Ariana Grande has become a familiar presence in the halls of Studio 8H, most recently as host of the third episode of Saturday Night Live‘s milestone 50th season. But just how much power does the triple-threat singer-songwriter-actress really yield at SNL? It depends on who you ask.
On Thursday night, Grande guested on The Tonight Show to chat about her new film Wicked. Of course, host/SNL alum Jimmy Fallon couldn’t resist first talking about the Grammy winner’s recent hosting stint.
“I want to first congratulate you on Saturday Night Live. You were great hosting—I mean, you can do it all,” said a clearly impressed Fallon. After singling out the now-viral “Domingo” sketch she appeared in and her role as “Antonio,” a young boy during the Italian Renaissance, Fallon asked if it was true that Grande was also partly responsible for SNL cast member Bowen Yang‘s casting in Wicked. The answer, is turns out, is complicated.
After describing Yang’s Wicked performance as “absolutely brilliant,” Grande admitted that “I don’t know that I actually had anything to do with” his casting. As she explained:
“[Producer] Marc Platt and [director] Jon M. Chu and Universal Studios were really trying to make it happen. I don’t know why I thought that I had any power here. I was like, ‘I’ll call Lorne.’ As if that was going to do anything.”
But call Lorne she did. “And I don’t know why I did. Because… it was the scariest moment of my life, you know what I mean? I was realizing in real time, ‘Oh, I have nothing to say. And I have no reason why he would listen to me.’… In that moment I realized I don’t have what it takes to make it happen, but I did beg.”
Whether or not Yang has Grande to thank for the opportunity, he did land—and nail—the part. And even flew back and forth to New York each week in order to both film the movie and fulfill his SNL duties. “He’s hardcore,” concluded Grande.
In the past decade, Grande has made four major appearances on Saturday Night Live: twice as a musical guest (on September 27, 2014 and March 9, 2024), once as host and musical guest (March 12, 2016), and most recently on the aforementioned October 12 episode.
