Jalen Brunson is just days away from hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, but the New York Knicks star admits he might be in over his head.
Brunson, 30, appeared on Tamron Hall on Monday, September 21, alongside his parents, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson and Sandra Brunson, where he was asked if he was prepared for everything the NBC late night staple would throw at him.
“Probably not,” he responded. “I’m being honest with you: I have no idea what I’m walking into, but I know it’s going to turn out great.”
Hall, 56, pushed the 2026 NBA Finals MVP a little further, asking if he planned to sing during his opening monologue.
“Um,” Jalen hesitated, pretending to think about it, before bluntly saying, “No.”
But not all hope is lost for fans hoping Jalen showcases some of his other talents. Asked if he would dance, he replied, “I’m not gonna say no to that. Maybe.”
Jalen is scheduled to host SNL on Saturday, September 26, alongside musical guest KATSEYE. He will become the first member of the Knicks to ever host the iconic show, set to begin its 52nd season. He will also join Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Charles Barkley as the only NBA players ever to earn the honor.
Though Jalen is new to sketch comedy, SNL alum and native New Yorker Pete Davidson does not seem worried about the point guard’s performance. Hall introduced a short video from the diehard Knicks fan, who expressed plenty of confidence in the man who helped his team break a 53-year title drought.
“Jalen does not need any advice from me,” Davidson, 32, said. “He is New York royalty forever, he’s really funny and his podcast is great. He’s going to do great. I’m very excited for him.”
Jalen cohosts “The Roommates Show” alongside Knicks teammate and fellow Villanova alum Josh Hart, as well as longtime friend Matt Hillman.
And even if Davidson wasn’t as confident in Jalen’s ability to host SNL, Jalen has a knack for proving the doubters wrong. First, he fell to the second round in the 2018 NBA Draft, with many analysts believing that at 6-foot-2, he was too small to be an effective NBA point guard.
Then, as the Knicks made their way through the 2026 playoffs, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon doubled down on a comment she made years earlier that a team can’t win a championship with a go-to player of his size.
Jalen was undaunted.
“I didn’t respond to them then and I’m damn sure not going to respond to them now,” he said of his critics in June after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA Championship.
