musical guest sombr, drew 4 million total viewers—an 18% week-over-week increase. Among adults 18–49, the show also edged up, with 723,000 viewers in the advertiser-coveted demo, compared to last week’s 590,000.
Despite the improvement, the Nikki Glaser–hosted outing remains the season’s second-lowest episode across both ratings measurements.
As always, the show’s viewership will rise when Live+3 data, which include delayed viewing, come in. (For example, per Nielsen, the show’s November 1 episode, hosted by Miles Teller with musical guest Brandi Carlile, gained an additional 1.2 million total viewers in the three days following its broadcast, with Live+3 figures topping out at 4.7 million total viewers, while viewers in the demo grew by more than 63% to 983,000.)
It’s also worth noting that linear ratings are just one piece of the pie, especially among younger viewers. Live+Same Day data do not include live viewing on Peacock, nor do they account for the show’s YouTube views.
This week’s episode marked both Glaser and sombr’s SNL debuts. The episode also featured an unannounced appearance from former cast member Pete Davidson, who dropped by the “Weekend Update” desk for the first time since he left the show in 2022.
SNL returns this weekend with first-time host Glen Powell and musical guest Olivia Dean, who is making her Studio 8H debut.
Episode-by-episode Nielsen ratings charts for SNL’s 51st season follow below. (Note: As of this week, LateNighter is using Nielsen Big Data Plus Panel data as our ratings currency. We’ve updated the season-to-date numbers with Big Data Plus Panel data.)
Live+SD Ratings – All Viewers (P2+)
| Date | Host / Music Guest | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Avg Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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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Hopefully the newcomers can bring something interesting this weekend cuz damn has Season 51 been a snooze fest
Perhaps they should get rid of Lorne Michaels and replace him with someone competent!