Ariana Grande brought early Christmas cheer to late-night television on Sunday night, joining Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro to sing “O Christmas Tree” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The festive performance, released as a clip on Monday 9 November, is the latest stop on the press tour for Focker In-Law, the fourth film in the Meet the Parents franchise.
The trio crashed Jimmy Fallon’s monologue for a special Sunday night episode of The Tonight Show, which aired on 8 November. Grande took the lead on vocals, with Stiller and De Niro joining in on the classic carol, as Fallon celebrated the weekend arrival of the 2026 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The clip was premiered by Billboard ahead of the episode, which began at 11:35 p.m. ET after the Buccaneers versus Bears game on NBC.
A franchise reunion with a fresh face
Focker In-Law brings back a familiar family. Stiller and De Niro reprise their roles as Greg Focker and Jack Byrnes, while Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo also return. Grande joins the cast as Olivia Jones, alongside fellow newcomers Beanie Feldstein and Skyler Gisondo. The new film flips the formula of the original, with Stiller’s Greg now the overprotective father sizing up his son Henry’s fiancee, reportedly played by Grande. Universal has not fully confirmed all plot details.
The film is directed by John Hamburg, who co-wrote the three previous movies in the series. It is the first Meet the Parents film since Little Fockers in 2010, and Universal Pictures is releasing it in cinemas on 25 November, just in time for Thanksgiving. The first trailer has already drawn strong interest from fans of the franchise.
A brief return to the spotlight for Grande
Grande’s appearance comes during a planned break from public-facing work. She wrapped her Eternal Sunshine Tour on 1 September at The O2 Arena in London, and in August her representatives announced she would step back from other public engagements amid what they described as endless, ongoing public scrutiny. She is stepping back into the public eye briefly for the Focker-in-Law press tour, and her Tonight Show appearance was one of its biggest moments so far.
Just last week, Grande shared photos with her boyfriend Ricky Alvarez on Instagram, confirming the pair are still going strong, and she showed off a new bob haircut as she prepared for the press tour. Talk of a reunion with Alvarez, a former backing dancer, started in June 2026, after Grande split from her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater that same month. For now, though, the focus is firmly on Focker In-Law, and the Christmas carol moment gave fans a taste of the chemistry between the three stars.
Related: Ariana Grande Tonight Show: Focker-in-Law cast live tonight and Ariana Grande shares cosy photos with Ricky Alvarez in new post.
