The best of Glenn Powell's episode (Nov. 15, 2025)

Nikki Glaser hosted the Nov. 15 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” with Olivia Dean as musical guest.

“SNL” recap: Musical guest Olivia Dean and host Glen Powell ahead of the November 15, 2025 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” Rosalind O’Connor/NBC

By Kevin Slane

November 16, 2025 | 11:08 AM

1 minute to read

“SNL” returned to the air for the sixth episode of its 51st season on Saturday, Nov. 15, with actor Glenn Powell serving as host and Olivia Dean performing as musical guest.

Powell’s appearance was ostensibly tied to his lead role in this week’s new movie “The Running Man” (a second adaptation of Stephen King’s short story of the same name). But Powell was actually originally supposed to host back in 2021 when he was in “Top Gun: Maverick,” before COVID scuttled those plans.

In his self-deprecating opening monologue, Powell joked about how people are probably “tired of seeing my face,” but the journeyman actor won the audience over with an abbreviated story of his journey to stardom.

Powell was a game performer throughout the show, but the night’s highlight was the return of former cast member Will Forte and his recurring character MacGruber, a riff on “MacGyver” that was later adapted into an underrated 2010 film and a 2021 streaming series on Peacock. He has a perfectly reasonably explanation for why his name is in the Epstein Files, hear him out!

Check out the videos below to see highlights from Glenn Powell’s episode of “SNL,” including Powell’s opening monologue, Olivia Dean’s musical performances, and all of the guest appearances peppered throughout the show.