Saturday Night Live kicks off 2026 with Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard following Ariana Grande’s finale hosting

Saturday Night Live will resume its 2026 season with Finn Wolfhard as host, marking his first time in this role.

The announcement was made during the December 2025 SNL Christmas show, hosted by Ariana Grande with Cher as the musical guest.

Wolfhard’s episode is scheduled for January 17, immediately following the holiday break.

He will be joined by A$AP Rocky, who will make his first appearance as a musical guest, having previously appeared in a cameo in 2018 when Donald Glover hosted. Sources include NBC and People.

Everything to know about Saturday Night Live host Finn Wolfhard

Finn Wolfhard’s background in acting

Finn Michael Wolfhard, born December 23, 2002, is a Canadian actor, musician, screenwriter, and director.

He is best known for portraying Mike Wheeler in the Netflix series Stranger Things, which concluded its final season on December 31, 2025.

Wolfhard began his acting career in 2012 with a role sourced from Craigslist, followed by television appearances in The CW’s The 100 and Supernatural in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

He was cast as Richie Tozier in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s It, which began production after he secured the role of Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things.

Other notable film appearances include Dog Days, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Goldfinch, and Pinocchio. Wolfhard also appeared in the 2024 film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and the 2025 film The Legend of Ochi, as per Stranger Things Fandom and IMDb.

Music career and collaborations

Besides his role as an actor, Finn Wolfhard is also a musician. In the year 2017, he established the band named Calpurnia and later on with the former bandmate Malcolm Craig formed the other group called The Aubreys.

Calpurnia launched their Scout EP in 2018 while The Aubreys came up with their first EP titled Soda & Pie in March 2020.

Wolfhard's first solo studio album Happy Birthday was released in June 2025.

He has done a lot around the music such as appearing on TV, making music videos and giving live performances.

A$AP Rocky will perform alongside Wolfhard in his SNL episode, marking his debut as a musical guest on the show, as per Billboard and official band announcements.

Directing and film projects

Wolfhard has a directing as well as an acting career. At the age of 14, he co-directed music videos and then produced the short film Night Shifts in 2020 that took home the Best Director award at the Atlanta Shortsfest.

In the movie Hell of a Summer, he did all three things, he co-wrote, he co-directed and he co-starred.

Wolfhard’s work in directing extends to short films, music videos, and feature-length projects, as per Fantasia International Film Festival records and Atlanta Shortsfest archives.

SNL hosting and previous connections

Wolfhard had already been connected to the SNL franchise previously by playing the role of an NBC page in Jason Reitman's 2024 film Saturday Night, which states the first SNL broadcast in the year 1975.

He was very keen on the idea of doing the Underground Rock Festival sketch again, a sketch that was originally done by Jason Sudeikis and Nasim Pedrad while he was promoting the new episode of SNL.

The sketch involves hosts promoting fictional metal festival lineups through themed commercials, according to People and NBC announcements.

Personal life

Wolfhard completed his education at St. Patrick Regional Secondary School in 2020. His father, Eric Wolfhard, is a researcher in native land claims, and his mother, Mary Jolivet, was a children's clothing designer.

Nick Wolfhard, his elder brother, is in the casting of voice actors. Sources are Stranger Things Fandom.

Finn Wolfhard's SNL performance on January 17, 2026, will not only be his debut but also a hosting one, and it comes right after the one hosted by Ariana Grande.

In this episode, A$AP Rocky will be the one providing the live musical entertainment. Wolfhard’s experience in acting, music, and directing aligns with his participation on the show.

The lineup for the first episode of 2026 was confirmed by an announcement during SNL's Christmas special.

Stay tuned for more updates.