Honestly, if you looked at the state of late-night TV a couple of years ago, things felt a little... dusty. Then Ariana Grande stepped back onto the Studio 8H stage for Saturday Night Live’s milestone 50th season, and suddenly, the internet couldn't stop talking about a guy named Domingo and a very off-key rendition of "Espresso."
It wasn't just a hosting gig. It was a shift.
Most people remember Ariana as the "Nickelodeon girl with the ponytail" or the pop titan who can hit whistle notes in her sleep. But her recent stint on SNL—specifically the October 12, 2024, episode—reminded everyone that she is, first and foremost, a theater kid who can out-act half the people in the room. And then she did it again for the 2025 Christmas episode, cementing her status as a modern-day MVP of the show.
The Episode That Broke the Ratings (And My Brain)
When Ariana hosted in October 2024 with Stevie Nicks as the musical guest, the numbers were genuinely shocking. We’re talking 5.6 million viewers. That is the largest live audience the show had seen since Elon Musk hosted back in 2021.
Why? Because she didn't just stand there and read cue cards.
She committed. Hard.
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The "Bridesmaid Speech" sketch is the perfect example. Most singers would be too precious about their voice to intentionally sing like a dying bird, but Ariana leaned into the flat, awkward screeching of a bachelorette party gone wrong. Playing the sister of the bride (Chloe Fineman), she sang a parody of Sabrina Carpenter’s "Espresso" that detailed a scandalous hookup with a man named Domingo (played by Marcello Hernandez).
It went viral instantly. 11 million views on YouTube within weeks. It even spawned a sequel when Charli XCX hosted later that season. That’s the "Ariana effect"—she creates moments that actually stick.
The Impressions: More Than Just Mimicry
We need to talk about the Celine Dion UFC promo.
If you haven't seen it, stop what you’re doing. Ariana, draped in a gown and doing Celine’s signature chest-thump, sang a parody of "It’s All Coming Back to Me Now" about... mixed martial arts.
"Dozens of commentators, all bald and in the shiniest of shirts."
She has this uncanny ability to find the tiny, specific vocal tics of other divas. It’s not just "doing a voice." It’s an inhabitancy. Whether it’s her spot-on Jennifer Coolidge—which she did alongside Chloe Fineman in a Maybelline mirror sketch—or her brief flashes of Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani in her monologue, it never feels mean-spirited. It feels like a tribute.
Even the "Castrati" sketch, where she played a young boy in the Renaissance with a permanently high voice, showed a level of weirdness we don't always get from A-list pop stars. She stared into the middle distance with this dead-eyed intensity that was somehow the funniest thing in the entire episode.
What People Get Wrong About Her SNL History
A lot of fans think she’s only been on the show a couple of times, but she’s actually a seasoned vet.
- September 2014: Musical guest for the Season 40 premiere.
- March 2016: Double-duty host and musical guest (the "Tidal" sketch is legendary).
- March 2024: Musical guest for the Josh Brolin episode.
- October 2024: Host (the Season 50 breakout).
- December 2025: Host (the Christmas episode with Cher).
The Emotional 2025 Christmas Finale
By the time she returned on December 20, 2025, to host the final show of the year, the vibe was different. She was there to promote Wicked: For Good, but the night became an emotional farewell to Bowen Yang, who was leaving the cast.
Ariana and Cher (yes, the actual Cher was the musical guest) joined Bowen for his final sketch, "Delta Lounge." They sang "Please Come Home for Christmas," and you could tell it wasn't just "acting." These people are real-life friends. Watching Ariana help give Bowen his flowers while standing next to a music icon like Cher felt like a "passing of the torch" moment for the show's 51st season.
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Why She’s the Five-Timers Club’s Next Certainty
Lorne Michaels loves a reliable host. Ariana is basically the female Justin Timberlake of this era—minus the baggage and plus a lot more vocal range. She understands the "game" of SNL.
She knows when to break (she giggled a bit during the Jennifer Coolidge sketch, but so did everyone else) and she knows when to hold the line. In the "Charades with Mom" sketch, she played a hyper-competitive mother who threatens her son’s boyfriend. It was aggressive, fast-paced, and wildly different from her "pop princess" persona.
The reality is that SNL needs stars who aren't afraid to look stupid. Ariana has spent her whole career being "perfect"—the perfect voice, the perfect look, the perfect brand. On SNL, she lets the hair down (literally, the ponytail comes off for sketches) and lets herself be the butt of the joke.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Creators
If you're looking to dive deeper into why these appearances worked so well, or if you're a content creator studying her "viral" formula, look at these three things:
- The "High-Low" Contrast: Combining high-brow vocal talent with low-brow, "trashy" characters (like her Diane in the charades sketch).
- Physical Commitment: She doesn't just stand there; she changes her posture, her facial expressions, and her cadence entirely for every role.
- Supportive Hosting: She never tried to outshine the cast. In the "My Best Friend’s House" sketch, she let the writing and the weirdness of the premise take center stage while she provided the emotional anchor.
If you want to relive the best bits, start with the Celine Dion UFC promo and then find the "Bridesmaid Speech" (the original Domingo sketch). They represent the two sides of why she works: pure talent and pure chaos. With her Wicked era in full swing and her relationship with the NBC family stronger than ever, it’s not a matter of if she’ll join the Five-Timers Club, but when.
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Go watch the "Castrati" sketch if you want to see her weirdest performance yet. It’s a masterclass in staying in character while everyone around you is losing it.