Saturday Night Live wrapped season 49 and kicked off its hallmark season 50 in 2024, delivering a slew of viral cameos and sketches along the way.
Perhaps the most viral SNL moment of the year occurred in October when guest host Ariana Grande appeared in a wedding reception sketch, singing a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s Grammy-nominated hit “Espresso.” Instead of belting Carpenter’s viral lyrics, Grande and the SNL ladies rewrote the song about an ill-fated bachelorette vacation that led to the bride’s hookup with Marcello Hernandez’s Domingo, a doctor-slash-model.
The song quickly racked up millions of YouTube views and became a trending TikTok sound, leading to a sequel skit on SNL and an acknowledgment from Carpenter herself.
“It exploded,” cast member Sarah Sherman later said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “When Ariana Grande did bad singing in blocking rehearsal, everyone was like, ‘Oh, this is funny.’”
Trisha Paytas Makes ‘SNL’ Debut to Deliver Paul Mescal’s Spotify Wrapped
Keep scrolling to revisit the most viral SNL moments of 2024:
‘Domingo’
Chloe Fineman played bride Kelsey as she was set to marry Andrew Dismukes’ Matt, who was completely shocked to find out his now-wife was unfaithful. While all of the lyrics proved unforgettable, it was Hernandez’s “Kelsey, I’m here” and “Kelsey’s a friend / She’s like my sis / But we did hook up though” that stuck out to Us.
Weeks later, SNL brought back Domingo for a new sketch starring Charli XCX. Instead of singing “Espresso,” the British pop star led a rendition of Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go” set at Kelsey and Matt’s baby shower. (As it turned out, Kelsey was pregnant with twins, and one was Domingo’s baby.)
Days later, Hernandez flew from New York City to Los Angeles for Carpenter’s final Short n’ Sweet show. Dressed in character as Domingo, Hernandez was the concertgoer who got “arrested” with pink fuzzy handcuffs during her “Juno” performance.
Pete Davidson’s Surprise Return Shows Off Tattoo Removal Progress
Davidson left SNL in 2022, and his official hosting debut the next year was canceled due to the writers strike. He returned to the show in November, reuniting with pal (and former show writer) John Mulaney for a NYC-focused sketch.
While Davidson and Mulaney lamented the perils of Port Authority bus terminal, fans went into a frenzy as it was the first sighting of the King of Staten Island star since he confirmed he was removing his tattoos. Davidson wore a short-sleeved T-shirt, showing off his bare forearms. (In May 2021, he first revealed he was in the process of getting rid of the ink.)
Moo Deng In All Her Glory
Bowen Yang had several SNL standout moments in 2024, including during the September 28 episode when he donned a hippopotamus costume to play viral mammal Moo Deng. In a “Weekend Update” segment, Yang’s Moo Deng delivered an impassioned speech in defense of Chappell Roan’s privacy.
“For the past 10 weeks, I’ve been going nonstop running around, eating lettuce, trying to bite the water from a hose and the response has been overwhelming. But it has come to the point where I need to set some boundaries,” Yang said, parodying Roan’s Instagram statement from weeks earlier. “Reminder: Women owe you nothing. When I’m in my enclosure tripping over stuff, biting my trainer’s knee, I am at work. That is the project. Do not yell my name or expect a photo just because I’m your parasocial bestie or because you appreciate my talent.
While some viewers thought Yang was mocking Roan, he later made it clear that the sketch was completely in her favor.
Sydney Sweeney Pokes Fun at Glen Powell Affair Rumors
Sweeney and Glen Powell played love interests in 2023’s Anyone But You, initially garnering public interest by playing up dating rumors during their press tour. Sweeney and Powell were actually in respective relationships with Jonathan Davino and Gigi Paris. While Sweeney and Anyone But You producer Davino later got engaged, Powell and Paris eventually split.
Sweeney and Powell later parodied the rumors during her SNL debut in March.
“While I’m up here, I do want to talk about some things I’ve seen about me online,” Sweeney said in her monologue. “I’d say the craziest rumor I’ve seen is that while I was shooting Anyone But You, I was having an affair with my costar Glen Powell. That’s obviously not true.”
She added, “Me and my fiancé produced the movie together and he was there the entire shoot. I just want to let everyone know that he’s the man of my dreams and we’re still together and stronger than ever.”
The camera then cut to Powell sitting in the audience before Sweeney confirmed that her fiancé was backstage in her dressing room.
