"She’s just brilliant": Ariana Grande opens up on her upcoming Saturday Night Live musical guest, Cher

Ariana Grande is heading back to Saturday Night Live for one of the most anticipated episodes of the season: the Christmas show.

Grande is set to host the festive episode this Saturday, on December 20, 2025, at 11:30 pm ET on NBC, marking her return to the iconic sketch series, with none other than Cher joining her as the musical guest, who returns to the show after nearly 40 years.

During her first-ever appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers premiered on December 18, 2025, Grande talked about her busy SNL prep, holiday traditions, Wicked filming stories, and tie-in merch that creeped her out.

She further opened up about what the experience has been like, including finally meeting Cher for the very first time, calling the icon "just the one and only" and "brilliant," sharing her excitement for their promo shoot and the upcoming show, saying:

“I mean, she’s just the one and only. It was so spectacular. And she’s just brilliant, and I’m so excited.” 

Here's what the Wicked star said about her latest Saturday Night Live appearance

The moment everyone was waiting for came when Meyers asked Grande about Cher. He revealed that Grande had only just met her earlier this week while filming the Saturday Night Live promos.

“I met her moments ago. I just came from shooting the promos with her,” Grande said, still visibly amazed.

Meyers reacted in disbelief, saying,

“You almost never meet people right after they meet Cher.” Grande laughed and repeated what she clearly felt in her bones: “She’s just the one and only. It was so spectacular. And she’s just brilliant, and I’m so excited.”

It was her first appearance on Late Night, right in the middle of the holiday season.

Talking about hosting the Christmas episode of Saturday Night Live, Academy Award–nominated actress, Grammy Award–winning singer and songwriter, said, “It’s so inspiring to be doing it this time of year.”

When asked whether the writers and cast had leaned into the holiday spirit, she teased,

“Without giving anything away, there’s definitely a little bit of holiday cheer sprinkled throughout. But, yeah, it feels like coming home. I love being in this building. I love being at ‘SNL.’”

Meyers confirmed this is her third time hosting, noting that she’s also pulled double duty in the past as both host and musical guest.

When asked what the most stressful part of Saturday Night Live is, Grande didn’t hesitate, adding,

“I think when you become really attached to a sketch that doesn’t make it. That’s really tough. Oh, my God.”

She explained how easy it is to grow emotionally invested in sketches and the people behind them, telling Seth Meyers,

“You become very excited about these things and very attached, and you become close with the writers and the cast. And when one of them doesn’t make it, you can never reference it because no one ever knows about it except you guys. That’s really mournful. It’s hard.”

Meyers then brought up a cut sketch Grande once discussed on Amy Poehler’s podcast, one featuring Taran Killam that never aired but lives on online. Grande laughed, confirming, “It’s still, I think, might be my dad’s favorite.”

Meyers added that after watching it himself, he now revisits it regularly, joking that the sketch mostly consists of Taran singing alone for four minutes.

“It’s a great use of your talents,” he teased, prompting Grande to reply, “I was honored to be there.”

The conversation shifted to Christmas, with Meyers asking how Grande manages holiday shopping during such a packed schedule. “Well, yes, I tried to get as much of it done as I could before this week because ‘SNL’ is pretty full out,” she explained.

She admitted she’s been wrapping gifts in the morning before rehearsals, adding,

“When I get home, I’m usually too tired.” As for her wrapping skills? “I think it looks… well-intentioned,” she said with a laugh. “I do feel guilty about the amount of tape used. That’s gotta be bad. But I make up for it in other ways… It’s hideous, but it’s with love.”

Grande also shared her favorite Christmas tradition, making zeppole with her late grandmother, noting:

“My nonna just passed in June, and that was our favorite thing to do, was make the zeppolas with her. My mission this year is to come up with a plant-based Zeppole. She would not like that, maybe I won’t actually.”

Later in the interview, Meyers asked about the massive wave of Wicked merchandise now hitting shelves. Grande revealed that her mom has gone all-in, telling,

“My mom has everything. She went a little too hard. And I was like, ‘Mom, it’s okay, Universal, they’re gonna send it, it’s okay!’ And then she’d be like, ‘No, no, no, no, I need, like, 30!"

 Some items, however, caught her off guard, as she said: 

“I thought a few of the things were a little disturbing, like the pink and green I hope this is okay to say, was it mac and cheese that they did?”

Meyers quickly agreed, saying,

“Yeah, I think it’s fair to say that’s disturbing.” Grande laughed and added, “That was when I knew, ‘Oh, this is big.’ It’s a little bigger than I thought.”

Stay tuned for more updates.