Nate Bargatze is ready to put his hosting shoes back on. The comedian is set to host this Saturday’s Saturday Night Live alongside musical guest Coldplay. NBC released a new promo for the upcoming episode this afternoon, featuring Bargatze, Bowen Yang, and some classic pre-show shenanigans.
In the clip, Yang introduces Bargatze to the show’s three new cast members: Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline, who were announced as featured players just ahead of the show’s milestone 50th season premiere.
Bargatze looks confused. “Those are the three new cast members?” he asks in disbelief. “Then who have I been talking to?”
The camera then pans to a random man, an elderly woman wearing a Stefon (Bill Hader) shirt, and a baby. “I’ve never seen these people before in my life,” Yang says as the group stares back blankly.
Wickline questions why Bargatze would think a baby was one of the new cast members. “She does a spot-on McConaughey,” the stand-up comic shrugs. He points to the baby as she makes “impression” noises, which the real cast has to admit are pretty solid.
“Can I at least be a staff writer?” the elderly woman asks. To her delight, Bargatze quickly agrees.
This Saturday’s episode marks the second time Bargatze will host SNL. The “Nicest Man in Stand-Up” made his hosting debut last season on October 28, 2023 alongside musical guest Foo Fighters (plus cameos from Christopher Walken and Padma Lakshmi). The episode, which included the instant classic “Washington’s Dream,” was widey praised.
Speaking with Billboard in July, Bargatze called his SNL hosting debut a “giant, giant leap” in his career. “It was my first kind of thing really on [a mainstream platform],” he said. “And it just sent it to a completely new level.”
Following this weekend’s SNL, Bargatze is set to collaborate with Lorne Michaels on a primetime special for CBS, scheduled to air in December. Michaels will produce; SNL writing partners Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell are also involved.
