The sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live finds itself back in the limelight as its most recent celebrity guests caused a spike for the show’s viewership. According to Deadline, SNL’s October 12, 2024 show, where Ariana Grande (Wicked, Victorious) hosted and Stevie Nicks (American Horror Story, Spin’s 100 Greatest Rock Stars Since That Was A Thing) performed as musical guest, was the most-watched SNL episode in over three years.
Deadline reports that according to NBCUniversal’s numbers, the latest episode had 5.6 million live and same-day watchers. This viewership turnout hasn’t been seen in over three years since tech-billionaire Elon Musk hosted the show, as per Deadline.
The episode also found success once it arrived on Peacock’s streaming service, with the episode becoming the streamer’s “highest performing SNL episode” within two days of being released, according to Deadline.
The episode continued its popularity streak on social media, with Deadline reporting that “it has 516M views across social platforms.” Of those 516 million views, 415 million of those views included sketches and musical performances.
The uptick in SNL’s viewership comes during the series’ 50th anniversary. According to Deadline, guests Jean Smart (Babylon, 24) and musical guest Jelly Roll (Tulsa King, Jelly Roll: Liar) welcomed in the 50th anniversary season, which saw the series’ best season opener since 2020.
The upcoming episode scheduled for October 19, 2024 will see host Michael Keaton (Batman, Beetlejuice) and musical guest Billie Eilish (Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish: Bad Guy) take to the sketch comedy’s stage via Deadline. Additionally on November 2, 2024, host John Mulaney (Documentary Now!, Late Night With Seth Meyers) will take to the stage alongside musical guest Chappell Roan (Chappell Roan: HOT TO GO!, Chappell Roan: Red Wine Supernova).
According to Deadline, the SNL 50th anniversary will continue into next year. The series has a “live primetime special” planned to premiere February 16, 2025 as a way to conclude the anniversary celebration.