The castmembers are looking forward to Kim hosting, despite some pushback from critics on social media.
Saturday Night Live is coming back for a new season with a slew of first-time hosts -- and some are raising eyebrows. After Owen Wilson kicks off the season debut this weekend, Kim Kardashian will be taking the stage the following week for her SNL debut.
While the decision was met with mixed reactions and some confusion from commenters on social media, SNL castmembers Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner are looking forward to the opportunity to work with the reality TV superstar.
"We're excited!" Gardner shared.
"We are excited," Nwodim agreed. "I can't speak to what everyone in the cast feels, but Heidi and I have talked and we've decided to be honorary Kardashian sisters."
"It just exciting for us to be part of a show where we have someone come in who doesn't necessarily do what we do and is not into what we do," Nwodim continued. "Then we get to elevate them and make them look good and make them have fun and bring out sides of them that people haven't otherwise seen. So we're hopeful."
When asked if they have any plans in mind for the kinds of sketches Kim might be a part of, Gardner and Nwodim said that nothing has been decided yet, but they have some ideas they're gonna pitch when the time comes.
They played equally coy about whether or not Kardashian's estranged husband, Kanye West, will be involved.
"We can't say! But, [castmate] Chris Redd does do an amazing Kanye [impression]," Gardner said. "That's all I know."
Kardashian appears to be excited and a bit nervous as well. She took to her Instagram story the day SNL announced she'd be hosting to share the news with her fans. "OMFG No turning back now!!! LOL" Kardashian wrote. "I'm hosting SNL!!!!!!"
A source told ET earlier this month, "Kim is very excited to host SNL, and plans to poke fun at herself and the family. She has a great sense of humor."
"Kim takes everything she does very serious and has already started preparing for the big night," the source added. "Kim also has a lot of famous comedian friends she can lean on for help."
Another one of the first four hosts for the new season is former SNL castmember and recent Emmy winner Jason Sudeikis.
"It's so nice when an alumni comes back, because obviously you're already such a big fan," Gardner said. "They're who you watched when, you know, we weren't on the show. And then it's really cool for the crew. A lot of the crew is still there when Jason was there, so they're excited."
"It's like the hometown boy made big [and] came back home -- even though he was big there too," she added. "Everyone is just excited."
Saturday Night Live debuts Oct. 2 and airs live, coast-to-coast at 11:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC.
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