# Saturday Night Live season 46

The forty-sixth season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 3, 2020, during the 2020–21 television season with host Chris Rock and musical guest Megan Thee Stallion, and concluded on May 22, 2021, with host Anya Taylor-Joy and musical guest Lil Nas X. With the previous season cut short amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the show instead airing three remotely produced episodes referred to as Saturday Night Live at Home, the season premiere marked the return to Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Lorne Michaels said that the show aimed to have a "limited" in-studio audience, and that they would "work closely with Gov. Cuomo's team."

## Cast

On September 15, 2020, it was announced that the entire cast from last season would be returning, with Ego Nwodim, who had been a featured player since 2018, being promoted to repertory status, while Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang, both of whom had been hired in 2019 for the previous season, remained as featured players.
On September 16, prior to the start of the season, SNL staff writer Andrew Dismukes, Upright Citizens Brigade alum Lauren Holt, and stand-up comedian Punkie Johnson were added to the cast as featured players. The same day of Dismukes, Holt, and Johnson's additions to the cast, it was announced that Alec Baldwin and Maya Rudolph, though not members of the cast, would reprise their respective roles as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, while Jim Carrey would take over impersonating Joe Biden. Biden had been portrayed by Jason Sudeikis while he was vice president and by Woody Harrelson, John Mulaney, and Sudeikis the previous season. On December 19, Carrey announced he would step down from playing Biden, stating it was the original intention that he would play Biden for only six weeks. Current cast member Alex Moffat succeeded Carrey to portray as Biden during the cold open of the episode hosted by Kristen Wiig.
Cecily Strong was absent from the first six episodes of the season due to filming commitments for her Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon!. Aidy Bryant appeared in the season premiere before taking an extended absence due to filming commitments for her Hulu show Shrill. Both Strong and Bryant were still credited as cast members throughout the season.
This was the final season for longtime cast member Beck Bennett, who had been on the show since 2013, a total of 8 seasons. It was also Lauren Holt's only season on the show.

### Cast roster

bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor

## Writers

Prior to the start of the season, writing supervisor Anna Drezen (who had been a writer on the show since 2016) was promoted to co-head writer alongside Michael Che, Colin Jost, and Kent Sublette, making her the first female head writer since Sarah Schneider. (Drezen had spent the last 1½ year as writing supervisor)
Additionally, Celeste Yim was added to the writing staff.
After the Kristen Wiig-hosted episode, writer Sam Jay left the show (Jay had been a writer for 3½ seasons, starting in 2017).
This would also be the final season for longtime writing supervisors Fran Gillespie and Sudi Green (who had been written on the show for since 2015), as they both left the show, after six years (they had both also previously spent four years as writing supervisors, starting in 2017). However, Green has returned for the show for the first 7 episodes of its 50th season.
Fellow writer Gary Richardson would not write for the next season, but would return in season 48.
This would also be the final season for Dan Licata and Emma Clark as writers (who both joined the writing staff back in 2019, after just two seasons).

