First on LateNighter: It was another up week for Saturday Night Live, as the legendary sketch show continues to grow its audience following last month’s all-time low opposite Game 7 of the World Series.
According to just-released Nielsen Live+Same Day ratings, the show’s November 15, 2025, episode, hosted by Glen Powell with musical guest Olivia Dean, drew 4.2 million total viewers— a 4% week-over-week increase. Among adults 18–49, the show was up 9%, with 799,000 viewers compared to last week’s 733,000.
Those numbers put this week’s SNL squarely in the middle of this season’s episodes as measured by Live+Same Day data—higher than the last two outings, but lower than the first three.
As always, bottom-line viewership will rise when Live+3 data, which include delayed viewing, come in. (For example, per Nielsen, the show’s November 8 episode, hosted by Nikki Glaser with musical guest sombr, gained an additional 1.4 million total viewers in the three days following its broadcast, with Live+3 figures topping out at 5.4 million total viewers, while viewers in the demo grew by more than 45% to 1,064,000.)
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, nor do they account for the show’s YouTube views.
This week’s episode marked both Powell and Dean’s debuts as SNL headliners. The episode also featured a surprise appearance from former cast member Will Forte, who returned in a trio of new MacGruber shorts. It was his first time playing the character on the show since hosting in 2022.
SNL now heads into a two-week Thanksgiving break. The show returns December 6 with five-time host Melissa McCarthy and musical guest Dijon, who is making his Studio 8H debut.
Episode-by-episode Nielsen ratings charts for SNL’s 51st season follow below. (Note: As of this month, 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 % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/15/25 | 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 % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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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