Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Ariana Grande

November 18, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Ariana Grande and Bowen Yang developed a genuine, unforced friendship quickly after meeting during *Wicked* rehearsals, cemented partly by Grande's intervention with Lorne Michaels regarding Yang's schedule. 
  • Ariana Grande views her varied career trajectory as a conscious effort to follow authentic impulses and chase creative endeavors that feel right in the moment, contrasting with her earlier, more structured pop career. 
  • The conversation highlights the shared appreciation between musicians and comedians for vulnerability, playfulness, and the ability to commit fully to being 'stupid' or silly in their work. 
  • Ariana Grande and Amy Poehler, both 5'2", bonded over the minor inconveniences of being short, primarily the inability to reach high objects. 
  • Ariana Grande maintains a detailed bath ritual involving Lush products, coffee, and working on her laptop while submerged, despite a fear of drowning. 
  • Ariana Grande shared a humorous and heartwarming story about her Nona's immediate, albeit comically probing, acceptance of her brother Frankie coming out as gay. 

Segments

Introduction of Ariana Grande
Copied to clipboard!
(00:00:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy Poehler was immediately impressed by Ariana Grande’s open-hearted nature.
  • Summary: Poehler welcomes Ariana Grande, expressing how wonderful she is and previewing topics like Best in Show, singing with Mariah Carey, and Wicked.
Bowen Yang’s Role
Copied to clipboard!
(00:01:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Bowen Yang was brought on to provide a question for Ariana Grande.
  • Summary: Poehler introduces Bowen Yang from SNL to offer a question for the guest. Yang praises Grande and discusses their developing friendship.
Grande and Lorne Michaels Story
Copied to clipboard!
(00:06:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Ariana Grande helped secure Bowen Yang’s participation in Wicked by calling Lorne Michaels.
  • Summary: Yang recounts how Grande called Lorne Michaels to convince him to allow Yang to film Wicked while maintaining his SNL schedule.
Bowen’s Questions for Ariana
Copied to clipboard!
(00:09:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Bowen’s main question asks for the unifying theme of Grande’s diverse career.
  • Summary: Yang poses two questions: one about the trajectory of Grande’s career, and a silly one about her favorite note to sing.
Grande’s Comedy Background
Copied to clipboard!
(00:13:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Grande bonded with her father over dry humor and mockumentaries like Best in Show.
  • Summary: Poehler focuses on Grande’s comedic side. Grande discusses loving Best in Show and recalling her first laugh performing stand-up as a child.
Career Trajectory Answer
Copied to clipboard!
(00:26:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Grande is prioritizing authentic impulses across different creative fields over sticking to one genre.
  • Summary: Grande answers Bowen’s first question, explaining she is chasing spontaneous, right-in-the-moment projects, feeling more connected to herself.
Favorite Note Discussion
Copied to clipboard!
(00:29:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Grande reacted positively to hearing the notes G and C, which reminded Poehler of Annie.
  • Summary: Grande reacts to sample notes played for her. The discussion briefly touches on her time performing in Annie as a child.
Vocal Training for Glinda
Copied to clipboard!
(00:36:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Grande trained rigorously for months to achieve Glinda’s pure, classical vocal tone for Wicked.
  • Summary: Grande details the vocal training required for Glinda, noting the need to eliminate rasp and achieve a pure tone, and how her speaking voice shifted.
Supportive Relationship with Erivo
Copied to clipboard!
(00:50:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Grande and Cynthia Erivo actively worked to counter media narratives seeking conflict between them.
  • Summary: Poehler praises the radical support Grande and Erivo showed each other during the Wicked press tour, which Grande confirms was a conscious pact.
Slow Lightning Round: Height
Copied to clipboard!
(00:56:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Ariana Grande confirms her height is 5'2", correcting the internet’s claim of 5'3".
  • Summary: Poehler starts the slow lightning round by asking about Grande’s height. Grande states she is 5'2" and enjoys it, despite occasional reaching difficulties.
Height and License Discrepancy
Copied to clipboard!
(00:56:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The speakers, both 5'2", discussed the minor confusion and excitement over one speaker’s license listing her height as 5'3".
