![\"SNL](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/snlseason51cast1500.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Mary Ellen Matthews\/NBC\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
As Saturday Night Live<\/a> hits the halfway point of its four-month summer hiatus, show insiders tell LateNighter that Season 52 will premiere on September 26, 2026.<\/p>\n That will make this year\u2019s season opener the earliest for SNL since 2012, when Season 38 premiered on September 15.<\/p>\n If the show\u2019s usual cadence holds, the fall run will consist of three blocks of three consecutive episodes, culminating in a December 19 Christmas show. Typically a festive, star-studded affair, the holiday episode often ranks among SNL\u2019s highest-rated broadcasts of the season.<\/p>\n Seven-season SNL veteran Chloe Fineman<\/a> was the first cast member to announce her departure<\/a> earlier this month. The next few weeks could bring news of more cast exits, as SNL contracts typically expire on August 1, although the new season\u2019s cast likely won\u2019t be finalized until sometime after that.<\/p>\n August has historically been the month for in-studio auditions as Lorne Michaels<\/a> and his team scout for new cast members. That process has already begun, with show reps spotted at Montreal\u2019s Just For Laughs festival last week.<\/p>\n