Sabrina Carpenter Reacts to Ariana Grande’s Hilarious Pitch-Imperfect ‘Espresso’ Spoof on ‘SNL’

Ariana Grande was working late on Saturday Night Live this weekend, ’cause she’s a singer — not that you would’ve been able to tell from her hilarious spoof of Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Espresso” during the live comedy show Saturday (Oct. 12).

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And one day after the sketch — which featured the Wicked star stumbling through parody lyrics set to the tune of the summer smash as part of an awkward bridesmaid tribute — the “Please Please Please” musician shared her reaction. “Very nice and on pitch,” Carpenter sarcastically joked on her Instagram Story, reposting a clip of the skit and adding a couple heart emojis.

The Girl Meets World alum also tagged Grande and the SNL cast members who played bridesmaids alongside the “We Can’t Be Friends” artist in the wedding reception-themed sketch: Heidi Gardner, Sarah Sherman and Ego Nwodim. While toasting a bride played by Chloe Fineman in front of her groom, played by Andrew Dismukes, the quartet reveals through their rendition of “Espresso” that their bachelorette party trip wasn’t exactly innocent. 

“Now we’re back in the house in the hot tub/ She’s there with Domingo,” the bridesmaids sing to the chorus melody of Carpenter’s Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit as Dismukes watches in horror. “Asks us to leave, get a hotel/ She’s vibing with Domingo.”

Sharing the “Feather” singer’s appraisal on her own Instagram Story, Grande replied, “tysm we tried.”

The “Espresso” skit was just one of several hilarious moments in the Grande-hosted episode Saturday. Though she made a concerted effort not to show off her usually fabulous vocals in the bridesmaid toast, the three-time Grammy winner did get to put her talents to use in a couple other scenes — despite Stevie Nicks appearing as musical guest instead of her.

In her opening monologue, for instance, Grande belted out a few runs in front of a kick line moments after pledging to keep her appearance on the show low-key. Elsewhere, the pop star impersonated Celine Dion, sang an ode to the singular scent of one’s best friend’s house and flexed her opera chops while portraying a young Italian music prodigy named Antonio.

Grande’s second time hosting comes eight years after she first led the show in 2016, and seven months after she appeared as musical guest earlier this year to perform tracks from her Billboard 200-topping album Eternal Sunshine. In May, Carpenter made her SNL debut, singing “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” on the Jake Gyllenhaal-hosted program.  

Watch Grande’s “Espresso” spoof on SNL below.

Hannah Dailey

Billboard