Saturday Night Live just wrapped up its 51st season, and what a wild ride it's been. After celebrating its golden anniversary, the show underwent a major cast shake-up: veterans like Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, and Bowen Yang (who announced his exit in December 2025) departed, while newcomers Ben Marshall, Veronika Slowikowska, and others joined the ensemble. Despite the changes, SNL remains its usual inconsistent self—some nights soar, others crash, and most land somewhere in between. But one constant is the guest host, who must learn lines, pick sketches, and collaborate with the cast in just one week. With 20 hosts this season, we've ranked every single one based on comedic highs, overall consistency, host performance, and musical acts (when applicable). Here's our definitive ranking.
20. Amy Poehler (Episode 2)
Beloved former cast member Amy Poehler returned, but her episode fell flat. The cold open and intro lacked laughs, and sketches like "Psychic Talk Show" and "The Rudemans" never took off. "Work Birth" was more weird than funny, and "The Hunting Wives Season 2" underwhelmed despite an Aubrey Plaza cameo. The highlight was "Emo Mom," where Poehler played a menopausal mother going through teenage phases—her best character of the night. But even that couldn't salvage the rest. Her Weekend Update appearance felt like a half-baked reunion. As a veteran, Poehler knows you can't win 'em all, but this was a rare miss.
19. Bad Bunny (Episode 1)
The season opener with Bad Bunny was a mixed bag. His intro was decent, and the Fox News parody about his Super Bowl halftime show was funny. But sketches like "Jeopardy" and "The Donor" fell flat, and his delivery in the KPop Demon Hunters bit was off. Highlights included "Parent Teacher Conference," "Inventing Spanish," and a playful "El Chavo del Ocho" parody. The best segment was a pre-taped commercial for "ChatGPTío," a blunt version of ChatGPT, where Marcello Hernández shined and Bad Bunny played the rude uncle's friend well. Despite ups and downs, the episode had memorable moments.
18. Josh O'Connor (Episode 8)
Josh O'Connor's mid-December episode started with a charming monologue about a fake live-action Ratatouille pitch. "Bachelorette Party Strippers" added a non-toxic twist, with O'Connor and Ben Marshall as sensitive dancers. The game show "Let's Find Love" didn't work, but "Teaching Hospital" featured Bowen Yang's shady doctor and O'Connor as his incompetent intern. "Wizard of Oz Deleted Footage" was amusing, and "Lilly Allen Brunch" and "Characters on Characters" were fun. Yang dominated "College Class," but O'Connor's character had a solid turn at the end.
17. Finn Wolfhard (Episode 10)
Finn Wolfhard brought youthful energy, but his episode struggled with consistency. Sketches like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "The Sleepover" had moments but didn't fully land. A pre-taped bit about a haunted video game was clever, and Wolfhard's enthusiasm was infectious. However, the writing often let him down, making this a middle-of-the-pack effort.
For more rankings, check out our list of The Best Final Movie Shots of All Time and The Most Intense Thrillers Ever Made.
