Who was the first host of Saturday Night Live?

George Carlin was the first host of Saturday Night Live. He hosted the program’s debut broadcast on 11 October 1975, when NBC initially called the show NBC’s Saturday Night.

Carlin was already a major stand-up comedian known for sharp observational and countercultural humor. His opening episode was unusual: he requested not to appear in the regular sketches, so his stand-up performances were interspersed throughout the show instead. The episode also featured musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian.

The original cast included Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris. A common mix-up is to name Chevy Chase or John Belushi because they were prominent members of the first cast, but neither was the premiere host. The title officially changed to Saturday Night Live after ABC’s similarly named Howard Cosell program ended.