Ariana Grande Cracks Up ‘SNL’ Team in Rehearsals for Viral ‘Espresso’ Sketch
Saturday Night Live‘s crew knew it had a hit on its hand before Ariana Grande’s bridesmaid skit aired earlier this month. The viral sketch — which parodies Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and spills secrets about infidelity — has amassed more than 7 million views on YouTube over the past two weeks and millions more across TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). In a newly shared video, Grande’s character in particular cracks up the SNL team during a rehearsal run-through.
In the clip, Grande is joined by her fellow loose-lipped bridesmaids played by Sarah Sherman, Heidi Gardner, and Ego Nwodim. The shortest of the bunch, the singer and actress delivered her lines and choreographed movements on her tiptoes. Sharman, Gardner, and Nwodim trade off lines before it’s Grande’s turn once again.
“We’re out, the shots are flowing, yeah/Guys on the dance floor grooving, yeah/We say, ’No thanks, she’s taken,’ yeah,” Grande sings in a surprisingly good terrible voice. This line, and her delivery of it, gets a hearty laugh out of the crew watching. Then the skit begins to outline the story of Domingo, Marcello Hernandez’s charming home wrecker who shows up to set to record straight direct from Domingo.
Grande’s hosting gig marked her first since 2016 and brought in nearly 6 million viewers on the day that it aired. It’s the most-viewed SNL episode since 2021. And while social media users are experts at running a joke into the ground within 24 hours, if we’re being generous, the Domingo bit still hasn’t lost its charm and comedy.
Last Friday, Hernandez performed a stand-up set in Minnesota and performed his portion of the skit with some audience participation. They knew all of the words — all he had to do was tee it up for them. “This is crazy that this is what my life has become,” the comedian said.
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