SNL Season 51's Most-Watched Cold Open Starred Sabrina Carpenter

When it comes to the most-watched cold opens from Saturday Night Live's 51st season, the numbers tell a surprising story — about the power of Domingo. While Season 51 cast member James Austin Johnson still starred in several of the most widely-viewed openers featuring his Donald Trump impression, the single most popular cold open centered on a host.

The most-viewed cold open was "Domingo Cold Open" from the Sabrina Carpenter-hosted episode that originally aired on October 18, 2025. The fourth Domingo installment used artfully-bad singing to tell the story of how Kelsey (Chloe Fineman) can't stop cheating on her husband, Matt (Andrew Dismukes), with the oh-so-suave Domingo (Marcello Hernández).

Carpenter co-starred as Kelsey's "childhood bestie" and the sketch launched into a parody of Taylor Swift's "Opalite." Four of the top five Season 51 cold opens were inspired by real-life political events.

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