Wicked star Ariana Grande hosted Saturday Night Live last weekend and kicked off her opening monologue with a string of impersonations that included Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus, among many others.
Grande, long known for her uncanny celebrity impressions, was just getting warmed up.
Grande, who is well known for her ability to impersonate several fellow famous faces, hosted the late night comedy sketch show on Oct. 12, 2024.
“Before I start, I want to make one thing clear tonight: I am just hosting. I’m not going to make this about me,” she told the studio audience. “I’m just going to have fun, take it easy and, yeah, just keep it low key.”
From there, Grande was handed a microphone and she began to sing about her intention to
“keep it low key tonight” before she broke into song anyway. Her tune included her favorite notes “C, D, B, A or G” before she launched into her celebrity impressions — the first of which began when she sang the opening line of Spears’ “…Baby One More Time.”
STREAM: Ariana Grande’s full episode on Peacock
From there Grande performed as Cyrus, who was followed up by No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani. She pledged to not wink at the camera before doing exactly that and said she wouldn’t talk about Wicked but was promptly met by SNL cast member Bowen Yang, who was dressed as her character Glinda.
“Bowen, didn’t anybody tell you? We cut the Wicked sketch!” she told Yang.
“Oh, that’s okay, I’m gonna do it anyway,” Yang answered.
Grande also insisted, “I’m not going to do a duet tonight, so please don’t bring out Stevie Nicks!” before she added, “Worth a shot” when the evening’s music guest failed to appear.
The “Thank U, Next” singer didn’t stop her impersonation arc with the monologue’s end. She later appeared as one of three people who played actress Jennifer Coolidge in a Maybelline ad spoof. Grande was joined by cast members Chloe Fineman and Dana Carvey, who each portrayed Coolidge as she was getting ready to go on a date.
WATCH: Every episode from all 50 SNL seasons, exclusively on Peacock
Grande almost broke character at least once during the sketch after she suggested to Fineman’s Coolidge that they tell her date crab walking is the superpower she would most want to have. The entire group was caught laughing once Carvey entered the sketch and the trio applied lip color to one another.
Grande also spoofed Céline Dion’s recent NFL promo in another sketch. Like Dion’s original promo, Grande’s take was also set to the mega hit “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now,” but she offered up a second sport “whose timeless emotions ignite the bittersweet emotions that live in my soul” — UFC fighting.
Grande sang Dion’s song over footage of UFC fights. “There was breaking of bones and there was knees to the balls,” she belted over the video.