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Host | Musical guest | Original release date | Ratings/ Share |
| 890 | 1 | Chris Rock | Megan Thee Stallion | October 3, 2020 (2020-10-03) | 5.6 |
| Megan Thee Stallion performs "Savage" with pre-recorded vocals from Beyoncé, Malcolm X and Tamika Mallory, and "Don't Stop" with Young Thug. Stallion also appears in the pre-recorded "Bottom of Your Face" and "NBA Bubble Draft". In the cold open: Alec Baldwin appears as Donald Trump, Jim Carrey appears as Joe Biden, Maya Rudolph appears as Kamala Harris, and Harry Styles appears as himself, though the latter appears via pre-recorded footage. Rudolph also appears in "NBA Bubble Draft". The cold open generated controversy among conservatives who claimed that it was inappropriate to satirize Trump while he was hospitalized. Baldwin defended his portrayal of Trump saying that based on news released by the White House, Trump was not gravely ill, and that the satire was about Trump's debate performance, not about his illness. The episode pays tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died two weeks prior, with McKinnon portraying Justice Ginsburg silently sitting in the audience at the end of Weekend Update, followed by a card honoring the late justice. Maddie Rice debuts as a member of the Saturday Night Live Band and appears in a commercial bumper performing a guitar solo during the final commercial break. Andrew Dismukes, Lauren Holt and Punkie Johnson's first episode as cast members. This episode marks the show's return to Studio 8H since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. ||||||
| 891 | 2 | Bill Burr | Jack White | October 10, 2020 (2020-10-10) | 4.7 |
| Jack White performs a medley of "Don't Hurt Yourself", "Ball and Biscuit" and Blind Willie Johnson's "Jesus is Coming Soon" for his first set and "Lazaretto" for his second. Jim Carrey and Maya Rudolph appear in the cold open. Rudolph portrays Kamala Harris and Carrey portrays Joe Biden, Jeff Goldblum, and Seth Brundle, Goldblum's character from the 1986 film The Fly. Jason Momoa appears in the pre-recorded "Enough is Enough" sketch. The episode pays multiple tributes to Eddie Van Halen, who had died earlier in the week: footage of him performing with the Robert Cray Band from season 12 is shown before the goodnights, White uses a guitar designed especially for him by Van Halen during his performance of "Lazaretto", and Burr wears a Van Halen shirt during the goodnights. ||||||
| 892 | 3 | Issa Rae | Justin Bieber | October 17, 2020 (2020-10-17) | 4.5 |
| Justin Bieber performs "Holy" with Chance the Rapper and "Lonely" with Benny Blanco on keyboard. Bieber and Chance also appear in Kyle Mooney's pre-recorded "Dancer" sketch. Alec Baldwin, Jim Carrey, and Maya Rudolph appear as Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris, respectively, in the cold open. Rudolph also appears in "Your Voice Chicago", in a parody of Diamond and Silk ||||||
| 893 | 4 | Adele | H.E.R. | October 24, 2020 (2020-10-24) | 5.0 |
| H.E.R. performs "Damage" and "Hold On". Alec Baldwin, Jim Carrey, and Maya Rudolph appear in the "Final Presidential Debate" cold open as Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Kristen Welker, respectively. Rudolph also appears in the "Visiting Grandma" sketch and the pre-recorded "Ass Angel Jeans" sketch. ||||||
| 894 | 5 | John Mulaney | The Strokes | October 31, 2020 (2020-10-31) | 4.7 |
| The Strokes perform "The Adults Are Talking" and "Bad Decisions". Jim Carrey and Maya Rudolph appear in the cold open as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, respectively. Rudolph also appears as the Statue of Liberty in "New York Musical" sketch. ||||||
| 895 | 6 | Dave Chappelle | Foo Fighters | November 7, 2020 (2020-11-07) | 9.1 million |
| The Foo Fighters perform "Shame Shame" and "Times Like These". Alec Baldwin, Jim Carrey, and Maya Rudolph appear in the cold open as Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris, respectively. Baldwin also makes a vocal cameo as Trump in "DC Morning", and he and Rudolph appear in "Uncle Ben" sketch, with Rudolph appearing as Aunt Jemima. A rerun that aired on September 18, 2021 paid tribute to former cast member and Weekend Update anchor Norm Macdonald, who died earlier in the week. ||||||
| 896 | 7 | Jason Bateman | Morgan Wallen | December 5, 2020 (2020-12-05) | 6.1 million |
| Morgan Wallen performs "7 Summers" and "Still Goin' Down" and appears in "Morgan Wallen Party", a sketch parodying the events leading up to the cancellation of his appearance in the second episode of the season. Eminem appears in the pre-recorded "Stu" sketch, which itself parodied his song "Stan". Cecily Strong returns after not appearing on the first six episodes of the season. The January 16, 2021 repeat of this episode featured a clip of former band member Howard Johnson, who had died earlier in the week, performing with his band Gravity in 1978. ||||||
| 897 | 8 | Timothée Chalamet | Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band | December 12, 2020 (2020-12-12) | 6.7 million |
| Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band perform "Ghosts" and "I'll See You in My Dreams" E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent elects not to perform due to COVID-19 concerns. He is replaced by Jack Daley of Little Steven's Disciples of Soul band. This is the first performance by the E Street Band without Tallent since the band's inception in 1973. Chalamet's mother, Nicole Flender, appears in the opening monologue. Jimmy Fallon appears in the pre-recorded "Tiny Horse" sketch. Questlove appears in the "XXL Rap Roundtable" sketch. During the goodnights, Chalamet wore a hoodie with the Legendary Pictures logo on it, in response to the news that Dune, which he starred in and was produced by Legendary but distributed by Warner Bros., would be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. ||||||
| 898 | 9 | Kristen Wiig | Dua Lipa | December 19, 2020 (2020-12-19) | 6.3 million |
| Dua Lipa performs "Don't Start Now" and "Levitating" and appears in the "U.S.O. Performance" sketch. Maya Rudolph appears in the cold open as Kamala Harris, and appears in the opening monologue. ||||||
| 899 | 10 | John Krasinski | Machine Gun Kelly | January 30, 2021 (2021-01-30) | 4.4 |
| Machine Gun Kelly performs "my ex's best friend" and "Lonely". Before the goodnights, a photo of Cicely Tyson, who died two days before the episode aired, is shown in silence. ||||||
| 900 | 11 | Dan Levy | Phoebe Bridgers | February 6, 2021 (2021-02-06) | 4.2 |
| Phoebe Bridgers performs "Kyoto" and "I Know the End". Levy's father, Eugene Levy, appears in the opening monologue. ||||||
| 901 | 12 | Regina King | Nathaniel Rateliff | February 13, 2021 (2021-02-13) | 4.1 |
| Nathaniel Rateliff performs "Redemption" and "A Little Honey" with the Night Sweats. ||||||
| 902 | 13 | Regé-Jean Page | Bad Bunny | February 20, 2021 (2021-02-20) | 4.2 |
| Bad Bunny performs "La Noche de Anoche" with Rosalía and "Te Deseo Lo Mejor" and appears in the pre-recorded "Loco" sketch and in the live-recorded "Sea Shanty" sketch. ||||||
| 903 | 14 | Nick Jonas | Nick Jonas | February 27, 2021 (2021-02-27) | 4.1 |
| Nick Jonas performs "Spaceman" and "This is Heaven" with SNL bandleader Lenny Pickett on saxophone. Nick's brother Kevin Jonas appears in the opening monologue and introduces Nick's second performance. Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd introduce Nick's first performance. ||||||
| 904 | 15 | Maya Rudolph | Jack Harlow | March 27, 2021 (2021-03-27) | 3.6 |
| Jack Harlow performs a medley of "Tyler Herro" and "Whats Poppin" for his first set and "Same Guy" with Adam Levine for his second set. He also appears in the pre-recorded "NFTs". Martin Short appears as Doug Emhoff in "Kamala Harris Unity Seder" sketch. Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch appear in the pre-recorded "The Maya-ing" sketch. ||||||
| 905 | 16 | Daniel Kaluuya | St. Vincent | April 3, 2021 (2021-04-03) | 3.6 |
| St. Vincent performs "Pay Your Way in Pain" and "The Melting of the Sun". ||||||
| 906 | 17 | Carey Mulligan | Kid Cudi | April 10, 2021 (2021-04-10) | 3.6 |
| Kid Cudi performs "Tequila Shots" and "Sad People" and appears in the pre-recorded "Weird Little Flute" sketch. Mulligan's husband, Marcus Mumford, appears in the opening monologue. Timothée Chalamet appears in the pre-recorded "Weird Little Flute" sketch. After Update, a photo of Anne Beatts, a longtime SNL writer who died earlier in the week, was shown in silence. Before the goodnights, a photo of rapper DMX, who died the day before, is shown in silence. ||||||
| 907 | 18 | Elon Musk | Miley Cyrus | May 8, 2021 (2021-05-08) | 4.7 |
| Miley Cyrus performs "Without You" with The Kid Laroi and "Plastic Hearts", appears in the cold open singing "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" originally performed by her godmother, Dolly Parton, and appears in the pre-recorded "Chad on Mars" sketch. Cyrus' mother Tish Cyrus also appears in the cold open. The mothers of the cast (excluding Michael Che, Alex Moffat, and Andrew Dismukes) appear in the cold open. Musk's mother Maye Musk appears in the opening monologue. Grimes, Musk's then partner, appears as Princess Peach in the Wario trial sketch. For the first time in the series, this episode was live-streamed internationally on YouTube to over 100 countries. ||||||
| 908 | 19 | Keegan-Michael Key | Olivia Rodrigo | May 15, 2021 (2021-05-15) | 3.5 |
| Olivia Rodrigo performs "Drivers License" and "Good 4 U", with both performances accompanied by Dan Nigro playing guitar. SNL writer Steven Castillo appears during the opening monologue as an audience member. SNL writer Gary Richardson appears in the "High School Graduation" sketch. ||||||
| 909 | 20 | Anya Taylor-Joy | Lil Nas X | May 22, 2021 (2021-05-22) | 3.5 |
| Lil Nas X performs "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" and "Sun Goes Down" and appears in the pre-recorded "It's Pride Again" sketch. Chris Rock and long time production designer Akira Yoshimura appear in the cold open. After Update, a picture of Charles Grodin, who died earlier in the week, is shown. SNL writer Celeste Yim appears in the pre-recorded “It’s Pride Again” sketch. Beck Bennett and Lauren Holt's final episode as cast members. ||||||

## Specials

| Title | Original release date | Ratings/ Share |
| "The 2020 SNL Election Special" | November 2, 2020 (2020-11-02) | N/A |
| A special showing of all fan-favorite SNL political sketches. |||