Ariana Grande's SNL Episode Draws Huge Audience Amid WICKED Hype

As the anticipation for the Wicked movie builds to an all-time high, Ariana Grande continues to impress. The pop superstar and Glinda actress hosted Saturday Night Live this past weekend (for the second time) alongside Stevie Nicks as the musical guest. The October 12 broadcast was a massive success, bringing in droves of viewers to NBC.

According to LateNighter and Nielsen Live-plus-same-day data reports, the episode attracted a whopping 5,572,000 viewers. This was up 810,000 viewers (17%) from the previous Nate Bargatze-hosted episode as well as 721,000 viewers (+15%) from Bargatze's first SNL-hosting gig in October 2023. 

With these numbers, in addition to Wicked's massive first-day ticket sales, it is looking to be a great year for Grande. During her opening monologue, Grande teased her Wicked role, with co-star and SNL cast member Bowen Yang showing up in a Glinda costume. Her sketches included a Celine Dion parody (where she showed off her fan-favorite impression), a parody of Sabrina Carpenter's Espresso, and a bridesmaid song. Watch her opening monologue below!

Wicked opens in theaters on November 22, 2024, with the second part hitting theaters on November 21, 2025. The movie stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Joining them is Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard.