AceShowbiz - For the first time ever, Gorillaz will appear as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, showcasing their latest work from their newly released ninth album, The Mountain.

In promotional clips for the upcoming episode hosted by Ryan Gosling, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett from Gorillaz share the spotlight alongside cast member Ashley Padilla. Padilla expresses surprise that the iconic virtual band has yet to perform on the show after all these years.

“Gorillaz! You’re one of the best bands ever, and you’ve never been the musical guest?” Padilla asks with disbelief. “How are you feeling?” The duo responds without words, painting on broad smiles, crouching down, and wiggling their fingers in an amusing gesture.

Padilla then inquires, “What are they doing?” to which Gosling replies quietly, “It’s a secret.” This prompts Padilla to pout, jokingly lamenting, “No one tells me anything!”

Elsewhere in the promo, Padilla admits to watching scenes from Gosling’s film The Notebook on her phone while viewing previews for his new movie Project Hail Mary. She also confesses to placing unofficial bets on her own lines and actions during the promotional segments.

The upcoming Saturday Night Live episode will mark Gosling’s fourth time hosting the show, correcting an earlier promo that mistakenly called it his fifth. He will be promoting Project Hail Mary, a sci-fi film adapted from the 2021 novel of the same name.

Gorillaz are not only promoting their album but have also announced a North American tour tied to The Mountain. This will be their first U.S. tour in four years, beginning on September 17 in Orlando, Florida, and concluding on Halloween in Seattle.

The new episode of Saturday Night Live airs at 11:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and will be available for streaming on Peacock. Fans will have to wait until Saturday night to see how Gorillaz handle their debut on the iconic late-night stage.