SNL Opens Season 52 Late After Oregon-USC Football Overrun

Saturday Night Live started its 52nd season 16 minutes late across much of America.

The delay came after NBC's college football broadcast ran long. No. 20 Oregon beat No. 12 USC 41-27 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, with the game finishing just over 15 minutes late, according to Deadline.

That overrun pushed back the comedy show on many local stations. Affiliates — local channels that carry NBC programmes — in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Baltimore, Dallas and Charlotte aired the premiere on delay. Stations in New York, Boston, Washington, DC and Miami aired it live.

Viewers on streaming did not wait. The episode went out live on Peacock at its scheduled time despite the delay to linear TV, the traditional broadcast signal.

The night paired two debuts. New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson hosted for the first time, with group Katseye as musical guest, also for the first time, according to Deadline. NBC had billed the 26 September 2026 show as a double debut in advance, according to NBC Insider.

Two new cast members also arrived. Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter made their first appearances as cast members in the premiere.

The show opened with Ramy Youssef as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, visited by James Austin Johnson as President Donald Trump.

Football still shaped the night. The Oregon-USC meeting was a Big Ten Saturday Night game between two former Pac-12 programmes, according to NBC Insider. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was carted off the field and taken to hospital by ambulance after a late hit.

For fans, this means timing depended on where and how they watched. Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and episodes stream the next day on Peacock.

The launch is part of the 2026-2027 television season. It arrived in late September, in the year NBC turns 100.