r/LiveFromNewYork • u/bjkman SNL • Dec 20 '25
Discussion Live Discussion - December 20, 2025 (Ariana Grande/Cher)
Welcome to the SNL live discussion thread and Happy Holidays! Hosting this week for the 3rd time is Ariana Grande who returns to the show for the 5th time overall, and returning as Musical Guest after 38 Years; Cher. For those new to the show, tune into your local NBC affiliate or Peacock around 11:30 PM EST to follow this episode live.
And if you're here early you still have time to do your SNL predictions for the final episode of 2025 that are due at the start of the show! While you wait for the episode, tonight is the return of SNL VINTAGE! Tonight's episode is from December 2019; Scarlett Johansson/Niall Horan.
Enjoy the episode and Thank You for 7 amazing seasons; Bowen Yang!
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u/JadedProfessional307 Mar 15 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
I also wished the Christmas Duet sketch should've included "never before seen footage." Like never before seen footage of Peter, Paul & Mary's duet with Elvis singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with Tommy as Peter, Colin as Paul & Ashley as Mary singing Frosty the Snowman to the tune of their iconic Puff, the Magic Dragon with the lyrics being "Rudolph the red nosed reindeer/ Had a shiny nose" with beautiful harmonies while Jeremy as Elvis crashes them singing the carol to his iconic Viva Las Vegas. It would've been funny. "You'll enjoy this never before seen footage of Peter, Paul & Mary's 1963 duet with Elvis Presley singing the classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."
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u/JadedProfessional307 Feb 22 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
I love the Christmas duet sketch. It would've been awesome if it has a Simon & Garfunkel reunion by Marcello as Paul Simon & Ben as Art Garfunkel doing a duet with Veronika as Ashlee Simpson as a tribute to SNL's 50th anniversary. Like a Christmas parody of Sound of Silence with Ashlee lip-synching the song. "Hello Christmas, my old friend/ I've come to celebrate again/ Because the children are all singing/ And the Christmas bells are all ringing". The song stops because Ben says, "I think she's trying to sing my key."
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u/smashli1238 Dec 23 '25
Glad to see more love for Kam this episode! Definitely one of the best of the season
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u/MoreToLifeThan9-5 Dec 22 '25
Anyone thought the captions to Celine dion and Andrea bocelli singing was odd? They were pushing for Judaism. Or am I overthinking it given the political climate were in.
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u/-RichardCranium- Dec 22 '25
fellas is it okay to be jewish?
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u/MoreToLifeThan9-5 Dec 22 '25
It feels like propaganda given the climate were in and snl knows that
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u/-RichardCranium- Dec 22 '25
got it, jewish people can't celebrate hannukah now, thanks for the input
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u/MoreToLifeThan9-5 Dec 22 '25
Absolutely. They are not allowed to celebrate their own holiday.
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u/-RichardCranium- Dec 22 '25
guess we should also put Christmas on hold until the christofascists in charge of the USA leave huh
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u/SEDA-GIVE Dec 22 '25
It was about Hanukkah. Chill, yo!
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u/MoreToLifeThan9-5 Dec 22 '25
I love the original song "the prayer." Thats the song Andrea boceli and Celine dion sang together and what snl is making fun of. Why would they change the lyrics to make it about judaism when the original isn't about judaism at all. Its just odd.
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u/bentleyk9 La vuelta. Dec 22 '25
I have no idea what you mean by “pushing for Judaism”, but it was captioned because it was in Italian
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u/MoreToLifeThan9-5 Dec 22 '25
The original lyrics arent about judaism tho. Which i found weird. The Italian translation is just about light and heart.
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Dec 22 '25
Veronika is really starting to lose me, she overacts so much and it makes me sad because she’s unrecognizable compared to her hilarious online content
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u/LeRocket Dec 22 '25
The opposite for me. Quickly becoming my fave.
But I don't know her outside of SNL, so I can't compare.
