Aubrey Plaza is heading to Saturday Night Live. The first hosts have been revealed for the return of the sketch comedy series when it comes back to NBC on Jan. 21, with Plaza kicking things off accompanied by musical guest Sam Smith, per NBC. This marks the SNL hosting debut for the Parks and Rec star, while Smith previously appeared as the musical guest in 2014 and 2017. Smith also appeared on SNL in 2015 to join musical guest Disclosure for one song.
Plaza might be new to SNL, but she’s long been a popular name in comedy, going back to her long-running role as April Ludgate in the hit show Parks and Recreation. More recently, Plaza, who also garnered significant praise for her role in Legion, has been doing voiceover work for the adult animated series Little Demon. Plaza also recently appeared in the acclaimed HBO series The White Lotus, and her role earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. She is also set to appear in the upcoming WandaVision spinoff series Agatha: Coven of Chaos, making her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Plaza also recently appeared in the film Emily the Criminal, following roles in films like Child’s Play, Black Bear, and Best Sellers. She was also cast by Francis Ford Coppola to join the ensemble cast of the filmmaker’s upcoming epic, Megalopolis. With Plaza continuing to ascend in Hollywood, it may have been only a matter of time before the actress, who has experience with performing sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, served as a host of Saturday Night Live.
Michael B. Jordan and Lil Baby Will Follow
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NBC has also announced that the Jan. 28 episode of SNL will be hosted by Michael B. Jordan, who’s currently working on the anticipated sequel Creed III. Like Plaza, this will be Jordan’s debut as an SNL host. Lil Baby serves as musical guest for the episode, and while this is the first time he’s been the official musical guest, he previously appeared on a 2019 episode. He joined DJ Khaled, who was the show’s musical guest for Paul Rudd, for a guest spot on stage.
SNL returns with Aubrey Plaza and Sam Smith on Jan. 21, 2023, followed by Michael B. Jordan and Lil Baby on Jan. 28, 2023. The episodes will also be made available to stream on Peacock.
