NEW YORK (AP) — “Saturday Night Live” will follow up its 50th anniversary celebrations with new shows and some familiar faces — Lady Gaga doing double duty as musical guest and host, and an episode hosted by Shane Gillis with Tate McRae performing.
On March 1, Gillis will host “SNL” for the second time, alongside McRae, who releases her third album “So Close to What” in late February.
On March 8, Lady Gaga will mark her second appearance as “SNL” host and fifth appearance as its musical guest. Her latest album — “Mayhem” — will have dropped the day before.
Gillis has had a fraught history with the show, having been fired as a cast member in 2019 before he officially made his debut. He was dropped from a spot in the “SNL” cast after facing backlash over a 2018 podcast clip where he used an anti-Asian slur and mocked accents. Gillis apologized after the video resurfaced, and said at the time he is a “comedian who pushes boundaries.” He has since become the star and co-creator of the series “Tires,” which returns this year for its second season on Netflix, and hosted “SNL” last February.
“SNL” is basking in the spotlight after its 50th anniversary celebration became NBC's most-watched prime-time entertainment telecast in five years, reaching nearly 15 million viewers.
Sunday night's 3½-hour extravaganza, packed with comedy sketches, superstar musical performances and unexpected cameos, delivered the biggest audience for the network for a night-time entertainment show since the 2020 Golden Globes.
Only the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a bigger viewership draw in recent years, NBC said Monday.
The sketch show kicked off its valedictory weekend with “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” in which Gaga performed twice — stepping in for Justin Timberlake for a Lonely Island medley with Andy Samberg and a host of guest starts, and performing “Shallow” toward the end of the night.
FILE - Lady Gaga performs during the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
This combination of photos shows Shane Gillis performing at Madison Square Garden in New York on Aug. 22, 2023, left, and Tate McRae at the MTV Video Music Awards in Elmont, N.Y., on Sept. 11, 2024. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP). (Photos by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Lady Gaga, left, and fiancé Michael Polansky attend the "SNL50: The Anniversary Special" at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings made another major move on interior redesign by agreeing to terms Wednesday with two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Javon Hargrave, and they shored up their secondary by bringing back safety Harrison Smith for a 14th season.
Hargrave was released by the San Francisco 49ers after playing in only three games for them in 2024 because of a torn triceps that required surgery. He'll get a two-year, $30 million contract with $19 million guaranteed, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Smith agreed to a restructured contract after putting off retirement for at least one more season, the Vikings announced.
The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Hargrave, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016 in the third round out of South Carolina State, has blossomed into one of the NFL's best interior pass rushers. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 and had a career-high 11 sacks in 2022 for the NFC champions before departing for the 49ers, with whom he returned to the Super Bowl during a seven-sack season.
Hargrave will join fellow newcomer Jonathan Allen, who was released by the Washington Commanders and agreed Tuesday to a contract that guarantees him more than $31 million over the next two years. The Vikings also have Harrison Phillips, one of their most reliable and durable players over the past three seasons, atop their depth chart on the defensive line.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores loves to play with a variety of unorthodox alignments and blitz calls, and a front that features edge rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard with some combination of Allen, Hargrave and Phillips between them presents a vast amount of intelligence, experience, force and speed.
The key will be keeping them healthy. Allen is also coming off a major injury, having missed nine games last year with a torn pectoral muscle before returning for the run to the NFC championship game. Van Ginkel and Greenard were also targeted by the Vikings in 2024 as value signings in part because of past injury history.
As the new league year began Wednesday, allowing teams to announce their contract agreements from the past two days, the Vikings confirmed deals with center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries for the interior upgrades on offense. Kelly and Fries are also coming off injuries that shortened their 2024 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
For the secondary, the Vikings reached agreements to bring in cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and re-sign cornerback Byron Murphy. They also announced a deal Wednesday with cornerback Tavierre Thomas, a veteran who could provide depth and special teams contributions after playing in all 17 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. The Vikings are his fifth team.
Smith will have a new partner in the back end after Cam Bynum departed for the Indianapolis Colts. Josh Metellus, who played a hybrid role that looked more like a linebacker, is a natural safety. Theo Jackson also agreed to a new contract and will be in line for more playing time.
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
FILE- Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving, right, runs against Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, file)
FILE - San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (98) celebrates after sacking Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford during the first half of an NFL football game, Sept. 22, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)
