It's true, Kim Kardashian West is hosting 'SNL'

Saturday Night Live has been known to pull out the big guns when it comes to its A-List of guest hosts. This is the show that has hired the likes of Tom Hanks, Dwayne Johnson and Chadwick Boseman, after all. So when it came time to announce the first batch of guest hosts for the 47th season, some people were surprised to see Kim Kardashian West’s name on the list.

Kim had been rumoured to be among the potential guest hosts for a few weeks now, after she and momager Kris Jenner met with SNL producer Lorne Michaels for lunch at the end of August. At the time Jenner shot down the rumour, saying the lunch was a “general catch-up.” But as we all know, sometimes rumours are true.

In a post on September 22, SNL revealed the first four guests and musical acts kicking off the new season when it returns on Oct. 2. Up first is Owen Wilson (start praying to the gods for your Loki references now), and the following week, alongside musical guest Halsey, is Kim Kardashian West.

Rami Malek makes his hosting debut on October 16, about a week after the North American theatrical release of his latest project, No Time To Die. Jason Sudeikis rounds out the list of first-round guests with his own hosting debut on October 23. If you’ll recall, the Ted Lasso star left the show as a full-time player in 2013, but he’s been back for surprise appearances since.

This is the first time Kim has hosted the show as well, and it’s turning heads for a few reasons. First of all, it’s not often (if ever) that a reality star has hosted the sketch show. RuPaul has done it, although you could argue that RuPaul still falls under the “performer” category. It’s also worth noting that Donald Trump has done it… twice.

Second of all, this marks the continuation of a new trend that SNL started last year, which is bringing on non-performers as hosts. Everyone recalls the Elon Musk episode from last May, right?  

And lastly, Kim will become the first Kardashian to host the series, although her ex-husband Kanye West should be pretty intimate with Studio 8H, having been a musical guest seven times now. (Think she’ll ask him for tips?)

Following the announcement, several people chimed in online to either question or applaud the decision to bring Kim on board. (Because when doesn’t the internet have thoughts?)

I think it's a great get for the show. Either it'll be a total trainwreck or we'll all be pleasantly surprised.

— Pete Jolicoeur (@PeteJolicoeur) September 22, 2021

me looking at this host selection like pic.twitter.com/PTGI56Yc8J

— Mattalamode (@Matt_a_la_mode) September 22, 2021

Why have Kim Kardashian? Was literally everyone else unavailable that day?

— 💋Brunette Bombshell 💋🇨🇦🍁 (@MilfSask) September 23, 2021

Twitter always hates everything, especially when it comes to SNL, so I'm not sure much has changed there, but if they think she is going to bring a lot of ratings or PR, they're probably ten years behind.

— Soaps and Sci-Fi (@SoapsandSciFi) September 22, 2021

One person who was definitely not into the news was Debra Messing, a.k.a. Grace from Will & Grace. She retweeted the hosting news and straight-up questioned why Kim. “I mean, I know she is a cultural icon, but SNL has hosts, generally, who are performers who are there to promote a film, TV show, or album launch. Am I missing something?” she wrote.

Don’t forget that Messing also had a problem with Elon Musk hosting. Back in May she questioned that casting decision while putting her heart on a platter. “It’s always been a dream of mine to host,” she wrote at the time. “Ain’t gonna lie—seeing Elon Musk given that privilege-not the funniest of people-really hurts my heart.”

To be fair, Messing has helmed several TV shows and been nominated for five Emmys (and won one) over her career so far. Plus many of her projects have been at NBC, a.k.a the same network that airs SNL. So you can’t blame her for being a little bitter for not getting her shot.

In the meantime, love or hate her, we wager plenty of people will tune in to see how Kim gets her hosting on. Only 16 more days to find out.