Colman Domingo is all over the place in 2026, including Saturday Night Live. The two-time Oscar-nominee hosted SNL for the first time on April 11, alongside musical guest Anitta. Since this was his hosting debut, Domingo understandably had a hard time saying “no” to sketch pitches from the cast:
Domingo earned back-to-back Best Actor Oscar nominations for Rustin (2023) and Sing Sing (2024), both of which also earned him bids at the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and SAG Actor Awards. He won an Emmy for his guest appearance on HBO’s Euphoria — the third season of which is premiering on Sunday, April 12 — and competed again for his supporting role in Netflix’s The Four Seasons — which will drop its second season on May 28. Domingo will next be seen as Joe Jackson in the Michael Jackson biopic Michael, arriving in theaters April 24, as well as Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, opening June 12.
Saturday Night Live just announced the final three hosts for season 51: Olivia Rodrigo (also musical guest) on May 2; Matt Damon (with musical guest Noah Kahan) on May 9; and Will Ferrell (with musical guest Paul McCartney) on May 16. SNL recently added 11 Emmy Awards to its shelf in September, bringing its overall tally to 112.
Here are the best moments from Domingo’s first hosting gig:
COLD OPEN
It’s been a busy week for President Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson)… on his phone, at least. After dictating his unhinged Easter Day Truth Social post to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (Ashley Padilla) — the one in which he told Iran to “open the F***in’ Strait [of Hormuz]” — Trump assured her she was doing a great job, which is exactly what he told Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem right before he fired them. (Johnson briefly broke the fourth wall to note that Padilla as been pulling triple duty as of late, playing all three women in Trump’s cabinet.) After that, the president started taking a round of phone calls.
First off, Trump called Tiger Woods (Kenan Thompson), who’s in rehab after his recent DUI; since there aren’t any golf courses at rehab, it looks like he won’t be visiting his buddy anytime soon. Next up was an incoming call from a number he didn’t recognize: First Lady Melania Trump (Chloe Fineman). Following her bizarre press conference denying she met her husband through Jeffrey Epstein, Melania offered to do another one about how seldom she partied with Diddy. Finally, Trump checked in with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost), who assured him that Iran “is as obliterated as me on a Saturday night… allegedly.”
OPENING MONOLOGUE
As he took the main stage at Studio 8H for the first time, Colman Domingo let the audience know they’ve probably seen him in something before, be it Fear the Walking Dead, The Four Seasons, or Lincoln (2012). But that’s not all. “I was Carly in I Carly, I was inside C-3PO’s suit, and I’m your uncle,” Domingo said. “I’m in everything, like raisins at a caucasian cookout.” As good of an actor as he is, Domingo’s real talent is for setting a vibe, and he did just that with some music and lighting that got everybody in a good mood.
FASHION DISTRICT ROBBERY
A robbery took place on Fashion Ave, and news reporter Ashley Padilla was on the scene to interview the witnesses, a teacher (Domingo) at the local fashion school and his students. Unfortunately, they were more concerned about the suspects crimes against fashion than his actual crimes, making it hard to identify the criminal… aside from the crocs he was wearing. Now that’s criminal!
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Domingo is the 17th person to host SNL during this 51st season, following Bad Bunny (with musical guest Doja Cat) on Oct. 4; Amy Poehler (with musical guest Role Model) on Oct. 11; Sabrina Carpenter (who was also the musical guest) on Oct. 18; Miles Teller (with musical guest Brandi Carlile) on Nov. 1; Nikki Glaser (with musical guest Sombr) on Nov. 8; Glen Powell (with musical guest Olivia Dean) on Nov. 15; Melissa McCarthy on Dec. 6; Josh O’Connor (with musical guest Lily Allen) on Dec. 13; Ariana Grande (with musical guest Cher) on Dec. 20; Finn Wolfhard (with musical guest A$AP Rocky) on Jan. 17; Teyana Taylor (with musical guest Geese) on Jan. 24; Alexander Skarsgård (with musical guest Cardi B.) on Jan 31; Connor Storrie (with musical guest Mumford & Sons) on Feb. 28; Ryan Gosling (with musical guest Gorillaz) on March 7; Harry Styles (who was also musical guest) on March 14; and Jack Black (with musical guest Jack White) on April 4.
