Saturday Night Live has finally revealed its host and musical guest on the first episode of its 44th season.
Adam Driver, who starred in Star Wars and BlacKkKlansman, will be joined by music icon Kanye West. This is West's seventh guesting on the show and Driver's second time hosting. The 34-year old actor will most likely reference his role as the villainous Kylo Ren in 2017 Star Wars franchise.
What To Expect On SNL Season 44
The big announcement came after Michael Che and Colin Jost hosted the Emmy Awards this year. Jost and Che, together with Kent Sublette, will be the co-head writers for this season.
West replied to SNL's announcement on Twitter, altering his name to "Yanhdi." Many people are speculating that this will be the name of the famous rapper's next album.
Notably, he released Ye, his eighth studio album earlier this year following his acclaimed seven-track album, Life of Pablo. The new album bagged the top spot in the Billboard 200 chart.
Despite controversies flamed by his support for President Trump, the album still did well in sales. West will most likely perform songs from his newest album.
Controversies Surrounding Kanye West
The 41-year-old rapper stirred issues during his performance on the show in 2016. Allegedly, West threw a tantrum. In an audio clip acquired by Page Six, the rapper can be heard saying profanities after he found out that some parts of his set were removed by the producers.
"This audio was secretly recorded while he was venting his frustration in a private moment with his team," said a source to People. "He found out his stage design was changed and taken apart under the direction of the show's lighting director without anyone's approval."
Furthermore, the critically acclaimed musician also surprised people by being the co-creative director of the Pornhub Awards, hosted by adult films star Asa Akira. The awards ceremony was held at The Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles.
Additionally, he recently released a new song titled "I love it." The new track featuring Lil Pump was laden with profanities. Its music video was produced by Spike Jonze and starred comedian Adele Givens.
The long-running show received an astounding 21 nominations at the 2018 Emmys. It already dominated seven categories during the Creative Arts Emmys that took place last week. One of its awards went to host Tiffany Haddish.
The new season will premiere on NBC on Sept. 29. The rest of the show's cast includes Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Alex Moffat, Chris Redd, Pete Davidson, Heidi Gardner, Leslie Jones, Mikey Day, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Melissa Villaseñor, Kyle Mooney, Cecily Strong, and Kenan Thompson.