diff --git a/subwave_nowplaying.star b/subwave_nowplaying.star
index 939d8d3..2f52eaf 100644
--- a/subwave_nowplaying.star
+++ b/subwave_nowplaying.star
@@ -219,6 +219,26 @@ def main(config):
     if now["host"]:
         show_host_row.append(render.Text(" " + now["host"], font = "tom-thumb", color = colors["accent"]))
 
+    # At 2x only (there's no spare vertical row for this at 1x): split
+    # show and host onto their own lines instead of sharing one. Show
+    # names can run up to ~60 characters -- nowhere near fitting even at
+    # 2x's doubled width, so that line stays a Marquee regardless. Host
+    # (DJ) names are assumed short enough to just fit, so that line is
+    # centered static text instead -- but guarded with the same
+    # codepoints()-based length check and Marquee fallback used for
+    # time_temp (see its own comment for why a bare len() would be
+    # wrong), rather than trusting "always fits" outright.
+    host_text = render.Text(now["host"], font = "tom-thumb", color = colors["accent"]) if now["host"] else None
+    host_char_count = len(list(now["host"].codepoints())) if now["host"] else 0
+    host_fits = host_char_count <= 15
+    if host_text == None:
+        host_line = render.Box(width = text_width, height = 6)  # empty placeholder -- keeps the row count/position fixed even with no host credited
+    elif host_fits:
+        host_pad_left = max(0, (text_width - int(host_char_count * 3.9)) // 2)
+        host_line = render.Padding(pad = (host_pad_left, 0, 0, 0), child = host_text)
+    else:
+        host_line = render.Marquee(width = text_width, child = host_text)
+
     time_temp_text = render.Text(now["time_temp"], font = "tom-thumb", color = colors["meta"])
 
     # At 2x, the extra width usually fits e.g. "9:54 pm \xb7 65\xb0F" without
@@ -274,13 +294,20 @@ def main(config):
     # as before).
     title_font = "terminus-16" if scale == 2 else "tb-8"
 
+    show_lines = (
+        [
+            render.Marquee(width = text_width, child = render.Text(now["show"], font = "tom-thumb", color = colors["text"])),
+            host_line,
+        ]
+        if scale == 2 else
+        [render.Marquee(width = text_width, child = render.Row(children = show_host_row))]
+    )
+
     top_lines = [
         render.Marquee(width = text_width, child = render.Text(now["title"], font = title_font, color = colors["text"])),
         render.Marquee(width = text_width, child = render.Text(now["artist"], font = "tb-8", color = colors["text"])),
         render.Box(width = text_width, height = scale, color = colors["separator"]),
-        render.Marquee(width = text_width, child = render.Row(children = show_host_row)),
-        time_temp_line,
-    ]
+    ] + show_lines + [time_temp_line]
 
     children = [render.Column(children = top_lines)]
     if progress != None: