SNL starts 2021 with hosts John Krasinski, Dan Levy & Regina King

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Saturday Night Live is starting 2021 off strong with five consecutive shows beginning on January 30.

The long-running variety comedy series announced its host and musical guest lineup for the first three episodes on Friday, which include John Krasinski and Machine Gun Kelly (Jan. 30), Dan Levy and Phoebe Bridgers (Feb. 6), and Regina King and Nathaniel Rateliff (Feb. 13). All of the aforementioned hosts and musical acts will be making their SNL debut in the weeks to come, with each intent on promoting a particular project.

Krasinski, who was previously set to host the show for the first time last March before the Covid-19 pandemic kicked into high gear, will be promoting A Quiet Place Part II, while Levy will undoubtedly plug his multi-award-winning series Schitt's Creek. As for King, she'll be reminding viewers of how incredible her Emmy-winning performance in HBO's Watchmen series truly was.

Machine Gun Kelly will be there to promote his newest record, Tickets to my Downfall, while Bridgers is likely to play songs from her Grammy Award-nominated album Punisher. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Rateliff will be sharing his latest single, "Redemption," written for the film Palmer.

Hosts for the remaining shows have yet to be announced, but while I have your attention, I want to throw my hat in the ring for Bridgers' latest album, Punisher. "I hate living by the hospital / The sirens go all night / I used to joke that if they woke you up / Somebody better be dying," Bridgers spookily sings on "Halloween," a delicate, dream-like serenade that's part of a personal collection on Autumnal hymns. With words that sting as much as they do scintillate, Bridgers crushes the subjects of her songs like so many dead leaves beneath carefree feet. Invasive, voyeuristic, and able to reach into your chest with surgical precision, Punisher opens you up to a world populated by ghosts, unraveling emotion, and self-actualization. I highly recommend that you seek it out.