First on LateNighter: Melissa McCarthy‘s sixth time at bat for Saturday Night Live drew more than positive reviews—it also drew a crowd.
According to just-released Nielsen Live+Same Day ratings, SNL‘s December 6, 2025 episode, hosted by McCarthy with musical guest Dijon, drew 4.3 million total viewers—a 3% increase over the show’s most recent new episode. That was enough to make it SNL‘s third highest-rated episode this season as measured by total viewers.
The story was less rosy among adults 18–49, where viewership was down 7% at 746,000 viewers compared to the prior episode’s 799,000.
Year-over-year, stacked up against last year’s December 7 episode (hosted by Paul Mescal with musical guest Shaboozy), McCarthy’s episode was up 12% among total viewers and up 1% in the demo.
As always, bottom-line viewership will rise when Live+3 numbers, which include delayed viewing, come in. (For example, per Nielsen, the show’s November 15 episode, hosted by Glen Powell with musical guest Olivia Dean, gained an additional 1.4 million total viewers in the three days following its broadcast, with Live+3 figures topping out at 5.5 million total viewers, while viewers in the demo grew by more than 42% to 1,134,000.)
It’s also worth noting that linear ratings are just one piece of the pie, especially among younger viewers. Live+Same Day figures do not include live viewing on Peacock, nor do they account for the show’s YouTube views, where this week’s “Pentagon Press Conference” cold open had 5.2 million views as of this writing.
McCarthy’s episode was warmly received by fans and critics, with LateNighter’s Dennis Perkins describing her as “terrific” and praising the show’s “almost full-squad” effort in his review.
Saturday Night Live returns this weekend with its second of three new December episodes, featuring first-time host Josh O’Connor and returning musical guest Lily Allen, who last appeared on the show more than 18 years ago.
Episode-by-episode Nielsen ratings charts for SNL’s 51st season follow below.
Live+SD Ratings – All Viewers (P2+)
| Date | Host / Music Guest | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Avg Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/6/25 | Melissa McCarthy / Dijon | 4, 304 | 12.62 |
| 11/15/25 | Glen Powell / Olivia Dean | 4,165 | 14.41 |
| 11/8/25 | Nikki Glaser / sombr | 4,023 | 13.75 |
| 11/1/25 | Miles Teller / Brandi Carlile | 3,496 | 7.47 |
| 10/18/25 | Sabrina Carpenter | 4,248 | 14.67 |
| 10/11/25 | Amy Poehler / Role Model | 4,369 | 14.05 |
| 10/4/25 | Bad Bunny / Doja Cat | 4,634 | 14.99 |
Live+SD Ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)
| Date | Host / Music Guest | Avg Viewers (000s) | Avg Share % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/6/25 | Melissa McCarthy / Dijon | 746 | 9.87 |
| 11/15/25 | Glen Powell / Olivia Dean | 799 | 13.48 |
| 11/8/25 | Nikki Glaser / sombr | 733 | 11.97 |
| 11/1/25 | Miles Teller / Brandi Carlile | 605 | 4.98 |
| 10/18/25 | Sabrina Carpenter | 938 | 14.92 |
| 10/11/25 | Amy Poehler / Role Model | 893 | 12.91 |
| 10/4/25 | Bad Bunny / Doja Cat | 1,125 | 16.33 |
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Melissa is a class act. She is probably my favorite actor. SNL has been really bad the last several years. She single handedly carried that show on Saturday night. Way to go Melissa!
If she used Olympic or Wegovy, I hope she us now healthy and can stop using it. these drugs are dangerous.