Josh O'Connor hosted Saturday Night Live's Season 51, Episode 8, which aired on December 14, 2025, featuring musical guest Lily Allen and a surprise cameo by Dakota Johnson. The episode highlighted a comedic sketch with O'Connor as a sensitive male stripper and Allen's performances from her acclaimed album West End Girl. Viewers enjoyed a mix of satire on modern masculinity and confessional music addressing personal relationships.
Episode Overview
Saturday Night Live returned with Season 51, Episode 8, hosted by actor Josh O'Connor and featuring musical guest Lily Allen. The episode, broadcast on December 14, 2025, from NBC's Studio 8H in New York, delivered a blend of sketch comedy and live music, drawing on O'Connor's charisma and Allen's raw songwriting.
Sensitive Male Strippers Sketch
In one standout sketch, O'Connor teamed up with cast member Ben Marshall to portray Auggie and Remington, a duo of sweater-clad, consent-focused male strippers hired for a bachelorette party. The bride, played by Ashley Padilla, expressed reluctance, but her friend Sarah Sherman introduced the 'different kind' of entertainers. The strippers entered after obtaining consent, offering affirmations like 'You're enough' and praising literature by women of color. They performed a subdued version of Ginuwine's 'Pony,' shedding outer layers to reveal more knitwear. The scene escalated when the groom, portrayed by Mikey Day, arrived, leading the strippers to overpower him in a comedic brawl before sharing a kiss themselves. The bride cheered them on, subverting traditional tropes with humor about emotional vulnerability and feminism.
Lily Allen's Performances
Lily Allen promoted her first album since 2018, West End Girl, with two numbers. She opened with 'Sleepwalking,' set in a bedroom under a neon sign, censoring explicit lyrics for broadcast. Her second performance, 'Madeline,' brought a surprise: Dakota Johnson emerged from behind a screen to voice the titular character's text messages, explaining her perspective in the song's narrative about an affair. Johnson delivered lines like, 'I hate that you’re in so much pain right now. I really don’t wanna be the cause of any upset,' before approaching Allen for a quick kiss. The track, from the album detailing Allen's split from David Harbour without naming him, sparked speculation as a composite of real experiences. Allen's set supported West End Girl, praised for its honesty; a Variety review called it a contender for album of the year, noting its 'confessional' storytelling. Allen, returning to SNL since 2007, announced a March tour.
The episode balanced O'Connor's hosting debut with ensemble sketches and Allen's intimate music, earning acclaim for its heavy-hitting comedy.
