With Ariana Grande, ‘SNL’ Scores Most-Watched Episode Since Elon Musk Hosted in 2021

Ariana Grande led “Saturday Night Live” to its highest ratings since Elon Musk hosted the show on May 8, 2021.

'Saturday Night Live' Technical Issue Before Stevie Nicks' Performance Halts the Live Show

Grande’s Oct. 12 episode, with musical guest Stevie Nicks, drew 5.6 million viewers in live+same day viewing on NBC, per Nielsen data. That number does not account for delayed viewing, with that data becoming available at a later date.

The Grande show also became the most-watched “SNL” episode ever on Peacock across its first two days of viewing, Sunday and Monday, according to NBC.

Per NBC, Grande’s episode drew a “record-breaking” 516 million views across “SNL’s” social channels, with 415 million of those views attributed to in-show sketch and musical performance content. (“SNL” also uploads sketches online that were cut from the broadcast for time.)

On “SNL,” Grande wooed viewers with the “Bridesmaid Speech” sketch, which riffed on Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” and a darkly funny sketch in which she played a castrated boy with a gift for singing. The “Thank U, Next” pop star came on the show to promote the upcoming “Wicked” movie musical, in which she plays Glinda.

Oasis 'Reunites' on 'SNL' and Promises to Not Break Up Before Their Tour: 'It's Not a Hard No, It's a Maybe'

This coming weekend on Oct. 19, “Saturday Night Live” will welcome host Michael Keaton with musical guest Billie Eilish. The following episode, on Nov. 2, will be led by John Mulaney and musical guest Chappell Roan, making her “SNL” debut.

“SNL” kicked off its 50th season on Sept. 28 with host Jean Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll. That episode drew 5.3 million viewers in the Nielsen live+same day ratings, marking the most viewers for an “SNL” season premiere since 2020 (the previous election year). As the 2024 race heats up, this season has brought back Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris and introduced Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz, Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff and Dana Carvey as Joe Biden.

“Saturday Night Live” will celebrate its 50th season with a live primetime special on Feb. 16. The series airs on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET and streams on Peacock. “SNL” is produced in association with Broadway Video. Lorne Michaels is the creator and executive producer.

'SNL': Ariana Grande Imitates Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus and Sings With Bowen Yang as Glinda