‘SNL 50’ Becomes Most-Watched Season in Three Years, Hitting 8.1 Million Average Viewers After One Week

“Saturday Night Live” just came off of its most-watched season in three years.

Season 50 hit an average of 8.1 million viewers according to Live + 7 data from Nielsen, meaning that seven days of viewing per episode were accounted for. That marks an increase of 12% compared to Season 49, in addition to representing the highest average since Season 47, which aired from the fall of 2021 to the spring of 2022.

This season’s average is especially impressive when considering that it does not account for the massive viewership of “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” which aired on Feb. 16 to 14.8 million viewers. That total increased to 22.8 million after 35 days of viewing across platforms, NBCUniversal reports.

Among adults ages 18-49, “SNL” was the No. 1 broadcast series of the 2024-2025 season, excluding sports and news programming, and the No. 1 broadcast or cable comedy for the sixth season running.

Additionally, “SNL” finds a significant portion of its audience on social media, where Season 50 and the anniversary special reached a total of 7.7 billion views according to NBCUniversal. The Oct. 12 episode, which was headlined by Ariana Grande and Stevie Nicks, was the most-watched on social with 712 million views. “Domingo: Bridesmaid Speech,” which was part of Grande and Nicks’ episode, was the most-watched sketch on social with 171 million views

“To see the show honor its legacy while still pushing boundaries was incredible. The strong ratings this season are a testament to how deeply ‘SNL’ continues to resonate with audiences,” said Katie Hockmeyer, executive vice president of late night at NBCUniversal Entertainment. “After five decades, ‘SNL’ remains a powerful force in shaping culture and making us laugh week after week.”