Bowen Yang’s ‘SNL’ Exit Gets Highest Ratings in a Year

“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 appearance 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 departure was reported the day before his final show.

This isn’t the first time Grande has delivered high ratings for “SNL”: When she co-hosted with musical guest Stevie Nicks in October 2024, the resulting 5.6 million viewers represented the show’s largest audience since Elon Musk hosted in May 2021. During season 50, Grande’s episode was only surpassed when John Mulaney hosted the following month, with 6.8 million viewers, and Grande’s season 51 episode has been the biggest since.

Before Grande’s night as host and Yang’s departure, 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, the Bad Bunny episode is still the most watched episode 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 and drew 6.6 million viewers.

Grande’s episode was also the biggest of Season 51 on social media, with 503 million views on YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok as of December 23, more than any episode of Season 50.

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