Saturday Night Live Recap: Ariana Grande: For Good

Ariana Grande started her recent SNL monologue by pointing out she hosted last year to promote the first Wicked movie. While that episode was a highlight of the season, this one felt a bit like Wicked‘s sequel, For Good: enjoyable, but not quite as unforgettable as her previous appearance.

Ariana Grande consistently seems to enjoy herself on the set of 30 Rock, effortlessly shifting between quirky characters and delivering strong vocal performances when needed. Her opening monologue this week was a charming a cappella rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” playfully addressing the awkwardness of buying gifts for distant relatives. She showcased her singing talent again during the Random Duet Christmas Spectacular, convincingly impersonating Katy Perry and performing a festive version of “Firework” alongside James Austin Johnson as Bob Dylan. The segment demonstrated her ability to do a variety of impressions in rapid succession.

Ariana Grande didn’t always play the most glamorous parts in this performance. She actually portrayed figures of authority twice, including one of the choreographers’ instructors. While that sketch mainly highlighted Marcello Hernández, she clearly enjoyed herself, bursting into laughter after delivering lines like, “I’m sorry, you can’t ask me that in RFK’s America” and playfully touching Hernández’s face. I personally found her funniest moment to be the little twirl she did right after revealing she wasn’t vaccinated.

The ‘Black Santa’ sketch gave Grande a great comedic partner in Kenan Thompson, who played a man on trial for multiple burglaries. His defense? He was pretending to be Santa Claus. He brilliantly turns the tables on the court, accusing them of being prejudiced for assuming Santa couldn’t be Black – or a criminal, for that matter. Grande’s judge character completely buys his story.

People might not remember this Saturday Night Live episode as a classic holiday special or even for Ariana Grande’s hosting. Instead, it’s likely to be remembered as a perfect send-off for Bowen Yang, who has been one of the show’s most significant cast members over the past ten years. It was great to see him appear with Grande during her opening monologue and to have a close friend by his side for his final performance.

Here are the highlights:

Elf on the Shelf Support Group

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=VVYD1zCgbso

The sketch is exactly what you’d expect from the title, and it’s immediately funny. While the silly voices and names – like “Twinkle Butter” – are amusing on their own, the sketch really shines by fully exploring the idea without overdoing it. The different scenarios with the elves are hilarious, particularly Mikey Day’s character being made to pose suggestively at a fraternity party. The small details are great too, like Ariana Grande’s character crying Skittles and Andrew Dismukes’s elf leader telling everyone, “This isn’t Santa’s workshop. You’re allowed to cry here.”

Home Alone

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=ug44G2FdWyU

It’s fun to see a wildly over-the-top and violent digital short now and then, and this one really delivers. The casting is perfect – Ariana Grande as Kevin McCallister, Ashley Padilla as his mom, Colin Jost as Buzz, and Yang as Kieran – and the violence steadily gets more intense as the family triggers Kevin’s booby traps. The scene with Buzz’s head in the fan is particularly shocking, but Ariana Grande’s portrayal of Kevin’s escalating panic is what really makes it work. In the end, it’s revealed to be a fantasy dreamt up by a sleep-deprived Mrs. McCallister.

Weekend Update

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=3gdV0aHS02A

This Update wasn’t the strongest, but it had some highlights. There were, as expected, jokes referencing the Epstein case and the redactions in the released documents. However, the most interesting part was the introduction of Michael Che’s nephew, played by Kam Patterson. The kid’s character, who quickly switched between being adorable and surprisingly unsettling – especially with the help of music – was the source of most of the funniest moments, even going so far as to menacingly threaten Santa Claus to get what he wanted.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=vkYc5hDd4QU

It was great to see Aidy Bryant return for another round of “Trend Forecasters!” She did this with Yang when she left the show, and now it’s his turn. Everyone will likely be talking about Jost and Che’s yearly joke swap too—this time, Jost didn’t write any jokes for Che, but Che didn’t return the favor. As always, the jokes were pretty harsh and edgy, but didn’t get many laughs, mostly just shocked reactions from Jost. Actually, I found Che’s earlier joke about Marjorie Taylor Greene’s new fiancé much funnier: “I just want to see the size of the rock that guy must be smoking.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=fq_6-6ox8I0

Love Is Blind Reunion

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=PoeVpcUQ_l4

The possibilities for a funny Love Is Blind parody are endless, with tons of characters – both famous and made-up – who could be a good match. We decided to pair someone with the Grinch! It’s hilarious to see Janelle trying to process dating him, especially when he proposes with a slightly awkward question: “Will you make me the happiest this in the world?” The sketch really takes off during the reunion, where Janelle and the Grinch are incredibly close, and she’s even pregnant! Their baby, who’s already ‘standing’ in the womb, is named Neil – apparently, ‘Grinch’ is a mean nickname the townspeople used because of how they treated him.

Delta Lounge

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=68qa6YmJxPo

This sketch felt like a genuine farewell from Yang, and it focused more on emotion than jokes, which I appreciated. It portrays Ed’s last day at the airport lounge, where he’s handing out eggnog and saying goodbye to his colleagues. The sketch cleverly acknowledges itself as a goodbye, and it’s surprisingly touching to see Yang become emotional as he expresses how much he’ll miss everything. A particularly sweet moment is when Cher appears as Ed’s boss and tells him, “Everyone thought you were a little bit too gay, but do you know what? You’re perfect for me.” It’s a line that resonates deeply, especially when you consider how meaningful it would have been to hear as a child. Honestly, it was a very moving sketch, and it left me feeling changed.

Cut for Time

This week’s show began with a parody of a Christmas address by Trump. It covered familiar themes, like his habit of renaming things – he jokingly suggested calling the Statue of Liberty ‘Big Elphaba’ – and the controversy surrounding the redacted documents from the Epstein case. He delivered a line playing on his previous statements, saying, ‘Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible man, and I didn’t know him, and I liked him a lot.’

• “Redacted” is Trump’s second-favorite R-word.

• “We made diabetes look like something you want.”

James Austin Johnson showcased his impressive impression skills in a recent duet, performing as Bob Dylan, Cameron Winter, and Andrea Bocelli. His rendition of Andrea Bocelli was particularly noteworthy.

I should also point out Sarah Sherman and Yang, who do fantastic impressions of Kate Bush and Yoko Ono – they’re two of the most energetic performers.

• “I literally never even asked if he was the Grinch.”

Honestly, there’s not much more to say about Cher’s performance. She sang the lead single from her 2023 Christmas album and a cover of “Run Rudolph Run.” There was a bit of lip-syncing, but it didn’t matter! It was also fun seeing Ariana Grande bring back her Antonio character from a previous appearance to introduce the second song.

2025-12-21 22:56