Sophia Michaels
Live from 2023, it’s Aubrey Plaza and Michael B. Jordan hosting Saturday Night Live. When the sketch comedy series returns on Jan. 21, the White Lotus and Emily the Criminal star will usher in the new year as host while Sam Smith returns for the third time as musical guest.
The following week, Jordan will lead the cast through the night ahead of the March 3 release of Creed III, which sees him reprising his role as Adonis Creed in addition to making his directorial debut. Lil Baby will join as musical guest on the Jan. 28 episode, marking his solo debut on the Saturday Night Live stage.
Smith returns in anticipation of their fourth studio album Gloria, set for release on Jan. 27, less than a week after their appearance. In August, they will return to New York to take on a much bigger show as they headline Madison Square Garden as part of their newly-announced 27-date North American tour.
Atlanta-born rapper Lil Baby will likely perform cuts from his latest album It’s Only Me, released in October 2022. Though “Heyy” was positioned to be the project’s big hit, his growing audience gravitated more towards heavy-hitters like “In a Minute” and “California Breeze.” Back in 2019, Lil Baby made his first Saturday Night Live appearance as a special guest when DJ Khaled served as musical guest on a Paul Rudd-hosted episode.
Saturday Night Live returns in the new year with one less cast member after Cecily Strong brought her 11-year run to an end following the Austin Butler-hosted year-end episode in December.
