The summer of 2026 in New York City was one to behold. The Knicks brought the city its first NBA Championship in half a century, the World Cup brought visitors from all over the world to the Big Apple, and of course Jay-Z showed out for an entire weekend at Yankee Stadium and had Hip-Hoppers in their 40s and 50s reliving their teens and 20s.
Now that September is here and the kids are back at school, summer in New York is officially over, but not before its main star gets one more chance to shine before heading back to work.
On Wednesday (Sept. 9), Saturday Night Live announced that the King of New York, Jalen Brunson, will host the season premiere of SNL on Sept. 26, just a few weeks before the 2026-27 NBA season gets underway. Joining the likes of basketball legends such as Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and LeBron James, Jalen Brunson will become just the fifth NBA player to host SNL and finally get to show the world a different side of himself. We’ve all gotten all too familiar with his cool and calm demeanor.
The musical guest for that special night will be the five-deep girl group from LA, KATSEYE, who burst onto the scene in 2024 with their hit single, “Touch.”
But enough about them; this night is all about Jalen “KONY” Brunson and his SNL debut. Will his Knicks teammates join him on stage? We’re almost sure they will, but will the NBA Finals MVP deliver some comedy gold of his own? We have no doubt he will. The man is single-handedly responsible for crime being at an all-time low in New York City, for God’s sake. He does it all.
Are you going to be checking out Jalen Brunson on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live? Let us know in the comments section below.