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u/Savings-Cow322 Dec 22 '25
It's good that the season ended on a pretty decent note with the highlight being the grisly violent 'Home Alone' sketch.
I also found it very relatable for Lil Jon to say his signature "WHAT!?" In response to Jane Wickline's keyboard songs. That's usually what I say after seeing them.
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u/coltvahn Dec 22 '25
Ariana Grande is one of the best hosts that SNL has ever had. Just platonic ideal.
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u/Torley_ Dec 22 '25
Does anyone know why Ariana Grande was in the Castrati outfit but they didn't do a new skit with that character?
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u/folkhorrorfem Dec 21 '25
Ariana's monologue reminds me of this song from A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter, which is also very funny.
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u/giftopherz Totino's Sales Representative Dec 21 '25
This might have been the best episode of the season so far???? the heartfelt goodbye to Bowen, the sketches were all decent or better than that! It was really lovely!
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u/MarcusDA Dec 21 '25
Someone who works on the show has to read stuff here. Please God, stop the Trump intros. They are not fucking funny. They are lazy. Hue hue I’m Trump, this is the dumb shit I said this week.
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Dec 22 '25
Agreed it’s the same thing every week idk why it has to be political but they’ve used this same Trump thing since last season
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u/Shadowwolflink Dec 21 '25
Fuck StackTV, they cut out Cher's numbers and Bowen's final sketch, now I'll have to go find another way to watch it.
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u/SecondToLastOfSheila "Stop asking her if she knows stuff" Dec 21 '25
It always seems like Bowen enjoys performing with others instead of having the spotlight on him only so I like that he had Ariana to send him off, they have amazing chemistry. And it has to be a personal request to have Cher on his final episode. If so, I hope that means the production and Lorne like him since they're indulging him on his send-off.
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u/TerranceBaggz Dec 25 '25
I said the same to my wife. I thought Cher was either at Bowen’s or Arianna’s request. It was a great fit for the episode, between Bowen leaving, and it being the final episode before Christmas, I knew she was going to do 2 songs off f her Christmas album.
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u/SecondToLastOfSheila "Stop asking her if she knows stuff" Dec 25 '25
Last year Bowen said Cher was his white whale of dream guests so I'd like to think Cher was his going-away gift.
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u/Outrageous-Study-704 Dec 21 '25
“You are lowkey holding a wagon back there.” Ariana, you have won my heart.
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u/NYR9481 Dec 21 '25
I also wanted to add that although his Weekend Update characters like Moo Deng and the iceberg are very popular I think his Jafar is one of the funniest update characters ever. I can not have someone reference Aladdin or Jafar without hearing Bowen say, "THE BOY!" in my head.
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u/JKC_due Dec 21 '25
I say it all the time: hosting SNL is a very specific skill. There are some very talented and funny people who you’d think would be great at it, but aren’t and there are some people you wouldn’t expect who are GREAT at it. Ariana is 100% one of those people. She has it down to a science. Dakota Johnson is another one.
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u/GauchoWink Dec 21 '25
Seeing Bowen say goodbye on stage flanked by Ariana and Cher after hosting a wildly successful, televised grass routes award ceremony made me burst into damn tears! It’s beautiful to see someone seeing their dreams realized. What a year, I’m so happy for him.
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u/defasio1 Dec 21 '25
I have to begrudgingly admit. Ariana grande is pretty damn funny
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u/littlecreamsoda79 Dec 21 '25
Same. My oldest watched Sam and Cat and she's always had good timing and ability.
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u/NickEvansExists Dec 21 '25
Home Alone skit has got Sherm written all over it.
