Ariana Grande doesn’t care how popular Wicked is — she still doesn’t want to make jokes about it during her upcoming hosting stint on Saturday Night Live.
In a new promo video posted Wednesday (Oct. 9), the pop star meets with a group of the comedy show’s cast members to discuss sketch ideas. “Guys, I’m so excited to be hosting this week,” says Grande, who’s dressed in a chic, baby pink top and skirt. “But before we start, I just wanna say: I would really prefer to not do anything Wicked or Wizard of Oz-related.”
The camera then cuts to Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Marcello Hernández and Andrew Dismukes, who are respectively dressed as Lion, Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin Man from the iconic 1939 film. “Mhmm,” Dismukes ponders. “May we come back in one hour?”
“Sure,” Grande replies, sighing as the quartet stands up defeatedly and leaves the room.
The clip comes three days ahead of the “Yes, And?” singer’s return to 30 Rock, which will find her hosting the Oct. 12 episode of SNL featuring Stevie Nicks as musical guest. And though viewers just saw her lay down the law in the promo, it seems a little unrealistic to expect that the upcoming Wicked films — in which Grande stars as Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba — won’t come up at all during the show. After all, fellow Wicked star Bowen Yang is also an SNL cast member, and the premiere of the duology’s first installment is just over a month away (Nov. 22).
This weekend’s stint will mark Grande’s second time helming SNL, following her hosting debut in 2016. Following the release of her Billboard 200-topping album Eternal Sunshine earlier this year, the Grammy winner served as musical guest on a Josh Brolin-hosted episode of the show in March, and participated in a couple sketches, including a Moulin Rouge parody with Yang.
Watch Grande’s SNL promo clip above.
