The first episode of Saturday Night Live in 2026 was a reunion for the Hawkins crew. Finn Wolfhard made his hosting debut on January 17, and his former co-stars showed up to support him. Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin made a surprise appearance during Wolfhard’s opening monologue. They returned later in the show for a sketch that made fun of fan theories about the end of their hit Netflix series.
Wolfhard played Mike Wheeler on Stranger Things for nearly a decade, starting when he was 12 years old. The show’s final episode aired on December 31, 2025. His SNL episode featured several celebrity cameos and sketches that directly referenced his time growing up on the popular show.
The Opening Monologue Reunion
Finn Wolfhard began his monologue by talking about the end of Stranger Things. He joked about the unique experience of growing up on camera. “It feels so amazing that 400 million people got to watch me go through puberty,” he said. To prove he was all grown up, he tried to show off a single facial hair and took a sip of whiskey, which he immediately spit out.
He then declared, “Stranger Things is over, and I’m not a kid anymore”. That was the cue for his friends. Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin walked onstage to cheers from the audience. “And neither are we!” McLaughlin said. Matarazzo added, “We’re not child stars, we’re former child stars. And any time you read ‘former child star’ in a headline, it can only mean good things”.
“So thanks to everyone who watched us grow up on the show,” Wolfhard said. McLaughlin chimed in, “And then went online and commented about our changing faces and bodies!”
Wolfhard ended the moment on a sincere note, telling Matarazzo and McLaughlin, “We’re now men, you’ll always be my boys”. The trio’s appearance confirmed their off-screen friendship remains strong years after they first started working together.
The Stranger Things Spinoff Sketch
Later in the show, a pre-recorded sketch pretended to be a Netflix advertisement. It announced a massive expansion of the Stranger Things universe. The spoof played on real fan rumors that a secret ninth episode of the finale existed.
The fake ad promised “sequels, prequels, requels, and spin-offs”. It showed trailers for imaginary shows like Strangerous Minds, featuring Joe Keery’s character Steve Harrington as a teacher. Another was The Wheeler Report, with Nancy Wheeler as an investigative journalist. A third was Mike in Manhattan, a Sex and the City-style show about Mike Wheeler’s writing career in New York.
The sketch also made a joke about Noah Schnapp’s character, Will Byers. A voiceover said, “And before you get all mad and go, ‘How come Will isn’t in that?’ It’s because his coming out scene is still going on”. This referenced a lengthy coming-out monologue from the final season. Some fans later criticized this joke online as being in poor taste.
The sketch’s big finale addressed the fan theory head-on. “Remember that mysterious ninth episode the internet was convinced existed? It didn’t, but it does now!” the voiceover announced. Wolfhard, Matarazzo, and McLaughlin appeared as their characters in Iceland. Wolfhard’s Mike Wheeler claimed everything that happened was an illusion by the villain Vecna, who was “still out there”. They then reunited with Eleven, who was played in the sketch by Kenan Thompson.
Where Was The Rest Of The Cast?
While Matarazzo and McLaughlin appeared, other main Stranger Things cast members were not in the episode. Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, was not present. Reports indicate he was attending Milan Fashion Week in Italy. He was seen at the Ralph Lauren Men’s Fall/Winter 2026 show on January 16, the day before the SNL taping in New York.
Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, also did not make a cameo. However, many other cast members and creators supported Wolfhard off-stage. Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), and series creators Matt and Ross Duffer were all spotted at the SNL afterparty following the show.
Other Highlights From The Episode
Beyond the Stranger Things reunions, the episode featured several other sketches and cameos. Musical guest A$AP Rocky performed and also appeared in a digital sketch. Singer Sabrina Carpenter made a surprise return to reprise her role from a previous episode in the “Snack Homiez” podcast sketch.
One of the most talked-about sketches was “Heated Wizardry.” It was a parody that combined Harry Potter with HBO’s popular series Heated Rivalry. Wolfhard played Harry Potter, with Ben Marshall as Ron Weasley. Their characters developed a romantic relationship as Quidditch teammates. The sketch also featured a surprise cameo from Jason Momoa as a very different version of Hagrid.
For his musical performances, A$AP Rocky brought out special guests. His band included bassist Thundercat and, in a surprising moment, legendary composer Danny Elfman playing drums shirtless.
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Fan Reaction To The Episode
Reaction to the episode has been mixed. Some fans loved the nostalgic reunion and inside jokes about Stranger Things. Others felt the humor in the spinoff sketch went too far, particularly the joke about Will Byers’s emotional coming-out scene.
One fan commented on social media, “It’s unnecessary to make fun of Will’s scene, even if the dialogue was bad”. Another agreed, “That Will joke was so unnecessary”. However, some viewers defended the show’s comedy style. One person explained, “They are making fun of how long that Will scene was and how it was written, not that he was gay. SNL is not a teen show and has mature jokes”.
Television critics also had differing opinions. One review called it a “weak return” for SNL, noting that Wolfhard seemed “noticeably stilted” in some sketches. Another review said that while Wolfhard’s performance wasn’t a “blow-out,” the episode was notable for kicking off the cast’s post-Stranger Things careers.
The episode marked a transition for Finn Wolfhard. In a recent interview, he talked about filming his last scene for Stranger Things. “I didn’t have many thoughts,” he said. “I knew that I was around a lot of the cast, and we wanted to spend as much time as possibleโฆ Experiencing these feelings together was really important”. He is now focused on new projects, including his music career and upcoming film roles.
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