A recent “Saturday Night Live” sketch featuring Ariana Grande in a reimagined version of “Home Alone” has sparked controversy, with many viewers labeling it as “deranged” and “dark.”
On Saturday, December 20th, Grande, 32, hosted “SNL” for the third time. During the NBC show, which marked actor Bowen Yang’s farewell appearance, the “Wicked: For Good” actress performed a comedic ballad inspired by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” joined an Elf on the Shelf support group, and participated in a Dance 101 class with cast member Marcello Hernández.
Other sketches included a parody “Love Is Blind” reunion featuring the Grinch, portrayed by Mikey Day, and a rewritten ending for the beloved holiday classic, “Home Alone.”
In the original “Home Alone,” starring Macaulay Culkin, eight-year-old Kevin McCallister is accidentally left behind by his family as they travel abroad for the holidays. During his time alone at home, Kevin cleverly wards off two opportunistic burglars, known as the “Wet Bandits,” using various inventive traps. These traps include a hot doorknob, swinging paint cans, and even a tarantula.
The classic “Home Alone” concludes with the McCallister family reuniting, but the “SNL” sketch took a different, controversial turn. Grande, portraying Kevin, wore a blonde bowl cut wig and descended the stairs to meet her mom, played by cast member Ashley Padilla.
The rest of the McCallister family soon arrived, including Kevin’s dad, portrayed by Mikey Day, and his older brother Buzz, played by Colin Jost. Kevin’s dad expressed interest in hearing about his son’s “little adventures” while he was left home alone. However, the conversation was cut short when one of Kevin’s traps inadvertently went off, resulting in a firebomb that set his father’s head ablaze.
Consequently, the situation quickly deteriorated. The McCallister family members met grim fates, with some slipping on marbles, others facing beheadings, and more suffering sinister ends.
The sketch has been met with criticism online, with some describing it as “horrific” and “disturbing.” One social media user commented, “Wow that s**t was deranged and definitely not performed live so I’m gonna form a class action suit against your ‘live’ claims.”
Home Alone pic.twitter.com/PEDyBKWIfC
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 21, 2025
Another viewer remarked, “Not very funny…. Dark. Very Dark.” Someone else felt that the scene had “ruined a holiday classic,” while a fourth person added, “What in the actual world?! Not even remotely funny, either.”
Despite the backlash, some viewers defended the sketch. One commented, “Awwwwww. The ending we all needed lol. ‘Home Alone’ meets Freddie Kruger.” (Sic) Another added, “Ariana Grande just turned ‘Home Alone’ into a ‘Final Destination’ Christmas special and I’m not mad about it. Kevin’s traps finally won the war.”
One more enthusiastic viewer said, “Was laughing so hard during it, we had to rewind & watch it again! Oh my goodness, SNL, MOST excellent!!”
“Saturday Night Live” airs every Saturday evening on NBC.