  • Summary: The conversation shifts to height, specifically being 5'2". One speaker mentions her license incorrectly states 5'3", leading to a brief moment of excitement before it was corrected. They discuss the pros and cons of being short, mainly focusing on the difficulty of reaching things.
Short Stature and Longevity
Copied to clipboard!
(00:57:32)
  • Key Takeaway: The speakers humorously debated the idea that shorter people might live longer, wishing for short people to have the longevity advantage.
  • Summary: They touch upon the rumor that shorter people live longer. Amy Poehler jokes about giving the longevity advantage to short people, though they agree everyone should live long lives.
Past Lives and Feeling Old
Copied to clipboard!
(00:57:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Ariana Grande admitted to feeling like she has lived before, possibly as a tired soul who might have drowned, though she dismisses the ‘old soul’ label.
  • Summary: The ’lightning round’ begins with a question about past lives. Ariana Grande feels she has lived before and feels ‘old,’ speculating that previous incarnation might have drowned, which makes her uncomfortable with holding her breath underwater.
Wish for Entomology Knowledge
Copied to clipboard!
(00:58:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Ariana Grande expressed a strong desire to possess expert, endless knowledge in entomology, specifically being able to classify insects instantly.
  • Summary: Returning to things they wish they could do, Ariana Grande wishes she had endless knowledge of entomology, similar to how some people use apps to identify birds by sound.
Best Halloween Costumes
Copied to clipboard!
(00:59:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Ariana Grande’s favorite costumes include ‘Best in Show’ looks done with Amy Poehler and dressing as the pig-faced woman from a classic Twilight Zone episode.
  • Summary: They discuss favorite Halloween costumes. Ariana mentions collaborative costumes with Amy Poehler and dressing up as the character from the Twilight Zone episode where the woman wakes up to find everyone else has pig faces.
Bath Rituals and Productivity
Copied to clipboard!
(01:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Ariana Grande is a dedicated bath enthusiast who incorporates coffee and even her laptop into her ritualistic, controlled bath time.
  • Summary: The topic moves to bath products, where Ariana reveals she loves Lush bath bombs, salts, and oils. She describes her elaborate bath ritual, which includes having coffee and her laptop in the tub to work, emphasizing that she feels ‘in control’ in the water.
Favorite Italian Food and Nona’s Story
Copied to clipboard!
(01:01:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Ariana’s favorite Italian food is simple marinara pasta, which leads to a heartwarming and hilarious story about her Nona’s reaction to her brother Frankie coming out as gay.
  • Summary: Ariana names simple marinara pasta as her favorite Italian food, made by her Nona. This prompts a story about Nona’s loving but confused reaction to her brother Frankie coming out, culminating in her asking if he’d seen breasts to see if that would change his mind.
Family Dynamics and Grandpa’s Acceptance
Copied to clipboard!
(01:03:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Ariana describes her family as a loud, tight-knit Italian group, noting her Grandpa offered instant, loving acceptance to Frankie when he came out.
  • Summary: Ariana confirms she has a typical, loud Italian family with Sunday dinners and card games. She contrasts her Nona’s reaction with her Grandpa’s, who immediately dismissed the news about Frankie being gay, saying, ‘Who cares? Let’s go [to dinner].’
Wrap Up and Congratulations
Copied to clipboard!
(01:04:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy Poehler praises Ariana Grande for providing love and acceptance, congratulates her on the success of Wicked, and expresses her fandom.
  • Summary: The hosts exchange compliments, with Amy praising Ariana for being so great and providing love. They congratulate Ariana on the success of Wicked and wrap up the main interview.
Polar Plunge: Game Night Competition
Copied to clipboard!
(01:05:24)
  • Key Takeaway: The Polar Plunge segment used Ariana’s comments about competitive family game nights to issue a public service announcement about not ruining games by being overly competitive.
  • Summary: The Polar Plunge, sponsored by Visible, focuses on game night competitiveness. Amy warns that overly competitive players can ruin the fun, though she admits to being competitive herself, advising people to ‘walk the line’ and not be awful.
Show Credits and Sign Off
Copied to clipboard!
(01:06:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode concludes with acknowledgments of the executive producers, production teams (The Ringer and Paperkite), and original music.
  • Summary: The hosts thank the listeners and list the executive producers (Bill Simmons, Jenna Weisberman, and Amy Poehler) and the production teams for The Ringer and Paperkite, signing off for the episode of Good Hang.