In one of the most unhinged sketches Saturday Night Live has delivered in a while, Ariana Grande stepped into the role of Kevin McCallister for a dark, over-the-top twist on Home Alone.
During the episode she hosted on Saturday (Dec. 20), Grande portrays Kevin at the end of Home Alone, just as his worried mother (played by Ashley Padilla) finally makes it back home to check on her son.
In the original movie, Kevin booby-traps the house with playful, kid-friendly setups meant to stop two bumbling burglars from robbing the place or hurting him.
SNL flipped that wholesome ending into something far more sinister. This time, the traps are still active — but they’re deadly. As the rest of Kevin’s family shows up (with appearances from Mikey Day, Colin Jost, and Bowen Yang), they unknowingly trigger the devices, resulting in a string of outrageous deaths that feel more Saw than family comedy.
The mayhem escalates with over-the-top traps — from a door-triggered flamethrower and a phone-activated saw to a paint can that transforms a fan into a deadly spinning blade. The chaos terrifies Kevin’s mother, until it’s revealed she’s actually hallucinating everything — a result of being awake for three straight days while trying to reunite with her son.
The sketch wraps up with a well-meaning neighbor smacking her in the face with a snow shovel before panicking and fleeing the scene.
Elsewhere in the same SNL episode, fan favorite Bowen Yang shared an emotional farewell during the closing sketch alongside Grande and Cher. Yang played a Delta Air Lines lounge attendant working his final shift, serving eggnog to travelers as he reflected on his time on the job. His words doubled as a heartfelt nod to his own journey on SNL.
“I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here, and I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer, especially the people. I’ve loved every single person who works here because they’ve done so much for me, especially my boss,” he said.
The moment ended on a touching note as Yang grew emotional while singing “Please Come Home For Christmas” to close out the sketch.
