- 7 weeks ago
Get ready to break free! Join us as we relive some of the most iconic and unforgettable moments Ariana Grande brought to the Saturday Night Live stage. From hilarious skits to incredible musical performances and spot-on impressions, Ariana always brought her A-game. Whether she was showing off her comedic timing or flexing those powerhouse vocals, she left an indelible mark on the legendary show. Prepare to laugh, sing along, and remember why she's a true SNL favorite.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the times Ariana Grande proved
00:09she could have a second career as an official SNL cast member.
00:19Number 10, Moulin Rouge. This sketch asks, what if Moulin Rouge secured the rights to every song
00:26that crossed their minds? These sketches are Ariana at her best, showcasing her impressive
00:30vocal versatility while being absolutely hilarious. Even she and co-star Bowen Yang can barely keep it
00:48together. The whole thing feels like two theater kids having the time of their lives putting on a
00:52show for friends, taking any excuse to sing every song they adore, plus happy birthday.
01:14If Broadway is looking for their next Satine and Christian, here they are. But for now,
01:18we can enjoy them. Reminding us of another movie musical linked to them both forever.
01:36Number 9, My Best Friend's House. You know those sketches that are so unhinged that you have to
01:41wonder what kind of conversations possibly led here? This is one of those. Sure, it's pretty weird to be
01:47infatuated with the smell of your best friend's house, unless maybe they have a live-in pastry
01:51chef or something.
02:03Yet somehow, that ends up being the least strange part. It turns out the house is a crime zone,
02:08and our narrator has just missed all the major clues. Watching Ari flip from a sweet, naive kid into
02:22someone whose entire reality collapses in seconds is impressive. Somehow, she never stops being funny
02:29and totally endearing throughout.
02:43Number 8, Charades with Mom. Some families simply cannot survive a game night, and the Grandes are
02:52apparently one of them. According to Ariana, this sketch was inspired by a real family game night
02:58where her mom dropped a very similar line on her brother-in-law. You got a tiny pecker or something?
03:05That instantly sparked the idea, and Grande wasted no time messaging Bo and Yang to pitch the idea.
03:11The chemistry between these two, no matter how wildly things spiral, is completely off the charts.
03:16Now, first word, um, oh, uh, uh, pathetic, fat, bad, evil, no nuts.
03:21Mom!
03:22Oh, oh, oh, uh, poor, ugly, short guy, pathetic little gay guy.
03:26Watching them bounce off each other is half the fun, and honestly makes us want to see them co-star
03:30way more often. Everything builds toward an ending that truly comes out of nowhere.
03:36You really are incredible, Diane. I'm sorry things got so heated.
03:41Hey, hey, hey, it's okay.
03:44Mom, what are you doing?
03:46Number 7. This is not a feminist song.
03:52Defining feminism in a way that accurately encapsulates everyone's experience is hard,
03:57so what if we just don't? That's exactly what this song does, and it does it oh so well.
04:03This is not a feminist song. We tried real hard, but it took too long.
04:08This is not a feminist song. Cause we were scared we would do it wrong.
04:12Grande joins the women of SNL to explain why they won't be writing this much-needed feminist anthem.
04:18Instead, the sketch leans into familiar pop star music video tropes and pokes at the pressure
04:23placed on women to make big, perfect statements in the public eye.
04:26Grande's comedy and vocals fit naturally into the self-aware tone, keeping everything light and sharp.
04:44The payoff comes with the fun twist that it has been a feminist song all along.
04:49Now it's time for you at home to weigh in on this song.
04:54Tell us if we handled it all wrong.
04:57Number 6. Dancing 101.
05:00Wrapping up 2025, Grande gave us yet another episode with countless strong contenders.
05:05From a very dark Home Alone parody to a grinchy, sorry Neil, love story to an elf on the shelf
05:11who's been through it, every sketch felt like a Christmas present.
05:14It hunts me like I'm a rat.
05:17And since Santa says I can't move or speak, I just have to...
05:21I just have to let it happen!
05:24I just wish elves could die!
05:28Why can't we die?
05:30I'm sorry, I'm gonna cry!
