Paul Mescal to Host Saturday Night Live in December, Shaboozey Set as Musical Guest

Paul Mescal is entering the Colosseum that is Studio 8H. The “Gladiator II” star was revealed to be the next host of “Saturday Night Live” in an interstitial that aired during the Nov. 16 episode featuring Charli XCX as guest. Shaboozey was announced as a musical guest. Mescal and Shaboozey will be featured on the Dec. 7 episode of “SNL,” which will mark the program’s first episode after a three-week hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday. The “SNL” episode will come two weeks after Mescal’s “Gladiator II” hits theaters in North America. In Ridley Scott’s sequel to his 2000 best picture winner, Mescal stars as Hanno, the former heir to the Roman empire now forced to return to his home and fight as a gladiator. The film also stars Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Fred Hechinger, Joseph Quinn and Denzel Washington. RELATED CONTENT: Paul Mescal’s Road to ‘Gladiator II’ Popular on Variety “Saturday Night Live” Season 50 kicked off with host Jean Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll. The schedule rounded out with Nate Bargatze and Coldplay on Oct. 5, Ariana Grande and Stevie Nicks on Oct. 12, Michael Keaton and Billie Eilish on Oct. 19, and John Mulaney and Chappell Roan on Nov. 2. Comedian Bill Burr hosted the post-election episode on Nov. 9 with musical guest Mk.gee, and Charli XCX pulled double-duty on Nov. 16. “Saturday Night Live” is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a live primetime special on Feb. 16. The series airs on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET and streams on Peacock. “SNL” is produced in association with Broadway Video. Lorne Michaels is creator and executive producer.