‘SNL' Taps ‘Obsession’ Breakout Inde Navarrette as Season 52 Host
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 11: Inde Navarrette at the screening of Obsession at the Hollywood Legion Theater on May 11, 2026
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 11: Inde Navarrette at the screening of Obsession at the Hollywood Legion Theater on May 11, 2026
There was a point when Inde Navarrette was the kind of actor audiences recognized before they could quite place the name. Then Obsession changed the equation. Suddenly, the face that had been steadily turning up across genre television was attached to one of the year’s nastiest horror breakouts. Now, with Marvel’s X-Men waiting in the wings and Saturday Night Live calling, she is entering a very different tier of stardom.
There is something especially fitting about her getting the Halloween slot after a breakout rooted in horror, but SNL Season 52 is giving her plenty of company.
Inde Navarrette is bringing her breakout energy to SNL
Saturday Night Live is returning for Season 52 on September 26, and the first batch of hosts already looks like a deliberately chaotic mix of Hollywood, sports and music. The Halloween episode on October 31 will belong to Inde Navarrette. It will be marking her first time hosting the long-running sketch institution, with Gracie Abrams returning as musical guest for her second appearance.
Inde Navarrette 02 04 2024 The 51st Annual Saturn Awards held at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport in Burbank, CA Photo by Izumi Hasegawa Hollywood News Wire Inc. Burbank EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx IzumixHasegawax xHollywoodxNewsxWirexInc.x hnphotos091818
Inde Navarrette 02 04 2024 The 51st Annual Saturn Awards held at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport in Burbank, CA Photo by Izumi Hasegawa Hollywood News Wire Inc. Burbank EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx IzumixHasegawax xHollywoodxNewsxWirexInc.x hnphotos091818
Abrams will also arrive with her album Daughter From Hell, giving the episode an appropriately gothic pop-culture backdrop, as per the sketch show's announcement (via Variety).
The booking lands at a particularly interesting point in Navarrette’s career. She had already built a recognizable television résumé through Estela de la Cruz in 13 Reasons Why and Sarah Cushing in Superman & Lois, but Obsession turned her into a genuine breakout. She has also completed the thriller Invertigo, while her next major franchise move has already been revealed: Navarrette will play Rogue in Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot, directed by Jake Schreier and scheduled for May 2028.
That makes the SNL invitation feel less like a random celebrity booking and more like another marker in a remarkably fast career acceleration.
Season 52 is stacking the deck with major names
The Saturday Night Live season 52 opener will be hosted by New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, fresh from leading the franchise to its first NBA championship in 53 years. Brunson will make his SNL debut alongside KATSEYE, who will also make their first appearance on the show. It is an unusual but very SNL combination, pairing one of basketball’s biggest current names with one of K-pop’s fastest-rising groups.
September 19, 2012 - Hollywood, California, U.S. - DAKOTA JOHNSON promotes Ben and Kate. Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress and model. She is the daughter of actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. She had her screen debut alongside her mother in the comedy-drama Crazy in Alabama (1999) and was named Miss Golden Globe in 2006. Following high school graduation, she returned to acting with roles in The Social Network (2010), Beastly (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), Need for Speed (2014) and the short-lived comedy Ben and Kate (2012–2013). She received international recognition in 2015 after landing the lead role of Anastasia Steele in the romantic drama Fifty Shades of Grey, which catapulted her to fame and earned her the People s Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress. The same year, she took part - ZUMAg203 20120919_bap_g203_101
September 19, 2012 - Hollywood, California, U.S. - DAKOTA JOHNSON promotes Ben and Kate. Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress and model. She is the daughter of actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. She had her screen debut alongside her mother in the comedy-drama Crazy in Alabama (1999) and was named Miss Golden Globe in 2006. Following high school graduation, she returned to acting with roles in The Social Network (2010), Beastly (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), Need for Speed (2014) and the short-lived comedy Ben and Kate (2012–2013). She received international recognition in 2015 after landing the lead role of Anastasia Steele in the romantic drama Fifty Shades of Grey, which catapulted her to fame and earned her the People s Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress. The same year, she took part - ZUMAg203 20120919_bap_g203_101
October 3 then brings Dakota Johnson back for her third hosting appearance, with hardcore rock band Turnstile making its SNL debut. Johnson will arrive just after the theatrical release of Verity on October 2, while Turnstile will be in the middle of its Never Enough Tour Pt. 2. On October 10, Shane Gillis returns for his third hosting stint with Rosalía as musical guest. Gillis arrives after a huge stand-up year and the latest season of Netflix’s Tires, while Rosalía returns for her second SNL appearance after wrapping her Lux world tour.
For Inde Navarrette, however, the Halloween episode could be the most intriguing showcase of the bunch. The actress who became synonymous with one of the year’s most unsettling horror performances is now getting the SNL stage to show audiences the personality behind the scream queen image.
What do you think about Inde Navarrette hosting SNL for Halloween? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Edited By: Adiba Nizami
