Saturday, July 25, 2026

“SNL” Releases Some Hosts, Music Acts for Fall: Newcomer Billie Eilish, 17, Chosen Over Taylor Swift, 29, for Season Opener

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Taylor Swift is going to have to wait until October 5th to appear on “Saturday Night Live.”

The new season begins on September 28th. But newcomer Billie Eilish got that spot as musical guest, with Woody Harrelson as host.

For Swift, that’s probably not the best news. Her “Lover” album is out now, and an appearance on “SNL” should be ASAP. Eilish as the opener is a bit of an insult. She’s only like 17, right? But the folks at Universal Music have put everything into Eilish. They postponed Lana del Rey’s new album, I’m told, so Eilish could soar. Lana’s album comes out this Friday.

Of the three music acts announced, they’re all poplets: Eilish, Swift, and then Camilla Cabello. No men, no rock. No black people. We won’t see a black host until Eddie Murphy returns to his alma mater on December 21st. The announced hosts so far are Harrelson, Phoebe Waller Bridge, David Harbour, and Kristen Stewart. I’m a little surprised that there’s no Lil Nas X singing “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus. Hmmm…

A looming question for “SNL”: will we see Kate McKinnon? The superstar comedian/actress planted an item in the press earlier this summer suggesting she was done. Alec Baldwin did the same thing. We certainly hope they’re both back! It’s not “SNL” without them!

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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