Melissa McCarthy Brings a Snowstorm of Chaos to the ‘SNL’ Holiday Stage

Melissa McCarthy returned to Saturday Night Live with a festive, chaos-filled holiday monologue capped by a slapstick snowstorm gag, kicking off one of the final SNL episodes of 2025 as the show heads into its year-end stretch with hosts Josh O’Connor and Ariana Grande still to come. Her appearance was part seasonal spectacle, part reminder of how reliably she can bend live TV to her comic will.


Melissa McCarthy on the Saturday Night Live stage during her festive holiday monologue
Melissa McCarthy kicking off a wintry, high-energy monologue on Saturday Night Live. (Image: NBC via The Hollywood Reporter)

Coming off a short hiatus, SNL used McCarthy as a kind of holiday defibrillator: a proven crowd-pleaser with a taste for physical comedy big enough to compete with the Rockefeller Center tree just across the plaza.


Why Melissa McCarthy Is a Go-To ‘SNL’ Host

At this point, Melissa McCarthy isn’t just a recurring SNL host; she’s part of the show’s modern mythology. From her Emmy-winning, podium-smashing take on Sean Spicer to her gleefully unhinged game-show contestants, she’s one of the few performers who can reliably turn a live sketch into “you had to be there” television.

SNL tends to deploy her at strategic moments—season finales, politically charged weeks, or, as here, a crucial year-end stretch when the show wants buzz heading into the holidays. Booking McCarthy is the comedy equivalent of bringing in a closer in the ninth inning: you trust her to land the bit.

“Live TV is my favorite playground, because when things go wrong, that’s when it gets really fun.” — Melissa McCarthy, on hosting SNL

Culturally, she also bridges audiences: older viewers who discovered her on Gilmore Girls and Bridesmaids, and younger fans raised on YouTube clips of her more extreme SNL characters. That cross-generational pull is no small asset for a show that’s constantly trying to convince both TikTok natives and their parents that it’s still appointment viewing.

Television studio stage with bright lights and cameras suggesting a live comedy show
SNL’s Studio 8H remains the most iconic live comedy stage on television.

Inside the Festive Monologue: Sentiment Meets Slapstick

McCarthy’s holiday monologue followed a familiar but effective SNL template: heartfelt banter laced with self-aware jokes, followed by an escalating physical bit that ends in outright chaos. The twist this time was a massive, faux snowstorm that literally knocked her off her feet.

The structure looked something like this:

  • A warm welcome back, acknowledging SNL’s brief break and the holiday timing.
  • Light jabs at New York winter versus Hollywood winter, tapping into bi-coastal culture clash.
  • A pivot into holiday clichés—cozy sweaters, perfect snow, sentimental specials.
  • The reveal: if you romanticize winter on live TV, expect the weather to fight back.

Once the “storm” hit, McCarthy leaned into full-body comedy: slipping, stumbling, and eventually being fully engulfed in an avalanche of fake snow. It’s classic live TV spectacle—the kind of gag that plays as well on a living-room TV as it does in the inevitable viral clip the next morning.

The monologue’s climactic gag turned Studio 8H into a blizzard-filled snow globe.

The Art of Getting Toppled: McCarthy’s Physical Comedy Legacy

McCarthy being flattened by a snowstorm isn’t just random chaos; it’s rooted in a very specific tradition of physical comedy that runs from Lucille Ball to Chris Farley. Her gift lies in making pratfalls look both cartoonish and strangely human.

Unlike some slapstick, which can feel mean-spirited, McCarthy’s comedy tends to punch inward. She’s often the butt of the joke, but there’s a warmth and self-possession that keeps the humor from turning cruel.

  • Commitment: She never half-steps a fall; when she goes down, she goes down.
  • Control: Underneath the chaos is a choreographed precision—you can see the stagecraft.
  • Character: The joke isn’t just “she fell”; it’s “this specific person, with this attitude, got humbled by nature.”
“She’s one of those performers the crew loves because she understands where the cameras are, but she also makes it feel like anything could happen.” — longtime SNL staffer, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter
Comedian mid-performance on a brightly lit stage, gesturing to a laughing audience
McCarthy’s brand of physical comedy is big and broad, but grounded in character work.

Positioning in the Season: A Holiday Anchor Before the Finale Stretch

This episode lands near the end of SNL’s 2025 calendar, with Josh O’Connor and Ariana Grande set to host the final two shows of the year. It’s a neat bit of programming: McCarthy as the pure comedy anchor, O’Connor representing prestige drama crossover appeal, and Grande bringing music-driven star power.

For NBC and Lorne Michaels, this trio signals a familiar balancing act:

  1. Legacy appeal: McCarthy, a proven SNL favorite.
  2. Awards-season heat: Josh O’Connor, fresh off prestige film and television acclaim.
  3. Streaming-era fandom: Ariana Grande, one of pop’s most online, meme-ready figures.

It’s also a reminder that SNL still sees the holiday run as a mini-sweeps period: ratings matter, but so does generating enough social-media chatter to carry the show through its next off week.

Behind the scenes, SNL’s control room juggles live comedy, music, and holiday spectacle in real time.

Strengths, Weaknesses, and How the Monologue Plays in 2025

From a critical standpoint, McCarthy’s monologue hits most of the notes you’d want from a late-December SNL cold open, but it’s not entirely without caveats.

What Works

  • Instant energy: After a short break, the audience clearly wants to be there—and McCarthy feeds off that.
  • Visual payoff: The snowstorm gag is made for clips, GIFs, and endless replay on social feeds.
  • Holiday mood: It leans into seasonal cheer without becoming saccharine, which is a tough balance.

Where It Falters a Bit

  • Topical lightness: Unlike some of McCarthy’s past SNL work, this monologue isn’t especially sharp about politics or culture; it’s more spectacle than satire.
  • Familiar beats: For longtime viewers, the “host overwhelmed by set-piece chaos” structure will feel comfortable but not particularly surprising.

In 2025’s fractured viewing landscape, though, not every opener needs to be a referendum on the news cycle. Sometimes it’s enough to deliver a clean, funny, high-impact image that reminds people SNL can still throw a party.

Audience in a theater applauding under dramatic lighting
The in-studio crowd’s response is still a crucial barometer of which SNL moments will resonate beyond Studio 8H.

Watch the Moment: ‘SNL’ Promo and Clips

For anyone who missed the live broadcast, NBC typically posts both the full monologue and shorter promo clips on its official channels. These are edited for quick social consumption, but the snowstorm bit survives intact.

You can usually find the official video here:

The clip is likely to be cut down into a tight, sub-two-minute package: set-up, blizzard, wipeout, applause. In other words, exactly the kind of snackable comedy that travels easily on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and X.

Person watching an online video of a comedy show on a laptop
In 2025, most SNL moments find their real audience online the morning after the live broadcast.

Final Take: A Cozy, Controlled Blizzard Before Year’s End

Melissa McCarthy’s snowstorm monologue isn’t the most daring thing SNL has done this decade, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a comfort-food kind of opener: familiar, exuberant, and just chaotic enough to feel genuinely live.

As the show hands the baton to Josh O’Connor and Ariana Grande for the final two episodes of 2025, McCarthy’s appearance serves as a reminder of what SNL still does best: pairing big personalities with bigger set pieces, and trusting that, at some point in the chaos, comedy will happen.

If this episode is any indication, SNL’s holiday-era identity remains intact: a little bit nostalgic, a little bit messy, and still capable of producing that one image—this time, Melissa McCarthy disappearing under a blizzard of fake snow— that you’ll be seeing on your feed for the rest of the week.