Bill Burr ‘93 to host Saturday Night Live this weekend

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Bill Burr/Courtesy

Alumnus and comedian Bill Burr ’93 received his first Grammy nomination for his new comedy album, Paper Tiger.

By Lucia Thorne

Bill Burr ‘93 will host the second episode of Saturday Night Live’s 46th season this weekend on NBC with musical guest Morgan Wallen. 

The Emerson alum has been an active stand-up comedian since the late 1990s and became a fan favorite through his raunchy approach to relatable humor. This will be Burr’s first time hosting SNL, though it’s far from his first try at sketch comedy. He frequently appeared on season two of the sketch comedy show Chappelle’s Show

Burr has an expansive résumé, ranging from his bi-weekly podcast, Monday Morning Podcast, to world tours and six stand-up specials—five of them available for streaming on Netflix. He is also well-known for his recurring role as Patrick Kuby on Breaking Bad. Burr recently starred in season four of his Netflix animated series F is for Family, an episode of The Mandalorian, and The King of Staten Island alongside Pete Davidson. Burr also co-founded All Things Comedy, a podcast network intended to give comedians creative freedom and ownership of their work, according to its website

Burr’s SNL debut comes at a very unique time in the show’s history. He will be hosting the show in its home studio, Studio 8H, in the Comcast Building with a masked and reduced-capacity live audience amid the pandemic. SNL premiered last weekend with Chris Rock and Megan Thee Stallion after a four-month hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. To show their appreciation for those working on the front lines, the front row audience consisted of essential workers. 

Several other Emerson alumni have previously appeared on the show, including Norman Lear ‘44 and Jay Leno ‘73 as hosts, as well as Steven Wright ‘78 as a guest stand-up comic. Laura Kightlinger ‘86 served as a cast member in the 20th season, and Don Pardo ‘42 was the announcer from the show’s premiere up until his death in 2014.   

Tune into Burr’s episode this Saturday, Oct. 10, at 11:30 p.m. EST on NBC.