Bowen Yang’s ‘SNL’ Exit Is Most-Watched Episode in a Year

by · Variety

“Saturday Night Live” scored its most-watched episode in more than a year on Dec. 20 with 5.4 million viewers.

Not only was the episode hosted by pop star and “Wicked” actress Ariana Grande with Cher as musical guest — it also marked Bowen Yang’s final outing as a cast member. Yang joined “SNL” as a writer in 2018 before becoming the late night sketch show’s first-ever Asian cast member during Season 45 in 2019. News of his exit was reported the day before his last show.

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This isn’t the first time Grande has brought strong ratings to “SNL”: When she hosted in October 2024 alongside musical guest Stevie Nicks, the resulting 5.6 million viewers were the show’s biggest audience since Elon Musk hosted in May 2021. During Season 50, Grande’s episode was only outdone when John Mulaney hosted the following month, hitting 6.8 million viewers, and Grande’s Season 51 episode has been the biggest since then.

Before Grande’s night as host and Yang’s exit, the most-watched episode of “SNL” Season 51 with 4.6 million viewers was the Oct. 4 season premiere, when Bad Bunny hosted with Doja Cat as musical guest. On Peacock, Bad Bunny’s episode is still the most-watched of the season, followed by Grande’s.

Additionally, Saturday marked the biggest Christmas episode since 2020, when Kristen Wiig hosted with Dua Lipa as musical guest, achieving 6.6 million viewers.

Grande’s episode has also been Season 51’s biggest on social media, with 503 million views across YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok as of Dec. 23, outpacing every episode of Season 50.

“Saturday Night Live” is produced in association with Broadway Video, with Lorne Michaels as creator and executive producer. The series returns on Jan. 17 with “Stranger Things” star Finn Wolfhard as host and A$AP Rocky as musical guest.