Dakota Johnson hosts “Saturday Night Live” tonight, Oct. 3, marking her third time fronting the long-running NBC sketch show. The episode also lands a day before her birthday on Oct. 4, making her just the sixth host in the show’s history to appear on an episode airing on their birthday.
Johnson first hosted “SNL” in 2015 while promoting “Fifty Shades of Grey,” then returned in January 2024 to promote “Madame Web.” Ahead of tonight’s episode, the show released several promos featuring Johnson alongside cast member Ashley Padilla.
Hardcore punk band Turnstile will make its “SNL” debut as tonight’s musical guest.
The episode airs live coast-to-coast at 11:30 p.m. ET and 8:30 p.m. PT, though viewers should note possible delays tied to college football coverage, as happened last weekend.
How to watch
Viewers without cable can stream the episode through a live TV service. DIRECTV offers a five-day free trial and $30 off the first month, with its Choice plan carrying NBC among more than 125 channels.
The episode is also available through a Peacock Premium free trial, which runs seven days before converting to a $16.99 monthly subscription. Peacock typically posts full “SNL” episodes for streaming on Sunday mornings.
Tonight’s show is part of “SNL” Season 52, which brought in only two new cast hires this year after last season’s cast grew by five.
