'SNL' star Marcello Hernández to host 2026 ESPYs as show leaves L.A. for New York

Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” standout Marcello Hernández volition big this year’s ESPY Awards, the web announced Wednesday.

The event, honoring excellence successful sports performance, volition beryllium broadcast unrecorded connected ABC and the ESPN app from the David H. Koch Theater astatine Lincoln Center connected July 15, making it the archetypal ESPYs successful New York City since 1999. For the past 25 years, the awards ceremonial was held successful Los Angeles.

“I started doing drama 10 years ago, successful Cleveland, Ohio, and I would instrumentality the bid 12 hours to New York to merchantability drama tickets connected the thoroughfare successful Greenwich Village successful speech for signifier time,” Hernández said successful a statement. “It is an honor, and frankly feels brainsick to beryllium hosting the ESPYs this twelvemonth successful New York. I’m definite the vigor is going to beryllium great.”

Hernández precocious headlined the biggest Spanish-language drama amusement ever astatine the Hollywood Bowl arsenic portion of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival successful May, and wrapped up his 4th play of “SNL” soon after. His archetypal stand-up special, “American Boy,” debuted connected Netflix successful January.

He’s besides a sports enthusiast, having grown up playing shot and competing astatine the collegiate level during his clip astatine John Carroll University successful Ohio.

“Marcello is 1 of the astir electric, young comedians today. His genuine enthusiasm for sports and his ties to New York City marque him a earthy acceptable to big this year’s ESPYs,” Craig Lazarus, ESPN vice president and enforcement shaper of the ESPYs, said successful a statement.

Hernández succeeds past year’s emcee, comedian Shane Gillis, arsenic good arsenic past hosts that see Jimmy Kimmel, John Cena, LeBron James and Peyton Manning.

In January, Puck reported that the alteration successful venue is an effort to capitalize connected the popularity of Fanatics Fest, the monolithic sports festival taking spot successful New York’s Javits Center from July 16-19, which besides coincides with the World Cup last connected July 19 astatine MetLife stadium.

“This instrumentality to the bosom of Manhattan brings the solemnisation of sports backmost to its roots for an unforgettable nighttime astatine an iconic taste landmark,” an ESPN spokesperson said successful a statement.