05:32However, Grande gives one of her funniest and strongest performances as a dance teacher
05:38alongside Marcelo Hernandez and his soul patch.
05:41Fast, fast, fast, slow. Fast, fast, fast, slow.
05:45We sort of down, we sort of down for you.
05:48Did you like that?
05:49Together, they prove there's nothing you can't express through dance.
05:53In other hands, this sketch could have been forgettable.
05:56I'm not vaccinated.
06:00I'm sorry.
06:02Are you not vaccinated?
06:04Excuse me, you can't actually ask me that in RFK's America?
06:08Still, Grande and Hernandez's commitment and visible struggle to hold it together only make it funnier.
06:14Out of every sketch that night, this is the one that lets Grande let loose and be her absolute silliest.
06:20And nothing is grander than two people that made the dance look much harder than it was.
06:26Out of breath and about to kiss.
06:29Five, six, seven, eight.
06:37Number 5.
06:38Maybelline.
06:39Grande's range as a performer is honestly something else.
06:42What's a good conversation starter?
06:47Lemons.
06:49Heck yes!
06:51What topic should we avoid?
06:55Fish.
06:56The band or the animal?
07:00There's an animal called fish.
07:02It's too bad more people didn't get to see her cut-for-time Judy Garland impression.
07:07Oh, no.
07:08Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
07:12Well, somebody turn on the little doodad that lets me talk to the aliens.
07:16But first, how do I look?
07:17At least her excellent Jennifer Coolidge, along with Chloe Fineman's, in this spoof commercial
07:22got the attention it deserved.
07:24The two Coolidges talk about their upcoming date while trying not to get tripped up by
07:27the ridiculously long product name.
07:30Wow, you can't help but sound smart when you're wearing Maybelline.
07:33Let's say the name together.
07:35Yeah.
07:36Maybelline color lip lighting.
07:39Lipper Maybelline.
07:41Lipper Maybelline.
07:42The impressions are great, but the real joy comes from watching everyone barely keep it together.
07:48Especially once Dana Carvey joins in.
07:50It is simple, very goofy, and will stick with you longer than Maybelline's Superstay Longwear
07:55Liquid Lip Color.
07:56All thanks to Maybelline Lip Lasting Long Lip Color, Ultimate Plumper Gloss Color, Liquid
08:05Lip Color, and with Maybelline.
08:07Wow.
08:10Number 4.
08:12The Sound of Music.
08:13Really, when you think about it, talking smack behind Maria's back probably isn't the
08:17most godly thing a nun could do.
08:19Yet that doesn't stop anyone here.
08:21This is the first and only time we've ever sung it.
08:25So you guys just made up that four-part harmony with light choreography on the spot?
08:29Okay.
08:30Too bad Maria's heard every word and she has had it.
08:34Maria interrupts the classic song to call out the nuns on their insults in perhaps the
08:38most millennial way possible.
08:39It's a thing I made up so people know when I've had it.
08:42And y'all nuns are about to get red.
08:46Well, I think you're being a very rude girl.
08:52Unless you grew up watching her on Nickelodeon or were lucky enough to see her on Broadway,
08:56for many audiences, this was the first time they saw Grande as more than a pop princess.
09:02She throws shade like they're standing in sunlight and proves she's a triple threat,
09:06or quadruple if you include comedy queen.
09:08I don't need this.
09:10I got hooked up with a gig babysitting seven children,
09:12which literally sounds like a vacation compared to living with you virgins.
09:16Which would bring us part two.
09:21Bye, bye, bye, bye, Maria.
09:23Out.
09:25Number 3.
09:25Castrati.
09:27Ari basically retrained her voice ahead of her role in Wicked,
09:30but why limit that expanded range to just one project?
09:33During all those sessions with her voice coach,
09:44we doubt she imagined she'd one day use her new skill set for this.
09:48Grande proves that often less is more in the sketch,
09:52only piping up on demand while letting her face do most of the work.
09:55Show them, Antonio.
09:56Yeah.
