Saturday Night Live Scores Highest Ratings in Over a Year
On December 20, “Saturday Night Live” achieved its highest viewership in more than a year, attracting 5.4 million viewers. The episode was hosted by pop star and actress Ariana Grande, with Cher as the musical guest. It also marked a significant moment as Bowen Yang bid farewell to the show after joining as a writer in 2018 and becoming the first Asian cast member during Season 45 in 2019.
Ariana Grande has proven to be a ratings magnet for “SNL” in the past. Her previous hosting gig in October 2024, alongside musical guest Stevie Nicks, garnered 5.6 million viewers, the highest since Elon Musk’s hosting stint in May 2021. Grande’s Season 50 episode was surpassed only by John Mulaney’s hosting in the following month, which drew 6.8 million viewers. Grande’s recent Season 51 episode has now become the most-watched since then.
Before Grande’s hosting and Yang’s departure, the most-watched episode of Season 51 was the season premiere on October 4, with Bad Bunny as host and Doja Cat as the musical guest, capturing 4.6 million viewers. On Peacock, Bad Bunny’s episode remains the most-viewed of the season, closely followed by Grande’s episode.
The Christmas episode of “SNL” on Saturday marked the highest viewership for a Christmas episode since 2020 when Kristen Wiig hosted with Dua Lipa as the musical guest, attracting 6.6 million viewers.
Grande’s episode has also dominated social media for Season 51, accumulating 503 million views across platforms like YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok as of December 23, surpassing all episodes of Season 50.
“Saturday Night Live” is a production of Broadway Video, with Lorne Michaels as the creator and executive producer. The show will return on January 17 with “Stranger Things” star Finn Wolfhard as the host and A$AP Rocky as the musical guest.