Bowen Yang Has Theories on Why Ryan Gosling Broke Character on ‘SNL’
Ayo Edebiri’s Resurfaced Comments About Musical Guest Jennifer Lopez
The Bear star hosted the February 3 episode, where Lopez served as the musical guest. It appeared to be an odd pairing as Edebiri previously slammed Lopez’s singing capabilities and called her a “scam” during a 2020 podcast interview. On SNL, Edebiri starred in a game show sketch where she learned that comments on the internet have consequences.
“It’s wrong to leave mean comments or post comments just for clout — or run your mouth on a podcast and you don’t consider the impact because you’re 24 and stupid,” Edebiri stated. “But, I think I speak for everyone when I say, from now on, we’re going to be a lot more thoughtful about what we post online.”
Lopez later revealed that a “mortified” Edebiri personally apologized ahead of the live broadcast.
Trisha Paytas’ Surprise Debut
During Paul Mescal’s hosting debut in December, he enlisted the social media personality for a sketch about Spotify Wrapped lists. In the skit, Mescal’s character proclaimed that he wasn’t embarrassed by his music ranking, which included a series of podcasts by a guru played by Yang. Paytas, portraying herself, was one of the podcast guests.
Paytas’ appearance even overshadowed Mescal’s Wicked-style spoof of his movie Gladiator II with social media fans, who were especially in a frenzy over Mescal’s goodnights speech.
“Thank you to Trisha Paytas,” the Irish actor concluded.
While Paytas was grateful for the chance to make her SNL debut, her former podcast cohost once lamented the opportunity.
“If you go on Saturday Night Live, I will — what’s something really valuable I can put on the line? I’ll cut my arm off. My whole arm,” Ethan Klein quipped on their now-defunct “Frenemies” podcast three years earlier in April 2021.
Klein never responded to her actual SNL debut.
SNL’s Domingo Makes Surprise Appearance at Sabrina Carpenter Concert
Maya Rudolph Proves She’s ‘Mother’
The former SNL cast member returned to host the Mother’s Day show in May, so naturally, she turned her monologue into a musical ode to being “Mother.”
“I’m your mother / I’m your mother,” Rudolph sang, in a video reminiscent of Madonna’s “Vogue” video from 1990. “I’m your … Oops, I’ve made you dance / Remember in that movie when I pooped my pants? / When you were a baby, you pooped your pants and I changed your diaper / I’m your mother.”
She added, “It’s Mother’s Day, y’all. Today we celebrate all kinds of mothers. Stepmothers, godmothers, mothers from another brother, Dance Moms, Octomoms.”
Rudolph, for her part, shares four kids with her husband, Paul Thomas Anderson.
Ryan Gosling Says Goodbye to Ken With ‘All Too Well’ Rendition
Gosling hosted SNL in April, celebrating the release of rom-com The Fall Guy. He spent his entire monologue proving that he was completely fine leaving his Oscar-nominated role in Barbie behind with a spoof of Taylor Swift’s breakup anthem “All Too Well.” (His Fall Guy character is a major Swiftie.)
“I shredded Venice Beach, it’s true / My clothes were tight but something about that spandex felt so right,” Gosling sang, tweaking the original lyrics to fit the Barbie story lines. “I left my rollerblades in that big pink house / But I still got that fur coat and I’ll wear it right now.”
He continued: “Oh, that sweet definition of my washboard abs / Singing Indigo Girls in the car with Babs / If I said it was going fine, you know I’d be lying / ‘Cause I was just Ken and now I’m just Ryan.”
Gosling’s Fall Guy costar Emily Blunt also cameoed to help him say goodbye to the iconic doll.
Roasting Tom Sandoval Again and Again After Bravo Scandal
After Sandoval made headlines for his 2023 cheating scandal, SNL had the last laugh twice. In February, Hernandez played a frozen embryo on “Weekend Update,” where he compared himself to Sandoval.
“Does this look like a life to you, Colin [Jost]? I’m living at negative 200 degrees in liquid nitrogen, freezing my nonexistent nipples off,” Hernandez quipped. “I don’t got a brain, I don’t got a heart, I’m like Tom Sandoval. But even without eyes, I can see that Tom’s a pure narcissist.”
Months later in May, Sherman implied that Sandoval was a “parasite” during another “Update” segment.
Surprise ‘Mean Girls’ Reunion
Reneé Rapp made her musical guest debut in January, enlisting Megan Thee Stallion to perform their “Not My Fault” duet from 2024’s Mean Girls. Since Rapp played Regina George in the big-screen musical (reprising her Broadway role), it was only fitting that the OG Plastics leader provided the introduction. That’s right, Rachel McAdams kicked off the segment.
During the goodnights, McAdams and Rapp were also seen blowing air kisses in one another’s direction.
