Ariana Grande to Host SNL Christmas Episode With Cher as Musical Guest

Ariana Grande will host Saturday Night Live on Dec. 20, with Cher serving as the guest performer. This marks her third time hosting the NBC program and her sixth appearance on the show. Cher will perform for just her second time as a guest since 1987.

"Can't wait to come home this week," Grande wrote on Instagram, sharing photos from her October 2024 hosting appearance. The post included images with cast member Bowen Yang, who also stars in Wicked.

Per NBC, the 32-year-old performer first appeared on the show in Sept. 2014. She pulled double duty as host and performer in March 2016, returned as a guest in March 2024, and hosted in Oct. 2024. Her October episode featured sketches including "Domingo," "My Best Friend's House," and "Castrati." She showed off impersonation skills of Jennifer Lawrence, Celine Dion, and other celebrities during past appearances.

Grande stars as Glinda in Wicked: For Good, which opened Nov. 20 and has made nearly $500 million at the box office. The film debuted with $150 million in North America and $226 million worldwide, making it the largest opening for a Broadway adaptation.

The movie ranks as the third-biggest musical debut in history behind The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, according to International Business Times. Grande and co-star Cynthia Erivo made award show history on Nov. 8 as the first two actors from the same film to be consecutively nominated for Golden Globes.

NBC released a promo video on Wednesday showing Grande bundling up in layers to view the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree with cast member Ashley Padilla. The two end up sneaking into Michaels' office for a view when access to the tree gets cut off.

The Christmas episode airs Dec. 20 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.