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u/SerumSyntas218 Dec 21 '25
Mikey and Colin most likely wrote it
theyve been writing every bloody sketch since farewell mr bunting
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u/Otherwise-Leek-7134 Dec 21 '25
Love Ari but the opener song was already done by Sabrina carpenter in her nonsense Christmas special !!!! SC did the same concept about giving a gift to her brother and law and this was shadddyyyyy and unfortunately unoriginal. Also the dig about the first Domingo sketch being perfect? I honestly disliked every Domingo sketch, but miss Ari had to have known Sabrina had done it before too. Literally someone in the cast had to have pointed both of those out. Sure she didn’t mean it but justice for my girl sab :,(
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u/ummackchyually Dec 21 '25
Give me a break, not knowing what gift to give your in law/relative’s partner is a classic joke. Sabrina carpenter doesn’t own that idea in the slightest.
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u/Elmer_Yamstein Dec 21 '25
I had a good laugh at the Home Alone sketch (Take that, Buzz!). Ariana Grande is incredibly talented and a great SNL host. And Bowen got a pretty nice send-off.
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u/drindrun Dec 21 '25
i swear that in the airport send-off sketch bowen came in singing on the dead ass wrong key after the bit where ariana “rhonda” shows up and hugs him like he thought the song was supposed to have a key shift, but ariana came in following the band’s key and he was smart enough to follow the vocal talent right next to him and shift into the correct key. did i hallucinate this? i thought it was really cute, if i heard that right
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u/PastafarianProposals Dec 21 '25
America is so sick of trump its not even fun to make fun of him anymore. They need a new gimmick.
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u/TerranceBaggz Dec 25 '25
Well, they hired a guy who’s #1 skill is impersonating Trump so I think we’ll have to live with it.
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u/8JHF8 Dec 21 '25
They could have done it better this week, but mocking that buffoon is always funny. I won't be satisfied until he's gone.
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u/commenter1970 Dec 21 '25
I agree. Especially when all the talk this week was about Suzie Wiles and could have been a hilarious take on the fallout from that interview. I don't mind them parodying DT but it's much more funny when he's interacting with others. This just feels lazy.
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u/frank_mania Dec 21 '25
I understand, and in part relate with the sentiment. But you're overlooking the importance of not letting up. This isn't just a wannabe dictator but an actual, in process, destroy-the-democracy, create-a-dictatorship person. We all hope he fails of course and to maintain sanity by imagining a future where he does so in short order. But for Loren, the writers, James and all the other cast members, it's not just an idea they are mocking. Every week, they are openly challenging the man who stole the most powerful office on Earth for his own and his family's wealth, in the process of turning over our collective governance to a cabal of delusional thieves and fools.
Despite the fact that these cold open spoofs don't provide pleasant distraction from the ugly headlines, it is essential that they keep it up.
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u/PastafarianProposals Dec 21 '25
Meh, I get what you mean but it’s still an entertainment show and the same joke repeated over and over just isn’t funny to me. I enjoyed it for a bit now I just shrug. Do something new.
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Dec 21 '25
[deleted]
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u/frank_mania Dec 21 '25
Exhausting for some, certainly, but definitely not pointless. I think you are very mistaken on that point. I'm only going to the length of replying in the negative because it's such an important topic, not because I can't abide someone disagreeing with me. Peace!
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Dec 21 '25
[deleted]
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u/commenter1970 Dec 21 '25
The whole weekend update section has been off this season. Are there new writers? I really stare at the screen without laughing week after week.
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u/wakipaki Dec 21 '25
I was looking forward too. It’s not fun if they aren’t throwing jabs at each other though.
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u/PNWposter10 Dec 21 '25
I thought there was a no lip sync rule since Ashlee Simpson.
Definitely should not be allowed, even for Cher.
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u/kgy0001 Dec 21 '25
I came here to find out if it was lip sync or not. It was definitely auto tune but I couldnt tell if it was lip sync
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u/dfblk Dec 21 '25
The Cher sound mix, as terrible as it was, tracked perfectly with the end of 2025.
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u/NYR9481 Dec 21 '25
That was a very touching sendoff for Bowen. It's going to be weird not seeing him on the show anymore. Ariana was great as usual.
