When Does ‘SNL’ Return? 2021 Premiere Date, Cast Revealed Amid Beck Bennett’s Exit

After months of waiting, “Saturday Night Live” is coming back. The iconic NBC sketch comedy show will premiere its 47th season on Oct. 2 at 11:30 p.m. ET.

Actor Owen Wilson will host and Kacey Musgraves will be the musical guest.

This is the first time Wilson has hosted. He starred in popular films like “Wedding Crashers” and “Zoolander.”

When Wilson makes his debut on “SNL,” he will be joined by several veteran cast members, and some new faces.

On Monday, it was announced Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong, Pete Davidson, Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost, Michael Che, Chris Redd, Heidi Gardner, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Mikey Day, Ego Nwodim, and Melissa Villaseno will all return for the upcoming season.

Last season’s featured players, Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman, have been promoted to regular cast members. Punkie Johnson and Andrew Dismukes will remain in their featured roles on the show.

Meanwhile, Sarah Sherman, Aristotle Athari, and James Austin Johnson will join the cast as featured players.

Sherman has gained attention for her live shows, which use special effects and costumes. Athari was previously a member of the sketch-comedy group “Goatface,” and Johnson has received attention for his impressions.

Beck Bennett and Lauren Holt will not be returning to the show. Although Holt was only on the show for one season, Bennett took on a variety of characters throughout his eight seasons on the NBC program.

Following news of his departure from the series, Bennett shared a post on Instagram, reflecting on his time on the show along with several pictures.

“Love you, SNL. Gonna miss you so much. Thank you for 8 years of remarkable people and incredible experiences that completely changed my life. I had so much fun,” he captioned the post.

In the past, Bennett has been praised for his impression of former Vice President Mike Pence and Russian President Vladimir Putin.