With Season 52 in full swing, Saturday Night Live welcomed Dakota Johnson back to Studio 8H. Johnson previously headlined SNL during seasons 40 (2015) and 49 (2024), also appearing in Season 51 (2025) as “Madeline” for musical guest Lily Allen. She hosted this week alongside musical guest Turnstile.
Johnson was there to promote her new film Verity, and recently promoted rep player Ashley Padilla had some strong words for anyone who wouldn’t be seeing it in theaters this weekend:
Here are the best moments from Dakota Johnson’s latest hosting gig.
COLD OPEN
With the midterms coming up, the Republican National Committee hoped to inspire turnout by recording video messages from some of their star politicians. After trying and failing with a Spanish-speaking Marco Rubio (Marcello Hernández), a wheelchair-bound Mitch McConnell (Mikey Day), and a rizz-less J.D. Vance (Jeremy Culhane), the video team (Andrew Dismukes and Ashley Padilla) brought out a drunken Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) to do some slam poetry about all the different minorities who are no longer allowed to serve in the military. Finally, President Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) arrived against their best wishes to ramble about Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s lazy eye and record a victory message that sounds exactly like a concession speech.
OPENING MONOLOGUE
As Dakota Johnson took to the stage in a skin-tight red dress, she expressed her excitement about hosting SNL tonight, as she’ll be celebrating her birthday at the stroke of midnight doing what she always does on her special day: “Stand in the middle of midtown in a latex dress looking for attention.” The last time she hosted SNL, she was there to promote Madame Web, and she’s still promoting it because “the movie hasn’t made any money yet.” Actually, she was there to promote Verity, in which she has a make-out scene with a newly-pregnant Anne Hathaway (“You do the math,” she joked).
Mostly, Johnson talked about her frequent romantic entanglements with musicians, joking that whenever she goes to a concert she leaves with a two year relationship. Among the healthier relationships she has is with her musician therapist, Taylor Swift, who dropped by to crash the monologue. Swift returned at the end of the show to give Johnson a birthday cake.
PRESS YOUR LUCK
After admitting she agreed to host the Press Your Luck revival when she was blind drunk, Elizabeth Banks (Johnson) contended with Sherry (Padilla), an enthusiastic player who kept pressing her luck despite winning and losing (and winning and losing again) more money than anyone had ever won in the shows history. Although she had $5 million in the bank, Sherry really wanted to win a lifetime supply of Advil (which her competitors kept reminding her she could easily buy with her winnings).
MEAN SCARY GIRLFRIEND
Johnson poked fun at her own image with the SNL ad for Mean, Scary Girlfriend. Admit it, guys: you secretly want one.
GUNS FOR WOMEN
If you’re a woman who doesn’t like the idea of carrying a firearm, fear not: Johnson has a brand new gun designed especially for women, one that comes in the shape of a female body part that needs to be blurred out so as not to run afoul of broadcast censors.
Johnson is the second host for Saturday Night Live‘s 52nd season, following Jalen Brunson (with musical guest Katseye) on Sept. 26. Next up on the SNL stage will be Shane Gillis (with musical guest Rosalía) on Oct. 10; and Inde Navarrette (with musical guest Gracie Abrams) on Oct. 31. SNL just won another Emmy in September, bringing its record-holding total to 114.
SNL added two new featured players to its roster for Season 52: Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter. All of the Season 51 cast members are returning except for Chloe Fineman (plus Bowen Yang, who departed after the Christmas episode). Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline have been promoted to repertory players this season.