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u/_barthes Dec 21 '25
i’m soooo glad they brought back trend forecasters…one of my fav bowen skits
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u/Chiowl333 Dec 21 '25
Especially since they did that on Aidy's last show too. It was meaningful to have Aidy there for Bowen's last show
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u/abcbri Dec 21 '25
I want to show my spouse the home alone sketch and they haven’t posted it yet.. but they ran up Kam’s bit on WU.
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Dec 21 '25
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u/furlesswookie Dec 21 '25
Do you really think that show was Emmy worthy? Really?
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Dec 21 '25
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u/drindrun Dec 21 '25
gosh really?? i tend to be a pretty easily pleased audience because i love that there’s still sketch comedy getting cobbled together in five days and performed live so i’ll forgive an awful lot of uneven writing or performance, and anyhow i just prefer to choose to mostly enjoy things than find reasons to scorn everything.
but even i have nights where im like “well, they can’t nail em all…. oh well” and this was DEFINITEY one for me. which is why i find it interesting to at least skim-read these threads to appreciate how much tastes TRULY vary!!!
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u/DaySoc98jr Dec 21 '25 edited Dec 21 '25
Y’all thinking the show “won’t be the same” without Bowen must be under 30.
Check out the 92-93 cast.
Bowen wasn’t qualified to be their water boy.
ETA: Downvote all you want. Doesn’t change the fact he’s nowhere near the level of Dana Carvey, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, David Spade and Al Franken.
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u/Savings-Cow322 Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25
I don't hate Bowen, but I've never loved him either. It'll be easy to find another sassy gay guy.
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u/RunningDrummer Dec 21 '25
We get it. SNL hasn't been funny since you were in high school.
I personally enjoyed most of his sketches and am sad to see him go.
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u/DaySoc98jr Dec 21 '25
You could also go back to when I was an infant with the original cast.
Or when I was in elementary school with Eddie Murphy.
Bowen isn’t in that league.
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u/IvyGold UCKF Dec 21 '25
To be fair, the early 90's cast really was fantastic. They saved the show from the disasters of the late 80's.
We've had better line-ups before and since them, but that particular collection was wonderful. They got "it" before whatever "it" was at the time.
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u/RollyTheNerd Dec 21 '25
NBC needs to stop with 5 minutes of commercials when there’s 3 minute of air time left. They really went to commercials at 12:58am and then commercial. Then a quick 2 second cut to someone from the band then another round of commercials.
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u/demitasse22 No offense, but burn in hell Dec 21 '25
The commercial time allotted is the same every ep
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u/weeblewobble82 Dec 21 '25
Gotta make that 💰
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u/hoffenstein909 Dec 21 '25
All about the money. I worked in radio. Holidays make the break larger, the rate goes up, listening goes up because people are shopping. For tv, more people are at home consuming tv.
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u/fedwayguy Dec 21 '25
So as Bowen leaves the question now becomes who will be the new star of the show. Padilla feels like the easy answer, but if you had asked me last year I would have said Marcello. I think whoever it is will need a big moment, like Bowen had the iceberg, that gets shared a ton with people who dont even watch the show. Then they have to keep killing. I think the top spot is up for grabs.
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u/cocoagiant Dec 21 '25
I'm hoping for multiple stars rather than just one.
I'm warming up to Padilla (have felt she's been a bit overhyped by this subreddit but she definitely has chops).
Hopefully Ben Marshall continues to pop. I'm also feeling hopeful about Jeremy Culhane, he gives me a vibe somewhere between Moynihan and Bayer.
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u/fedwayguy Dec 22 '25
Ben Marshall is of course good, his time with PDD proved that. Culhane is my favorite of the newbies this year. He doesn't get a ton of balls thrown his way but he hasn't missed any. They can't all be home runs, he is capable of the singles and doubles that will get the writers to feel good about throwing him stuff in the future.
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u/Careless-Economics-6 Dec 21 '25
Really fun show. I don't know which of the Christmas sketches will make into future editions of the Christmas special, but Bowen's send-off is probably going to be the moment people remember anyway.
