Fresh off his success as leading man in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Chris Pratt will kick off the 40th season of “Saturday Night Live” as host, with Ariana Grande joining him as musical guest on the Sept. 27 premiere, NBC announced Wednesday.
Sarah Silverman will host the second episode of the season, to air Oct. 4, with Maroon 5 as musical guest.
The announcement of Pratt’s hosting gig comes as little surprise, seeing how Disney’s “Guardians” is still ruling the box office. Coming up, he has the final season of “Parks and Recreation,” “Jurassic World” and a “Guardians” sequel, while Grande recently released sophomore album “My Everything.” It’s the “SNL” debut for both Pratt and Grande.
It marks a return, however, for Silverman and Maroon 5. Silverman was a cast member for the 1993-1994 season, though this will be her first time hosting, and Maroon 5 has appeared on the show four times before.
Prior to Wednesday’s announcement, there were rumors that Bill Murray, whose new film “St. Vincent” just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, would host the show. NBC has yet to announce the host of the third episode.
Variety
