Ariana Grande Is A Wicked Good Host for Saturday Night Live Season 50
This episode was pop-u-lar! Ariana Grande hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time on October 12, and the episode was nothing short of magical. Let’s break down every sketch from Grande’s episode—spoiler alert: they were all magnificent.
Monologue
Grande graced the stage with her musical talents during her monologue. The Wicked actress showcased her Broadway skills while also reminding audiences that she’s one of the best pop stars and comedic actresses of our generation. She swears she plans to keep the episode low-key, but then immediately bursts into song and dance, effortlessly impersonating Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, and Gwen Stefani.
Her Wicked co-star and Saturday Night Live bestie Bowen Yang took the stage by storm in Grande’s Glinda costume from the upcoming film. The two bicker about Yang being on stage, and Grande informs him that the Wicked sketch was cut for time. Grande closed out the musical number with a dancing kick line and set an impeccable tone for the rest of her episode. Does anyone else see an Emmy in her future?
Bridesmaid Speech
Grande played the maid of honor for Chloe Fineman’s character, Kelsey, who just married Matthew, played by Andrew Dismukes. Rather than speaking, Grande performs her maid of honor speech as a parody of Sabrina Carpenter’s hit song “Espresso.” She invites the rest of the bride tribe, played by Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and Sarah Sherman, to perform in front of the happy couple. The song hilariously becomes more unhinged with each line. Dismukes grows more angry as Grande reveals that the bride hooked up with a mystery man named Domingo during the bachelorette party. Marcello Hernandez pops onto stage as Domingo to finish out the song and steal the bride.
Grande put Glinda away for a moment and transformed into a pitchy bridesmaid! Carpenter took to Instagram to praise Grande and SNL for their rendition of the song of the summer. She wrote, “Very nice and on pitch @nbcsnl!”
My Best Friend’s House
This one took a dark turn! In this installment of “Saturday Night Live Midnight Matinee,” Grande portrays a girl who loves the smell of her best friend’s house. While it’s a strange topic to begin with, the sketch quickly takes an even more shocking twist. Mikey Day, who plays the best friend’s father, turns out to be a serial killer whose hidden dead bodies in the house. All the smells Grande loved were masking the murders — including the severed head of Sarah Sherman.
This is the third time Grande sings during the episode, and it’s certainly not the last! This pre-recorded sketch might be the most bizarre musical number since Emma Stone’s “Fully Naked in New York” sketch from season 49. Unexpected yet hilarious, it’s a sketch that was likely a blast to film."
Charades With Mom
Ariana Grande: Suburban Mom Edition is something audiences didn’t know they needed—yet here we are, with Mama Ariana ready to play. Grande plays a loving mother to Michael Longfellow as he brings his boyfriend home to meet the parents. Yang plays the sweet boyfriend who is ready for a peaceful game night. Too bad Grande’s competitive bug turns up the heat in the living room.
Grande and Yang keep upping the ante with personal blows at one another. From questioning Yang’s masculinity to a full-body slam delivered by Yang to Grande, game night quickly turns vicious. Grande’s competitive, crazy energy as Diane gives Pedro Pascal’s “Protective Mom” sketches a run for their money.
This was a fan favorite for me, and Grande never fails to make audiences laugh. Can we start a petition for Yang and Grande to have a sitcom together?
Celine Dion Sports Promo
Grande deserves endless praise for her spot-on impressions. For this sketch, she transformed into Celine Dion, who romanticizes the beauty of sports in a promotional video. What sport would Celine promote? UFC Fighting, of course!
Grande’s impression of Celine is remarkably accurate as she praises the sport. She randomly breaks into “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” with UFC-centric lyrics. I have to admit, I’d listen to this on Spotify.
Castrati
Thought you’d never see Ariana Grande play a castrated Italian Renaissance boy? Think again.
Andy Samberg and Maya Rudolph surprise fans by playing the parents of Grande in this bizarre yet hysterical sketch. The parents present their son to the King, played by Dismukes. The King is astounded by the sickly child’s singing talent, but his amusement turns to horror when he learns that the couple had their son castrated to sing that high. That’s showbiz, I guess!
Maybelline
Grande and Fineman prove they’re the queens of celebrity impressions in this hilarious sketch. The two play Jennifer Coolidge promoting a Maybelline lip product. Grande is the reflection of Fineman’s Coolidge, and the two wonderfully play off one another.
Two Jennifer Coolidges not enough? Don’t worry! Dana Carvey is revealed to be a third Coolidge, making this a puzzling yet entertaining trio.
The Hotel Detective
SNL goes full film noir for the final sketch of the night! Grande, Dismukes, and James Austin Johnson play feuding detectives who accuse one another of being frauds. Let’s take a moment to praise Grande for her spectacular voice acting. Whether she’s Glinda the Good Witch, Jennifer Coolidge, or Celine Dion, she’s been proving her talent since her days portraying Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon.
Grande absolutely killed it during her second run as host for Saturday Night Live! Here’s hoping we see her join the Five-Timers Club one day. And while we’re wishing, let’s hope to see Cynthia Erivo host SNL just like her Wicked co-star!