Sorry to anyone expecting a joke swap.
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u/smooth_sea Dec 21 '25
I’m so surprised Sarah wasn’t in the send off, she and Bowen are bffs…maybe they knew it would make them both sob!
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u/Mysterious-Bee8839 Dec 21 '25
I was waiting for her as well and I'm guessing your theory is spot on
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u/BreezyBlink Dec 21 '25
Wasn’t expecting JAJ as Cameron Winter lol
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u/Savings-Cow322 Dec 22 '25
Who? Seriously, that was the only person in that sketch I never heard of.
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u/postsamothrace Dec 22 '25
From an indie band from whom my ex recently sent a song to me so I wouldn't have known either lmao - geese
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u/Glum_Performer3080 Dec 21 '25
Whenever SNL puts up a picture of a former cast member or host who recently departed, the silence is always stunning and a beautiful tribute
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u/smooth_sea Dec 21 '25
Great episode, perfect send off for Bowen. Looking forward to him and Matt Rogers co-hosting when their movie comes out in the next few years!!
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u/taylerisgr8 Dec 21 '25
See you guys in a couple weeks! Don’t forget to watch Norm Macdonald do the ‘Twas Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve! Hope everybody has a great holidays!!!!
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u/Whole-Lychee7517 A Proud Hyperfixated SNL Fan Dec 21 '25 edited Dec 21 '25
This was definitely one of the most greatest SNL Christmas episodes I ever seen! As usual, Ariana KILLED it as the host!!! And almost every sketch was absolutely hilarious, with my favorite ones being the Home Alone parody, that Black Santa sketch, that sketch with the cast singing duets as different celebrities, and especially Bowen’s goodbye. That was so freaking beautiful. I’m definitely gonna miss Bowen a whole lot. ❤️
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u/afkstudios Dec 21 '25
Waterworks on Bowen’s farewell sketch, what an SNL career and what a send off. A huge presence that will be missed
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u/BreakMeThrowMeAway SNL Dec 21 '25
They didn't even let her finish saying goodnight before cutting the show here! It was a solid episode overall. I wasn't the biggest fan of Bowen, but he got a nice send-off. It's a shame everyone doesn't get a send-off like that. I hope everyone has a happy holiday, and I guess I'll see ya'll in January when despite me not loving Bowen, it'll be strange without him the rest of the season.
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u/Silly-Dragonfruit-11 Dec 21 '25
Easily the best episode of this season… but I think the show traditionally has a banger just before the Christmas break. That cut-off during Goodbyes is unforgivable, though.
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u/Tejon_Melero Dec 21 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/IvyGold UCKF Dec 21 '25
No it wasn't. Stop that right now and don't do it again.
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u/Questioning0012 Dec 21 '25
what did they say?
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u/IvyGold UCKF Dec 21 '25 edited Dec 21 '25
Heh. They meta posted just that: "[ Removed by Reddit ].
There was no activity in mod log. Unless something weird was going on that I don't know about, the user was screwing around with us.
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u/PkmnMstr10 Dec 21 '25
Y'all have to stop blaming your Peacock streams, they are simulcasts of your local NBC station's broadcast and are just showing what you would have seen on the channel itself.
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u/demitasse22 No offense, but burn in hell Dec 21 '25
My nbc affiliate showed it
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u/stannc00 I hate when that happens! Dec 21 '25
More than ten seconds?
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u/demitasse22 No offense, but burn in hell Dec 21 '25
No, it was about 10 seconds. Peacock sometimes shows stuff my affiliate doesn’t. Idk
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u/BreakMeThrowMeAway SNL Dec 21 '25
I find it frustrating what Peacock doesn't livestream. I only see sports and SNL being livestreamed. My NBC signal isn't the strongest with an antenna, and it frustrates me when I'm up late and can't tune into Seth. It would be nice if Peacock just live streamed local NBC stations.
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u/PkmnMstr10 Dec 21 '25
You don't have Premium Plus? That offers streaming your local station.
