New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson kicks off the new season of ‘SNL’ tonight
Host Jalen Brunson and "SNL" cast member Marcello Hernández, center, with musical guest Katseye in New York, on Thursday.Rosalind O'Connor / NBCShareAdd NBC News to GoogleSept. 26, 2026, 6:55 PM EDTBy Dennis RomeroNBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, of the 2026 championship-winning New York Knicks, is slated to kick off the 52nd season of “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday, the show said.
Brunson is the fifth NBA star to host the storied sketch comedy show, joining coach Bill Russell and legendary players Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and LeBron James in sharing that status.
He averaged 32.6 points per game in the NBA Finals to help his team win its first championship in 53 years.
Saturday’s show also marked the first “SNL” season for two new featured players, Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter, after it bid farewell to cast member Chloe Fineman and writer Martin Herlihy, who also appeared in a number of sketches.
Fineman landed a role on “Myron Bolitar,” a Netflix drama series based on Harlan Coben’s thriller novels about a former basketball star who reinvents himself as a sports agent. Netflix announced the show started filming in New York City in July.
The musical guest Saturday is Katseye, the K-pop-influenced act composed of six women from around the world but often performing as a quintet and quartet due to hiatuses. The act was put together under a partnership between Geffen Records and South Korea’s HYBE Entertainment, home of BTS.
“SNL” airs on NBC, a division of NBCUniversal, which is also the parent company of NBC News.
Dennis RomeroDennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
