First on LateNighter: Even a Stranger Things reunion wasn’t enough to help Finn Wolfhard’s debut as Saturday Night Live host rise above middling viewership.
According to just-released Nielsen Live+Same Day ratings, the show’s January 17 episode drew an average of 4.1 million total viewers, down 23 percent from the show’s last new episode in late December—which, to be fair, was SNL’s highest-rated of the season to date. Despite this week’s youth-forward host, the show also lost viewers in the demo, with 858,000 viewers aged 18–49 tuning in, a decrease of 29 percent week over week.
Among total viewers, this weekend’s show ranked as this season’s seventh-highest-rated episode out of ten episodes so far. It fared better in the demo, ranking at No. 5.
Year over year, stacked up against 2025’s January 18 episode—hosted by Dave Chappelle with musical guest GloRilla—Wolfhard’s episode was down 18 percent among total viewers and down 15 percent in the demo.
As always, bottom-line viewership will rise when Live+3 numbers, which include delayed viewing, come in. (For example, per Nielsen, the show’s December 20 episode, hosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher, gained nearly two million total viewers in the three days following its broadcast, with Live+3 figures topping out at 7.5 million total viewers, while demo viewership grew by more than 42 percent 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 week’s “Cabinet Meeting” cold open had already amassed 3.8 million views as of this writing.
As we’ve reported, Wolfhard’s SNL made headlines as the Stranger Things star reunited with two of his castmates during his monologue and for a faux promo of absurd Stranger Things spinoffs. The show also got buzz for a pretape that imagined a mash-up of Heated Rivalry and Harry Potter.
Saturday Night Live returns with the second of three new January episodes this weekend, featuring first-time host Teyana Taylor with musical guest Geese.
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 % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/17/26 | Finn Wolfhard / A$AP Rocky | 4,140 | 15.19 |
| 12/20/25 | Ariana Grande / Cher | 5,404 | 16.83 |
| 12/13/25 | Josh O’Connor / Lily Allen | 3,949 | 13.08 |
| 12/6/25 | Melissa McCarthy / Dijon | 4,304 | 12.62 |
| 11/15/25 | Glen Powell / Olivia Dean | 4,165 | 14.41 |
| 11/8/25 | Nikki Glaser / sombr | 4,023 | 13.75 |
| 11/1/25 | Miles Teller / Brandi Carlile | 3,496 | 7.47 |
| 10/18/25 | Sabrina Carpenter | 4,248 | 14.67 |
| 10/11/25 | Amy Poehler / Role Model | 4,369 | 14.05 |
| 10/4/25 | Bad Bunny / Doja Cat | 4,634 | 14.99 |
Live+SD Ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)
| Date | Host / Music Guest | Avg Viewers (000s) | Avg Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/17/26 | Finn Wolfhard / A$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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