New York (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Finn Wolfhard hosts SNL’s first 2026 episode on January 17, with A$AP Rocky performing as the musical guest from his new album Don’t Be Dumb.
As reported by William Earl of Variety, the 2026 premiere of Saturday Night Live will feature Finn Wolfhard as host and A$AP Rocky as musical guest.
How Finn Wolfhard prepares for SNL following Stranger Things’ end?
The episode, set to air on January 17, follows closely after the conclusion of Wolfhard’s hit series Stranger Things. At the same time, A$AP Rocky will perform tracks from his upcoming album Don’t Be Dumb, which is set to release on January 16.
The final episode of Stranger Things premieres on December 31, but Wolfhard told reporters that the show will always remain a part of him.
During an interview, he said,
“The way for me to sort of advance in my life and my career is not to try to replace the show. It’s to try to really embrace it. Because to fight it would be the wrong thing to do, because then you’re forgetting where everything started.”
Wolfhard stated that he hopes to perform the Underground Rock Festival sketch, which originally starred Jason Sudeikis and Nasim Pedrad.
He continued,
“They were hosts of this terrible metal festival, and they would do themed commercials announcing the lineup. I was watching that recently and I thought it was so funny because it’s just an excuse to basically name a bunch of random bands. I think that sketch would be really funny to bring back.”
In another interview, Rocky discussed his new single “Highjack” from Don’t Be Dumb, which features vocals by singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt.
He added,
“I like to do things that don’t make sense. Nobody would have thought to put [folk musician] Jessica Pratt on that, but I think her voice is so angelic. She literally let me write the whole thing, and she just sang it beautifully. She makes me want to be like a secret songwriter; I should probably get into writing folk songs. She’s sick.”
The announcement came during the December 20 episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Ariana Grande with Cher as the musical guest. The show also marked Bowen Yang’s final appearance, after his departure announcement earlier that day.
How does Saturday Night Live structure its Episodes?
Saturday Night Live is a long-running American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. It has been a fixture of NBC since its premiere on October 11, 1975.
Each 90-minute episode is broadcast live from Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The standard structure includes:
- A topical sketch (often political) that concludes with a cast member shouting, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
- A guest host, typically a celebrity, delivers an opening address.
- Live and pre-taped comedic segments lampooning contemporary culture and politics.
- A satirical news segment, currently anchored by Colin Jost and Michael Che.
- A featured artist or band performs two songs during the broadcast.
Which actors are featured in Stranger Things?
The cast of Stranger Things is a large team that has evolved across its five seasons. As of the final season in 2025, the primary actors and their characters include:
- Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven (El)
- Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
- Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
- Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
- Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
- Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield (Seasons 2–5)
- Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
- Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
- Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
- Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley (Seasons 3–5)
- Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers
- David Harbour as Jim Hopper
- Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman (Seasons 2–5)