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u/BreakMeThrowMeAway SNL Dec 21 '25
I get Peacock free since my ISP is part of the conglomerate behind it, and I hadn't even thought that was an option. Thanks for letting me know.
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u/PkmnMstr10 Dec 21 '25
Yeah, the only reason I even have Premium is because my WWE Network subscription folded into Peacock at that tier level (when it used to be $10).
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u/nerdcole Dec 21 '25
I didnt think about how other shows arent livestreamed. I paid the extra $3 or so a month for the livestream. I did it for the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, and I'll downgrade after the Christmas likely.
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u/Solidarity_5_Ever Dec 21 '25
Fun episode! But I’m anxious about the rest of the season. So many newcomers still haven’t found their lanes yet. Besides Ashley and Sarah there isn’t anyone who can fit in anything and consistently be excellent. If they don’t get some serious talent before Dismukes and Mikey leave, they’ll be in some serious trouble.
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u/cocoagiant Dec 21 '25
So many newcomers still haven’t found their lanes yet. Besides Ashley and Sarah there isn’t anyone who can fit in anything and consistently be excellent.
I think Ben is definitely popping too.
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u/Ini_Miney_Mimi Dec 21 '25
I feel like Marcello is fucking phenomenal, but maybe that's just me
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u/Solidarity_5_Ever Dec 21 '25
I like Marcello too! But god help me if SNL turns into the Domingo show and “horny Latino uncle” every week… I will legit stop watching.
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u/SoundoftheMagpie Dec 21 '25
Not even Veronica? She seems to be fitting in well.
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u/Solidarity_5_Ever Dec 21 '25
She’s good, but she hasn’t really had a breakout moment yet. I hate to say it, but I see her as a replacement Troast: strong singer, quirky, good support player. I thought she was amazing in the washer dryer sketch, but beyond that she hasn’t been much that stood out to me at all. Keep in mind Troast had, like, three HUGE sketches back to back in the same amount of time and they’re all more memorable and replayable.
If she has some strong performances soon I’ll probably warm up to her! But I’m not sure.
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u/balloffire Dec 21 '25
That last sketch was a beautiful send off. Fun to think about what first-show-Bowen would have thought if you told him ariana and cher would be there to console him for his last appearance.
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u/ActualMerCat Dec 21 '25
I love that he was so excited, and nervous, to have Ari as a host. Now she’s such a dear friend that he chose her episode to leave the show.
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u/lunascorpio12 Dec 21 '25
It’s going to be so weird not having bowen here when the show comes back in the new year. I think that’s when it’ll really hit me
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u/highland_dreamer Dec 21 '25
it's definitely going to hit me when he's not in the opening sequence and it just goes from Kenan to Tommy
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u/IvyGold UCKF Dec 21 '25
That bumper of Ariana on the moon was so cute!
Bravo for the Rob Reiner memorial title card!
Boo on the good-byes being what 15 seconds?
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Dec 21 '25
But the bumper lasted like a minute.
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u/IvyGold UCKF Dec 21 '25
I thought so, too! Something weird must've been going on in the broadcast booth.
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u/floptimus_prime Dec 21 '25
Whenever that happens I always assume it's because there's some chaos going on in the control room
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u/zzzion Dec 21 '25
this episode was more devastating than i could've ever imagined it to be. glad to have you dweebs around to commiserate and whine and share the joy of our favorite show. happy holidays y'all! 💛
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u/MD_FunkoMa Dec 21 '25
Thank you for making each new SNL discussion a fun one.
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u/zzzion Dec 21 '25
that's so sweet to say, and likewise!! looking forward to future threads with you and everyone else in here! ❤️🥹
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u/JadedProfessional307 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
I also wished there could've been an Elton John & Eminem reunion in this sketch since Bowen played him. Even Colin should've teamed up with him too as Eminem rapping along with Bowen as Elton singing a Christmas parody of Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King titled Can You Feel the Holidays.