After pausing the show due to the ongoing pandemic and the surge of the omicron variant, Saturday Night Live is set to present the first show of the new year on January 15. The NBC late-night comedy show will have West Side Story star Ariana DeBose as host, and pop star Roddy Ricch as the musical guest.
Besides debuting in SNL, DeBose will welcome back the audience on the first show of 2022 after shutting down production due to Covid. According to Deadline, producers plan to bring back the entire cast and crew, and studio audience; however, with the spread of the Covid variant, anything can change last minute.
The publication informed that the show would be streamed live via Peacock at 11:30 pm ET.
In December 2021, Saturday Night Live taped its last show of the year without a live audience, after experts warned of a surge of infections. The decision had an impact on the live sketches who also had a limited cast and included Paul Rudd as host. “I’m extremely disappointed,” Rudd said during the opening monologue.