Team Janine! Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson will take over hosting duties for NBC’s Saturday Night Live on April 1.
Producers of the long-running comedy sketch show announced the lineup for the coming weeks on Twitter, which includes Brunson, and musical guest Lil Yachty, who will also be making his first appearance on the show.
The hosting gig will no doubt be another career milestone for Quinta, who has taken home an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a SAG award this year alongside her Abbott Elementary co-stars. The show, which Brunson created, has quickly become one of the must-see shows on television with her castmates Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter and Chris Perfetti winning over new fans each week. Lil Yachty is also making his way back into the limelight with his new album, Let’s Start Here. It peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Album chart. The rapper has been busy producing some of our favorite tracks from other artists including Drake & 21 Savage‘s “BackOutsideBoyz” and “Privileged Rappers” from their 2022 offering, Her Loss, in his free time.
Brunson’s episode of Saturday Night Live will also mark the first since the SNL editors and post-production staff and NBC reached a new tentative deal that will give them 60% pay increases over a three-year contract. The deal staves off a strike that would have taken place this week.
“Thanks to the tremendous resolve of the crew, we reached a deal that represents real achievement in each of the areas our members identified as key, including dramatic improvements in wages,” said Cathy Repola, National Executive Director of Motion Picture Editors Guild. “We’ll defer detailed public discussion of the terms until after our negotiators have had a chance to meet with the full crew to review the deal and hold a ratification vote.”
We now have Saturday plans!