Entertainment

Bad Bunny hosted the Season 51 premiere of “Saturday Night Live” on October 4, with Doja Cat as musical guest.

By Kevin Slane

October 5, 2025 | 10:53 AM

2 minutes to read

“SNL” returned to the air for the season premiere of its 51st season on Saturday, Oct. 4, with Bad Bunny serving as host alongside musical guest Doja Cat.

Coming off its historic 50th season, there was change in the air at Studio 8H. Five new cast members took the stage, most notably Ben Marshall, a writer for the show who frequently appeared over the last three seasons as a member of Please Don’t Destroy.

The other four new cast members, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska, come from a mix of stand-up and sketch comedy backgrounds, and a few of them even managed to make an impact during the season premiere.

On the other side of the coin, five former cast members left the show, voluntarily or otherwise: Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Emil Wakim, and Devon Walker. Gardner (eight seasons) and Nwodim (seven seasons) in particular will be difficult for “SNL” to immediately replace.

But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Bad Bunny, was heavily featured in the “SNL50” anniversary special and has been a musical guest on the show three times, including last season’s finale alongside Scarlett Johansson. The show also found time for a few cameos (hi there, Jon Hamm!) and the usual sketch templates. In fact, the very first sketch of the year was a “Jeopardy” riff.)

Check out the videos below to see highlights from the Season 51 premiere of “SNL,” including Bad Bunny’s opening monologue ripping Fox News, a pair of musical performances from Doja Cat, and all of the guests visiting the “Weekend Update” desk.

“Saturday Night Live” Cold Open

Bad Bunny Monologue

“SNL” Weekend Update Clips

Doja Cat Musical Performances

Some of the Best “SNL” Sketches

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