Ariana Grande's Funny and Heartfelt SNL Return

The last Saturday Night Live of 2025 started with a bang. Donald Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, gave a warning about "arctic immigrants" sneaking in through chimneys. He also talked about some made-up achievements, like renaming the Kennedy Center and invading "Venezuelar" alone. Johnson's portrayal of Trump was spot on, showing his cognitive decline in a funny way. However, it was a missed chance not to address Trump's recent offensive comments about Rob and Michele Reiner. Ariana Grande hosted the show for the third time. She kicked things off with a song about Christmas gifts, joined by cast members who suggested some really bad gift ideas. Grande's singing was the highlight, but the sketch wasn't that funny. Next, she was in a sketch about traumatized elves from the Elf on the Shelf. Grande got some laughs by crying gumdrop tears. In another sketch, Grande played Kevin McCallister from Home Alone, but with a bloody twist. The family gets hurt by Kevin's booby traps, which was funny but also a bit too much. Grande also danced in a sketch about a Dance 101 class, which was impressive but didn't make much sense.The show featured a segment called Random Duet Christmas Spectacular, where famous pairs sang together. Grande did a great job impersonating Katy Perry and Celine Dion. James Austin Johnson also stood out, playing Bob Dylan, Cameron Winter, and Andrea Bocelli. The musical guest was Cher, who sang a Christmas dance song. The performance was a bit of a mess because of the autotune and obvious lip-syncing. On Weekend Update, Michael Che brought on his nephew to share his Christmas wish list, which was funny and a bit shocking. Che and Colin Jost also did their yearly tradition of giving each other jokes to read, which was short and mean. Bowen Yang made his final appearance as a cast member. He and Aidy Bryant did a sketch as the Trend Forecasters, talking about what's "in" and "out" this year. Yang also had an emotional goodbye sketch, which was sweet but maybe a bit too much. The show ended with a tribute to the late Rob Reiner. Overall, the episode had a big show feel with lots of musical numbers, but some parts were a bit forgettable.