Dave Chappelle Named First ‘SNL’ Host Of 2025

Comedian Dave Chappelle was named the first host of “Saturday Night Live” in 2025.

NBC shared the news on Friday while also announcing that actor Timothée Chalamet will host the following week as well as perform as a musical guest. The network also announced a February anniversary special.

Dave Chappelle and “Saturday Night Live” will return to NBC on Jan. 18.

NBC announced that Dave Chappelle would be the first host of “Saturday Night Live” with a statement on Jan. 10.

“Live from New York, ‘Saturday Night Live’ is kicking off 2025 with two superstar Hosts and Musical Guests you won’t want to miss,” said the NBC announcement. “As the show celebrates its landmark 50 years on NBC, Season 50 has already featured 10 excellent Hosts — and it’s enlisted two returning Hosts to kick off the second half of this cycle.”

“Dave Chappelle hosts the first 2025 episode of ‘Saturday Night Live’ on January 18. The Emmy-winning stand-up comedian and actor, who has hosted post-election episodes in past years (most recently in November 2022), will come back to Studio 8H on January 18. This will be his fourth turn as Host.”

The NBC announcement also named rapper GloRilla as the musical guest for Chappelle’s episode. The first episode of 2025 will be the recording artist’s “SNL” debut.

“GloRilla will make her SNL debut as the episode’s Musical Guest,” read the announcement. “The multi-platinum-selling rapper is also a Grammy nominee, receiving two nods for her hit single “Yeah Glo!”

“Dune” star Timothée Chalamet will host “SNL” in 2025 as a musical guest. The 29-year-old actor is currently starring as musician Bob Dylan in the film, “A Complete Unknown.”

“On January 25, ‘A Complete Unknownstar’ Timothée Chalamet returns for a third stint as SNL host,” read the statement. “The actor plays singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in the film, though there’s no word yet on what Chalamet will be singing — or rapping? — in Studio 8H.”

The statement continued, “The Dune star is also set to make his debut as the episode’s Musical Guest, putting him on the impressive list of ‘double duty’ celebrities who’ve been Host and Musical Guest in the same episode.”

Other celebrities who hosted “SNL” while also performing as musical guests include Paul Simon, Lily Tomlin, Ray Charles and Dolly Parton, Sting, Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones and more.

NBC also noted in the announcement that Chappelle was nominated for a Grammy Award for his Netflix special, “Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer.” The 51-year-old is a nominee for Best Comedy Album for his comedy special at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards

“His latest special, ‘Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer,’ is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album,” read the announcement.

Chappelle won a Grammy Award last year for Best Comedy Album for his special, “Dave Chappelle: What’s In A Name?” The comedian also won Best Comedy Album for “Dave Chappelle: The Closer” at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards the previous year.

“The Dreamer” made headlines after many condemned jokes he made about trans people during the special. The comedian told one trans joke while telling the story about meeting fellow comedian Jim Carrey on the set of “Man in the Moon.”

Carrey played the late comedian Andy Kaufman biopic the method actor stayed in character during the meeting. Chappelle said he was grateful to have witnessed Carrey’s creative transformation but disappointed.

“In hindsight, how f-cking lucky am I?” said Chappelle. “That I got to see one of the greatest artists of my time immersed in one of his most challenging processes ever? Very lucky to have seen that, but as it was happening, it was very disappointing.”

He continued, “I wanted to meet Jim Carrey and I had to pretend this n—a was Andy Kaufman. All afternoon, he was clearly Jim Carrey. I could look at him and I could see he was Jim Carrey. Anyway, I say all that to say, that’s how trans people make me feel.”

In Chappelle’s 2021 special, “The Closer,” the comedian claimed that he wouldn’t tell any more trans jokes in reference to the backlash he received from jokes he told in another special, “Dave Chappelle: Sticks and Stones.”

“I’m not f-cking with those people anymore. It wasn’t worth the trouble. I ain’t saying sh-t about them. Maybe three or four times tonight, but that’s it,” he joked. “I’m tired of talking about them.”

“To be honest with you, I’ve been trying to repair my relationship with the transgender community, ’cause I don’t want them to think that I don’t like them,” he continued. “You know how I’ve been repairing it? I wrote a play. I did. Cause I know that gays love plays,” he joked. “It’s a very sad play, but it’s moving. It’s about a Black transgender woman whose pronoun is, sadly, n—-a. It’s a tear-jerker. At the end of the play she dies of loneliness cause white liberals don’t know how to speak to her. It’s sad.”