Overview
- The broadcast is the ninth episode of Saturday Night Live's 51st season.
- Cord-cutters can watch live for free via DIRECTV’s 5-day trial, a workaround noted for those affected by the Fubo–NBCUniversal carriage dispute.
- Ariana Grande marks her third turn as host and fifth overall SNL appearance, following past stints as musical guest in 2014 and host-performer in 2016.
- Cher makes her second appearance as SNL’s musical guest nearly four decades after her 1987 debut, following a contribution to the SNL50 special earlier this year.
- Season 51 follows a cast reshuffle with departures including Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim, and new featured players such as Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska.