Five Highlights From Sabrina Carpenter's SNL Guesting: From Singing Machines, Teen Podcasts, and More

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time on 18 October 2025, marking her debut as both host and musical guest. While this was her first time leading the programme, Carpenter has appeared on SNL before — including as the musical guest for the Season 49 finale in 2024, and in cameo roles during the SNL 50th anniversary special.

Her first hosting episode featured eight sketches that showcased her comedic timing and performance range.

Here are five of the most notable skits from the night:

1. Domingo Returns as the Opening Sketch

The show opened unconventionally with the return of Marcello Hernández's popular character Domingo, moving away from SNL's usual political cold opens. Carpenter joined Hernández, Chloe Fineman, and Andrew Dismukes in a continuation of the long-running 'Domingo' storyline, where the character once again causes chaos at a party.

The sketch included parody renditions of songs by Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Alex Warren, continuing the musical through-line from previous installments.

2. Snack Homiez: Teen Podcasters Meet President Trump

In one of the night's standout sketches, 'Snack Homiez', Carpenter, Fineman, Veronika Slowikowska, and Jane Wickline played teenage podcasters debating which snacks were 'fire' or 'washed'.

The sketch took a twist with an appearance by James Austin Johnson as President Donald Trump, who joined their podcast to discuss his snack preferences — including an impromptu endorsement of Little Debbie's Christmas Tree Cakes.

3. The Grind Song Digital Short

Carpenter starred alongside Bowen Yang in a pre-recorded digital short titled 'Grind Song'. The sketch depicted secondary-school students awkwardly dancing at a school event while trying to appear mature, presented as a mock pop music video.

Yang, who was filming in Los Angeles at the time, appeared via pre-recorded segments. The short blended nostalgic visuals with light comedy, following the style of SNL's classic musical sketches.

4. Girlboss Seminar

In 'Girlboss Seminar', Carpenter played Queenlisha, an eccentric motivational speaker hosting an empowerment workshop that rapidly devolved into chaos. Surrounded by dancers and co-hosts, Queenlisha delivered increasingly absurd affirmations while attempting to maintain composure.

5. The Singing Machines Sketch

Later in the programme, Carpenter appeared in a musical sketch portraying a singing washing machine, joined by cast members as other household appliances. The characters performed advertising jingles in multiple musical genres, highlighting Carpenter's vocal range and her background in performance.

The unusual setup combined physical comedy with music and was one of the most visually distinctive sketches of the evening.

Musical Performances

As the musical guest, Carpenter performed two songs from her latest album Man's Best Friend: Man Child, and Nobody's Son.

Balancing comedy, music, and live performance, Sabrina Carpenter definitely contributed to an SNL episode that blended recurring sketches with new creative concepts — further solidifying her position within the show's growing roster of multi-talented guests, and setting the tone for a fresh new Season 51.

After concluding their 50th anniversary season breaking records with guest host Scarlet Johansson, the late night comedy programme returned for their 51st season on Saturday, 4th October, 2025, premiering on NBC and Peacock.

Catch the next show, airing Saturday, 11:30ET, 10:30CT, 9:30MT, 8:30PT.