Justin Timberlake Addresses Why He Won’t Be Hosting ‘SNL’ This Weekend: “I Flirted With The Idea”

Justin Timberlake will appear as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend, marking his big return to music with his first release in almost five years.

He addressed in a new interview on Apple Music 1 why he decided against hosting the show and chose to appear as a musical guest instead.

“I flirted with the idea of, should I host or ask to host?” Timberlake admitted. “And then I just thought, ‘No, this album is really special to me in a different, different way.'”

The singer-songwriter-actor is no stranger to hosting or appearing on Saturday Night Live. Timberlake, who has hosted the show five times now and made countless surprise appearances, has become known for going all out in SNL skits. (Remember this iconic Lonely Island music video?)

He may just be the musical guest, but Timberlake still teased that there could be more to come this Saturday.

“I also cannot imagine that I won’t get pulled into a sketch or two. It’s only natural,” he said. “And I’m here for it. That’s always fun. SNL, for me, in any capacity. I’ve hosted five, but I don’t even know how many times I’ve been on the show.”

Timberlake is gearing up to release his new album Everything I Thought It Was on March 15. While he treats us to his musical talents (and may even preview a single or two), actress Dakota Johnson will be hosting this Saturday’s show.

SNL fans got a taste of what to expect this weekend in a new promo spoofing Architectural Digest‘s iconic home tours and The Bear. In it, Johnson gives a tour of her “home away from home,” Studio 8H.

The Fifty Shades of Grey star really let her inner-diva shine in this one.

“A lot of people don’t know this but 8H actually stands for 800, which is how much Lorne [Michaels] bought the studio for in 1812,” she quipped in the teaser.

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 pm ET on NBC and Peacock.