The December 20, 2025, Saturday Night Live episode—hosted by Ariana Grande with Cher as musical guest and serving as Bowen Yang's final appearance—drew 5.4 million viewers, the show's most-watched in over a year and the top social media performer of season 51 so far.
This Christmas-themed outing surpassed the season 51 premiere's 4.6 million viewers from October 4 (Bad Bunny host, Doja Cat guest) and marked the biggest holiday episode since 2020's 6.6 million (Kristen Wiig host, Dua Lipa guest).
For comparison, Grande's previous October 2024 hosting gig with Stevie Nicks pulled 5.6 million, while John Mulaney's episode hit the season 50 peak of 6.8 million. On Peacock, the Bad Bunny premiere remains the most-streamed, now trailed by Grande's latest.
Social buzz was massive, with 503 million views across YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok by December 23—outpacing all of season 50.
Produced by Broadway Video and executive produced by Lorne Michaels, SNL returns January 17 with Finn Wolfhard hosting and A$AP Rocky as musical guest.