09:57Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
09:59No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
10:07It's one of her darker SNL moments,
10:10showcasing her acting skills and operatic vocal talent
10:13as she hits impressively high notes
10:14while maintaining a blank, unnerving calm.
10:17That, paired with everyone's full commitment,
10:20is exactly why it became one of the episode's most talked about sketches.
10:23It took practically no time for this sketch to go viral,
10:46and for good reason.
10:48In it, Grande joins a group of bridesmaids
10:50who decide to share the adventures the bride had at her bachelorette party.
10:53We're out, the shots are flowing, yeah.
10:55Guys on the dance floor grooving, yeah.
10:57We say no thanks, she's taking, yeah.
11:00Woo!
11:01Sing that!
11:01To the tune of Sabrina Carpenter's Espresso,
11:04they blissfully sing off-key about Kelsey's entanglements
11:08with a man named Domingo.
11:10The wilder the story gets, the funnier it becomes.
11:14Unless you're mad, of course.
11:15Back in the house, in the hot tub,
11:18she's there with Domingo.
11:20Passes her leave, get a hotel,
11:22she's viding with Domingo.
11:24Many fans praised Grande's ability to sing out of tune,
11:28which arguably takes just as much, if not more, control.
11:31It exploded online,
11:33became SNL's most-watched TikTok,
11:34and launched a series,
11:36although the original will always be our favorite.
11:39But he's actually a doctor,
11:41and randomly a model,
11:43and he volunteers
11:45with weird, sick animals.
11:49Before we unveil our top pick,
11:51here are some honorable mentions.
11:53Be Alright,
11:54a polished performance that set the standard
11:56for every Ari appearance.
11:58Cut for Time,
12:07New Studio.
12:09Well, that's one way to be a supportive friend.
12:11Genius, Greg.
12:12I'm so glad you warned us about how sexy it was going to be.
12:15Right?
12:16Because it was that.
12:18Kids' Choice Awards.
12:19Do the Kids' Choice Awards have a prize
12:21for funniest time fillers?
12:22Yay, it's official.
12:23The Kids' Choice Awards start right now.
12:28Oh my god,
12:34the clock is just flashing 12,
12:36and none of my producers
12:37are making eye contact with me.
12:39Mermaids.
12:40Proving she's mermaid for comedy.
12:42We are sea sisters,
12:44therefore all of us must receive a kiss
12:46for the spell to work.
12:47You kiss her, Smith!
12:49That's an order!
12:49Yeah, just kiss your blobfish, Smith!
12:53Celebrity Family Feud with Ariana Grande.
12:56If Jennifer Lawrence ever wants
12:57an understudy in life.
12:59I'm just like a snackaholic.
13:01I mean, I love Pringles.
13:02If no one's looking,
13:03I'll eat like a whole can.
13:04Like, every day is my cheat day,
13:06you know what I mean?
13:06Before we continue,
13:08be sure to subscribe to our channel
13:09and ring the bell to get notified
13:11about our latest videos.
13:12You have the option to be notified
13:14for occasional videos or all of them.
13:16If you're on your phone,
13:17make sure you go into your settings
13:19and switch on notifications.
13:22Number 1.
13:23Tidal.
13:24This wasn't the first time
13:25that Grande showed off
13:26her knack for impressions,
13:27but it's certainly the one
13:28that stayed with us the most.
13:30She plays Chloe,
13:41the intern who saves the day
13:42at Tidal at the very last minute
13:44by impersonating some of music's
13:46biggest voices,
13:47from Britney to Whitney to Celine.
13:49It's not the only time
14:05she's shown off
14:05her Silenzio impression on SNL,
14:07but we digress.
14:08Grande morphs into each singer
14:10with almost too much ease.
14:12And even if the voice
14:13isn't 100% exact,
14:15the stage presence absolutely is.
14:17Too bad Chloe isn't much
14:19of an Ariana Grande fan
14:20because she definitely helps
14:21Tidal break free
14:22from its crisis here.
14:24Chloe, can you do Ariana Grande?
14:26Eh, sorry, not a big fan.
14:28What's your favorite
14:29Ari moment on SNL?
14:30Let us know in the comments.
Comments