Pedro Pascal Joins 2023 ‘Saturday Night Live’ Lineup For Hosting Debut With Musical Guest Coldplay
Saturday Night Live saw the entirety of the internet thirsting over Pedro Pascal this week and decided to do everyone a favor and let him host the Feb. 4 show. As the third host of the year, following episodes helmed by Aubrey Plaza and Michael B. Jordan, Pascal will be joined by musical guests Coldplay.
Pascal currently stars in the HBO drama series The Last of Us, based on the video game of the same name, which premiered earlier this month. Predicted to be the network’s next big hit, the series is set 20 years after a zombie apocalypse. Pascal leads as Joel, a father tasked with leading a 14-year-old named Ellie on a journey across a destroyed country.
Coldplay, meanwhile, are still in the midst of promoting their latest album Music of the Spheres, which visited stadiums on an international tour last year. The band recently announced another round of North American tour dates.
When the sketch comedy series returned on Jan. 21, White Lotus and Emily the Criminal star Plaza ushered in the new year as host while Sam Smith returned for the third time as musical guest.
This weekend, Jordan will lead the cast through the night ahead of the March 3 release of Creed III, which sees him reprising his role as Adonis Creed in addition to making his directorial debut. Lil Baby will join as musical guest on the Jan. 28 episode, marking his solo debut on the Saturday Night Live stage.
Smith returned in anticipation of their fourth studio album Gloria, set for release on Jan. 27, with a performance of “Unholy” during which their collaborator Kim Petras popped out from beneath their dress. In August, Smith will return to New York to take on a much bigger show as they headline Madison Square Garden as part of their newly-announced 27-date North American tour.
Atlanta-born rapper Lil Baby will likely perform cuts from his latest album It’s Only Me, released in October 2022. Though “Heyy” was positioned to be the project’s big hit, his growing audience gravitated more towards heavy-hitters like “In a Minute” and “California Breeze.” Back in 2019, Lil Baby made his first Saturday Night Live appearance as a special guest when DJ Khaled served as musical guest on a Paul Rudd-hosted episode.
Saturday Night Live returns in the new year with one less cast member after Cecily Strong brought her 11-year run to an end following the Austin Butler-hosted year-end episode in December.
