The final Saturday Night Live episode of 2025 was a big one. Ariana Grande hosted the Christmas show, and it marked the last episode for beloved cast member Bowen Yang. The night was full of holiday songs, funny sketches, and an emotional goodbye. One of the most talked-about parts of the show was a spoof of the reality dating series Love Is Blind. In it, Grande’s character got the surprise of her life when she finally met her perfect match.
A Shocking First Look
The sketch is set as a reunion special for the fictional season of Love Is Blind, hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey. They look back at one of the season’s “fan favorite” couples: Janelle, played by Ariana Grande, and her mystery partner.
Before their meeting, Janelle gushes about their connection. “I genuinely feel like he’s my soulmate,” she says in a clip. Her partner, whose face we don’t see, says she is everything he wanted in a wife. The scene then cuts to their highly anticipated first look, the moment where couples meet face-to-face for the first time after getting engaged.
The doors open, and Janelle is stunned into silence. Her partner, played by Mikey Day, is revealed to be the Grinch—the green, fuzzy, Christmas-hating character from Dr. Seuss. He is dressed in the character’s classic red Santa suit and hat.
“Hey… what the f***,” Janelle says, staring.
“Are you the literal Grinch?” she finally asks.
The Grinch seems surprised by her reaction. “Oh, what, you didn’t know? I guess it never came up,” he replies. He then tries to propose properly, asking, “Will you make me the happiest this in the world?” Confused, Janelle asks what he means by “this” and if he is even a human being. The sketch implies she also asks if he has certain male body parts, to which the answer is no. Overwhelmed, Janelle runs out of the room, leaving the Grinch alone.
The Unexpected Reunion
The hosts explain that after this awkward meeting, Janelle chose not to go to the Grinch’s home in Colorado and returned to her normal life. The show then cuts to the live reunion, filmed four months later, to see what happened to the unlikely pair.
To everyone’s surprise, Janelle and the Grinch walk out together, holding hands. They are very much a couple. When asked about their rough start, the Grinch explains it was just a case of Janelle overreacting.
“I was being crazy because I literally never even asked if he was the Grinch. And that’s on me,” Janelle admits.
The Grinch, who now goes by Neil, says they are stronger than ever. He explains that the name “Grinch” is now “triggering” for him because it was used by the people of Whoville to terrorize him.
The biggest twist comes when they share their happy news: they are expecting a child. The couple shows a sonogram image to the other contestants. The picture shows a small, green baby Grinch already standing up in the womb. Neil reveals that he is the one who is pregnant. One of the other contestants on the reunion show looks at the sonogram and asks, “Why is he standing up?”
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A Night of Highlights and Goodbyes
The Love Is Blind sketch was just one part of a packed episode. Ariana Grande opened the show with a musical monologue, singing a parody of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” about the struggle of buying a gift for a cousin’s boyfriend. She also appeared in several other sketches.
In one popular pre-recorded sketch, Grande played Kevin McCallister from Home Alone in a violent and bloody alternate ending where his family trips all his booby traps. The graphic comedy divided viewers, with some calling it hilarious and others saying it was too shocking.
The episode also served as a farewell for Bowen Yang, who was leaving the show after seven seasons. The final sketch of the night, “Delta Lounge,” featured Yang as a retiring airport lounge employee. In an emotional moment, he was joined by Ariana Grande and musical guest Cher to sing “Please Come Home for Christmas,” which brought Yang to tears. Former cast member Aidy Bryant also returned to join Yang for a “Trend Forecasters” segment on Weekend Update.
The episode, which aired on December 20, 2025, was the mid-season finale. New episodes of Saturday Night Live Season 51 are scheduled to return in January 2026.
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