Marcello Hernandez will be heading to the ESPYS Awards.
On Wednesday, ESPN announced that the 28-year-old star of the show Saturday Night Live will host the 2026 ESPYS Awards, which will take place on July 15. The show will air live on ABC from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. This marks the first time the ceremony has been held in New York City since 1999—the ESPYS first debuted at Madison Square Garden in 1993 and was held in New York for its first seven years before moving to Las Vegas and Los Angeles for the next two decades.
Hernandez joined to SNL in 2022 as the first Gen Z cast member and over four seasons has become one of the show's rising stars, known for, among other things, his recurring character Domingo and his parodies of comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. At the start of the 50th season SNL He was promoted to series regular status in 2024 and released his debut Netflix special earlier this year. titled "Marcello Hernandez: An American Boy"« .
«"I started comedy 10 years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, and would travel 12 hours by train to New York City to sell tickets to comedy shows on the street in Greenwich Village in exchange for the opportunity to perform on stage," Hernandez said in a statement. "I'm honored, and frankly, surreal, to be hosting this year's ESPYS in New York City. I'm sure the atmosphere will be incredible.".
Hernandez grew up in Miami, where he played soccer hard enough to train with the Dominican Republic's under-15 national team before going on to study at John Carroll University in Ohio. His Weekend Update debut on SNL took place in a baseball skit that Lorne Michaels had specifically talked him into performing because of his obvious enthusiasm for the sport.
«"Marcello is one of the most exciting young comedians working today," added ESPN Vice President and ESPYS Executive Producer Craig Lazarus. "His genuine enthusiasm for sports and ties to New York make him the perfect choice to host this year's ESPYS.".
Hernandez replaced Shane Gillis, who hosted last year's Los Angeles show, after ESPN made what was then a truly surprising decision to book one of its most unpredictable comedians. In his opening monologue, Gillis mocked Caitlin Clarke, Donald Trump, Aaron Rodgers, and Karl-Anthony Towns, among others, including a joke about Deshaun Watson getting a massage that he claimed he didn't write, and delivered arguably the most memorable monologue at the ESPYS Awards since Norm Macdonald's in 1998.
Hernandez joins a long list of comedians who have hosted the ESPYS Awards over the years, including Gillis, Macdonald, Jimmy Kimmel, Tracy Morgan, and Joel McHale. The show airs July 15 at 8:00 PM ET on ABC and will be available to watch on the ESPN app, Disney+, and Hulu.
The article, titled "SNL's Marcello Hernandez to Host 2026 ESPYS Awards," first appeared on Awful Announcing.