Druski-Hosted SNL Gets Highest Ratings in Two Years

A quick note to other media journalists: LateNighter pays to license Nielsen audience data to independently cover late-night TV viewership trends. If these numbers inform your own report, please credit and link to this article. We appreciate collegial courtesy and this helps to perpetuate this reporting.

Premiere on LateNighter: One week after hitting the heights of the Halloween season, Saturday evening live did it again. This weekend’s episode, hosted by Druski with musical guest The Strokes, attracted the series’ largest audience in two years, both among total viewers and in the key 18-49 demo.

According to Nielsen Live+Same Day data, Saturday’s episode averaged 5.6 million total viewers and 1.5 million adults 18-49.

This represents an 8% increase in total viewers and an 18% gain in the demo compared to last week’s Halloween episode, hosted by Inde Navarrette, which itself delivered the best ratings of the season for the show.

The year-over-year comparisons are even more striking. Compared to last season’s fifth episode, hosted by Nikki Glaser with musical guest Dark, Druski’s episode was up 39% among total viewers and 105% in the demo, more than double the show’s audience in the 18-49 demographic.

Druski had help, as did Inde Navarrette a week earlier. Notes for SNLCollege football starts have soared over the past two weeks, with Nielsen Live + Same Day audiences more than doubling those for the first three weeks of the season. Last Saturday’s Miami-Notre Dame game averaged 8.5 million viewers, including 2.4 million adults 18-49. A week earlier, the Ohio State-USC game drew 6.6 million total viewers and 1.8 million in the demo.

To find the last time SNL attracted a wider audience, one would have to go back to November 2, 2024, when John Mulaney hosted with musical guest Chappell Roan. That episode, which featured a surprise appearance by then-Vice President Kamala Harris three days before the presidential election, averaged 6.8 million total viewers and 1.7 million adults 18-49.

As it happens, this weekend’s episode also featured a surprise post-election guest: Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico, who appeared alongside James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump during the show’s cold open, just four days after his historic victory over Republican Ken Paxton.

This week’s numbers will increase once Nielsen’s Live+3 audiences, which represent three days of delayed viewing, are available. The October 31 episode, for example, attracted 1.3 million viewers in the three days following its broadcast, reaching 6.5 million viewers in total, while its 18-49 audience increased by 23% to almost 1.6 million.

Of course, linear TV ratings only tell part of the story, especially among younger viewers. Live + Same Day numbers do not include live viewing on Peacock or the show’s performance on social platforms. On YouTube, Talarico’s cold open from Saturday has already become the most-watched video of Season 52, surpassing 11 million views as of Tuesday afternoon.

Can the show continue to grow from here? In somewhat fortuitous planning, the host of the last SNL The episode intended to attract a wider audience is next: John Mulaney returns for his seventh hosting stint this Saturday, joined by musical guest Phoebe Bridgers.

Episode-by-episode Nielsen ratings charts for SNLThe 52nd season to date follows below.

Live+SD Ratings – All Viewers (P2+)

Live+SD Notes – In the demo (P18-49)

Get stories like this delivered to your inbox: Sign up for LateNighter’s free daily newsletter.