Overview
- Season 51, Episode 8 aired live Dec. 13 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with next‑day streaming on Peacock.
- First-time host Josh O’Connor used his monologue to joke about fan casting in a hypothetical live-action Ratatouille, saying he would “kill as Linguini.”
- Lily Allen returned as musical guest to perform songs from West End Girl, with Dakota Johnson joining during “Madeline.”
- Critics described the broadcast as uneven, saying sketches frequently underutilized O’Connor and several bits felt weak or disorganized.
- The episode continued a season reshaped by cast turnover, adding featured players Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska.