Dakota Johnson’s SNL return is Saturday, Oct. 3, when she hosts “Saturday Night Live” for the third time, with Turnstile as the musical guest. NBC’s new promos for the Dakota Johnson SNL episode pair her with cast member Ashley Padilla, who gets stuck on Johnson’s initials, Billboard reported Sept. 30.
Inside the Dakota Johnson SNL promos
The teaser runs about 2 minutes. It opens with Johnson going through the usual host introduction before things spiral into stranger territory. In one bit, Padilla runs through famous people who share the initials “D.J.,” asking whether Johnson is related to Derek Jeter, Dwayne Johnson or retired NFL wide receiver DeSean Jackson. “I don’t think you understand how initials work,” Johnson tells her.
Padilla eventually lands on Davy Jones, the late singer of The Monkees, who died in 2012. The teaser plays along that Jones is Johnson’s uncle, and Padilla responds, “I knew it!”
Another clip opens with Padilla admitting she has never watched the show because her mom thought it was “too horny,” Billboard reported. Johnson answers by declaring her love for the long-running sketch series.
The goat line that ends it
The strangest exchange in the Dakota Johnson SNL teasers comes last. Padilla, who joined the cast in 2024, points out that it is Johnson’s third time hosting and her own third season on the show, so they must be “twins.” Johnson asks whether Padilla has ever skinned a goat with her bare hands. When Padilla says no, Johnson replies, “Then you and I are nothing alike,” EntertainmentNow reported, delivering the line with an eerie stare.
Johnson also notes in the promos that her birthday falls on Oct. 4, the day after the show, according to EntertainmentNow. She turns 37.
Johnson’s history with SNL
The Dakota Johnson SNL connection goes back more than a decade. Johnson first hosted in Season 40, in February 2015, the same month “Fifty Shades of Grey” hit theaters, and returned in Season 49 on Jan. 27, 2024, with Justin Timberlake as the musical guest, a few weeks before “Madame Web” opened. SNL Rankings noted that more than 11 years will separate her first and third hosting turns and called her a frequent guest at the show even when she isn’t hosting.
Last December, she made a surprise appearance during Lily Allen’s performance of “Madeline,” appearing in silhouette behind a curtain, Deadline reported. That Dec. 13 episode was hosted by Josh O’Connor, and the song comes from Allen’s album “West End Girl.”
A busy week for Johnson
The episode lands the day after “Verity” opens in theaters Oct. 2. Johnson stars opposite Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett in the Amazon MGM Studios adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s thriller, directed by Michael Showalter.
She also appears with Colin Farrell in Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” music video, which debuted at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27. Read more in our story on Swift’s “Patient Zero” video and VMAs win.
How to watch the Dakota Johnson SNL episode
Season 52 of “SNL” premiered Sept. 26 with host Jalen Brunson and musical guest KATSEYE, and Johnson was among the first 4 hosts NBC announced for the season. Johnson’s episode airs live Saturday, Oct. 3, at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and streams live on Peacock. It marks the first appearance on the show for Turnstile, the Baltimore hardcore band behind the 2025 album “Never Enough.” Fans who miss the live broadcast can catch the Dakota Johnson SNL episode on Peacock afterward, and sketches are typically posted to the show’s YouTube channel.
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