“Saturday Night Live” has been the comedy hub of television since 1975. Season 48 has been one of the best seasons of the show this decade. With an extremely talented cast paired with refreshingly talented newcomers such as Marcello Hernández and Michael Longfellow. This season has had exceptional hosts and here are the best ones from this season.

5: Austin Butler (December 17th, 2022)

Starting at number five, Austin Butler, fresh off of his summer fame from his movie “Elvis.” The episode began with his monologue where he addresses the rumors that he is faking his voice and referencing his childhood acting roles, he delivered a monologue that fans were waiting to see. Besides that, fans loved the “White Elephant” sketch which was a spinoff on a popular Christmas tradition, and “Jewish Elvis” which was a great homage to Butler’s role. Sarah Sherman’s performance was absolutely hilarious. 

4: Aubrey Plaza (January 21, 2023)

Moving down to number four: Aubrey Plaza. After gaining even more fame for her role in “The White Lotus,” Plaza returned to her home on NBC to host SNL. She reveals in her opening monologue that she used to work in the NBC Page Program before she landed her big role on “Parks and Recreation.” Some highlights from the episode were Amy Pohler returning to Weekend Update, the “Miss Universe” sketch, and “The Black Lotus.”

3: Pedro Pascal (February 4th, 2023)

Then with number three is Pedro Pascal. Pascal became popular at the beginning of 2023 for his hit shows “The Mandalorian” and “The Last Of Us”. Pascal starred in a variety of different sketches and was surprisingly hilarious despite always being cast in serious roles in his career. Some highlights from his episode are the “HBO Mario Kart Trailer” which is a take on “The Last Of Us,” “Protective Mom” and “Waking Up.”

2: Ana De Armas (April 15th, 2023)

Number two is Ana De Armas. A surprise hit, Armas had phenomenal chemistry with the cast making her episode that much funnier. The writers take Armas’ Spanish-speaking abilities and backstory to make some hilarious sketches. The cold open, “First Warm Day of The Year Red Carpet” takes something so simple and turns it into a genius opening. Some hit sketches were “Spanish Class,” “American Girl Doll Movie Trailer,” and “Hangxiety” from Please Don’t Destroy. 

Honorable Mentions:

Some honorable mentions include Megan Thee Stallion who proved her acting chops and had fans on the floor laughing. Megan also was the musical guest for the same episode. Another honorable mention is  Michael B. Jordan when he gave his take on “Jake from State Farm” and “Party In Palm Springs.”

1: Quinta Brunson (April 1st, 2023)

Finally at number one is Quinta Brunson. Brunson is most famously known for her work on the TV show “Abbott Elementary”. Within her episode, there is not a single sketch that fell short and she proves her range as an actor. Some highlights from her episode include “Traffic Altercation,” “Drug Dealer,” and “Bridesmaid Cult Documentary.”

Pete Davidson was scheduled to host on May 6th, 2023, with musical guest Lil Uzi Vert, but due to the Writers Guild of America strikes the show has been canceled and production has been halted.

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