SNL Halloween: Inde Navarrette, Gracie Abrams Steal the Night

Saturday Night Live saved its best show of the season for the scariest night of the year. First-time host Inde Navarrette and musical guest Gracie Abrams took over Studio 8H on Halloween night, October 31, and delivered a Season 52 episode packed with surprise returns, a World Series celebration and one filmed short that instantly became the clip of the weekend.

The episode, the fourth of the season, aired live at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock after a two-week break for the show. Navarrette, the breakout star of the 2026 horror hit Obsession, was hosting for the first time. Abrams was back as musical guest for the second time, after her December 2024 debut.

A Halloween cold open with a familiar pumpkin

The night opened on a haunted fright-night ride, with Kenan Thompson as the guide and a couple played by Grace Reiter and Jeremy Culhane along for the scares. Just when the sketch seemed headed for a familiar payoff, it delivered one anyway — and the crowd loved it. Tom Hanks returned as David S. Pumpkins, the beloved Halloween character, flanked by skeleton dancers Mikey Day and Bobby Moynihan.

Then came the twist: the arrival of the “real Great Pumpkin,” played as Donald Trump, turning the nostalgia bit into the political punch the show’s cold opens are known for.

Navarrette’s monologue takes aim — and teases Marvel

Navarrette opened her monologue by slipping into the voice of Nikki, her Obsession character, before quickly insisting she is nothing like the role that made her famous. To prove the point, the camera cut to her boyfriend, Nick Aiello, shown taped and gagged to a seat in the studio audience — a joke the crowd roared at.

She also used the monologue to talk about her future in the Marvel universe, confirming she will play Rogue in the upcoming X-Men reboot and joking about the training it takes to get into superhero shape. The bit doubled as a pointed swipe at Shane Gillis, who hosted the show’s third episode and drew backlash for jokes about women’s gym clothes. Marcello Hernández joined her on stage dressed as a “sexy TSA agent,” while Kam Patterson appeared as Elizabeth Holmes and Jeremy Culhane pitched himself to play Wolverine.

The short everyone will be replaying

The performance fans will still be talking about on Monday came in a filmed short titled “The Inventor’s Wife.” Navarrette plays a widow delivering a eulogy for her inventor husband, a man who, in her careful phrasing, loved his inventions and liked his wife. Back home, she finds his parting gift in his workshop: a small, sweet robot named PD 44, whose purpose neither of them can quite figure out.

The two bond. Six years pass. She finally brings a date home — and PD 44 reveals what its initials really stand for, transforming into a giant killer robot and dispatching the man in spectacular fashion. Her conclusion, delivered through happy tears: her husband loved her after all. Variety praised the short as a showcase for Navarrette’s comic timing and one of the better SNL digital shorts in quite some time.

Navarrette stayed busy for the rest of the night. She played a no-nonsense Ryder in a PAW Patrol: Special Victims Unit sketch, starred in “The Uninterested Woman Dating Show” alongside Jane Wickline and Sarah Sherman, and played a Spanish soap opera star whose telenovela kept collapsing into product placement for Sprite Cherry Lime Habanero. She also fronted a fake airline commercial for a cabin class reserved for unruly passengers — complete with a spot-on impression of the viral “she is not real” plane passenger — and played a ghostly 1930s kid interrupting a Queen Mary ghost tour.

Abrams channels Romeo and Juliet

Gracie Abrams staged both of her performances around Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film Romeo + Juliet, with Halloween costumes to match. She opened with “Hit the Wall,” the lead single from her third studio album Daughter From Hell, dressed as Claire Danes’ Juliet in the angel costume from the film’s fancy-dress party scene — beginning the song behind an aquarium, recreating the moment Romeo and Juliet first spot each other through a fish tank.

She returned later in the episode for “Here You Come, There You Go,” a new song released on October 29 that will feature on the forthcoming deluxe edition of Daughter From Hell, due November 20. This time she dressed as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Romeo, in the Hawaiian shirt and metallic knight’s sleeves from the film. Abrams begins her 2026-2027 “The Look At My Life Tour” on December 2 at Denver’s Ball Arena.

Weekend Update celebrates the Brewers — and salutes Stewart

Weekend Update brought the night’s biggest real-world celebration. Bobby Moynihan returned as Drunk Uncle to toast the Milwaukee Brewers, and the bit ended with a genuine surprise: manager Pat Murphy and players Christian Yelich and Brice Turang walked out carrying the World Series trophy, three days after the franchise’s first championship.

Before the goodnights, the show paused for a quieter moment. In tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart, who died Wednesday at 86, SNL aired an archive clip of Stewart introducing musical guest Salt-N-Pepa from his own hosting appearance in 1994, along with one of his promo photos from that week.

What comes next for Season 52

The Halloween episode was widely seen as a reset for a season that had a shaky start. After the two-week break, Navarrette’s episode put the show back on track.

The run continues next Saturday, November 7, when comedian Druski makes his hosting debut with The Strokes as musical guest. John Mulaney follows on November 14, with Phoebe Bridgers performing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who hosted the SNL Halloween episode on October 31, 2026?
Inde Navarrette, the breakout star of the horror hit Obsession, hosted Saturday Night Live’s Halloween episode for the first time, with Gracie Abrams as musical guest.

What was the best sketch of the SNL Halloween episode?
The filmed short “The Inventor’s Wife,” in which Navarrette plays a widow whose late husband leaves her a small robot named PD 44 — with a killer twist — drew the most praise from critics and fans.

What songs did Gracie Abrams perform on SNL?
Abrams performed “Hit the Wall” from her album Daughter From Hell dressed as Juliet, and the new song “Here You Come, There You Go” dressed as Romeo, both inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.

Who hosts SNL next?
Druski hosts on November 7 with The Strokes as musical guest, followed by John Mulaney on November 14 with Phoebe Bridgers.

Sources: NBC, Bleeding Cool, SNL Rankings, NME via KZK101