Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a live, late-night American television show featuring sketch comedy and variety acts on NBC. One Direction has made three appearances on the show, both as musical guests and skit performers. Harry Styles has also been on SNL as a musical guest, skit performer, and host, while Niall Horan has appeared as a musical guest and in skits.
One Direction performed “Night Changes” and “Ready to Run” on SNL. Besides their musical performances, they joined Aidy Bryant and Cecily Strong in the “Girlfriends Talk Show” sketch, where they played members of a high school dance team.
A Bit of SNL History
The show features a variety of skits that satirize American culture and politics, performed by a rotating cast of comedians and actors. Saturday Night Live (SNL) was created and produced by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol. It premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, originally titled NBC’s Saturday Night.
Looking ahead, a three-hour, prime-time live special celebrating SNL’s 50th anniversary is scheduled to air on February 16, 2025. In January 2024, Variety noted that speculation had been growing for years that Michaels might retire after the 50th season, which began in 2024. Michaels told Entertainment Tonight that Tina Fey, former head writer and cast member, could “easily” succeed him if he were to step down, though he hadn’t made a final decision. Michaels has continued collaborating with Fey since her time on SNL, including on 30 Rock. Previously, in 2021, Michaels had mentioned that the 50th anniversary would be “a really good time to leave.” Longtime cast member Kenan Thompson speculated in 2022 that the show might end after the 50th season, as it could make financial sense for NBC. However, in a September 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Michaels clarified that he had no plans to retire at the end of the season.
Harry’s Solo Apperance
Harry Styles returned to Saturday Night Live on November 16, 2019, marking his first time as host and his fifth appearance as a musical guest. This was also his second solo musical guest performance, where he performed “Lights Up” and “Watermelon Sugar” on the sixth episode of SNL‘s 45th season.
Styles released his debut solo album, Harry Styles, in 2017 through Columbia Records. The album debuted at number one in both the UK and the US and ranked among the world’s top-ten best-sellers of the year, with its lead single, “Sign of the Times,” reaching #1 on the UK Singles Chart. His second album, Fine Line (2019), debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200, setting a record for the highest first-week sales by an English male artist. It was also the latest album to be included in Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” in 2020. The album’s fourth single, “Watermelon Sugar,” reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Styles’ third album, Harry’s House (2022), was a commercial and critical success, earning multiple records and winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2023. Its lead single, “As It Was,” became the top global song of 2022 according to Billboard.
