| 100% | BUNDY | 5 | Al ___, "Married... with Children" dad who reluctantly steps in as Santa for the neighborhood kids after an unexpected holiday mishap |
| 23% | LUCCI | 5 | Actress Susan ___ who won an Emmy for "All My Children" in 1999 after being nominated every year since 1978 |
| 23% | ARIANA | 6 | With 21-Across, actress who won an Oscar playing Anita in 2021's "West Side Story," 60 years after Rita Moreno did the same |
| 22% | LOPEZ | 5 | Jennifer ___, singer who made an appearance in the TV show "Will and Grace" as herself and performed her song "Waiting for Tonight" |
| 22% | DRYER | 5 | Fred who co-starred in TV's "Hunter" in the eighties after 9 years as an LA Rams defensive end |
| 22% | SNOW | 4 | Reason for an unexpected holiday in winter, maybe |
| 22% | ROBERT | 6 | With 49-Across, actor who won an Oscar playing Vito Corleone in 1974's "The Godfather Part II," two years after Marlon Brando did the same |
| 22% | OWEN | 4 | Name of the hippo who bonded with Mzee, an Aldabra giant tortoise, after the hippo was separated from its herd in the 2004 tsunami |
| 22% | VIVIENLEIGH | 11 | Actress who played Scarlett O'Hara in the film "Gone With the Wind" and also won an Oscar for her work in the film: 2 wds. |
| 21% | MICHAELKEATON | 13 | Actor who shared SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture with the casts of 18-Across and 33-Across (2 wds.) |
| 21% | SNOW | 4 | With 19-Across, place for kids to play in the winter |
| 21% | INGE | 4 | Playwright who won an Oscar for Splendor in the Grass |
| 21% | JLO | 3 | Nickname for the female singer who became an "American Idol" judge in 2011: 2 wds. |
| 21% | KENNY | 5 | With 36-Across, Rockets great who's an analyst for "Inside the NBA" |
| 21% | BLANCHETT | 9 | "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" actress Cate who also won an Oscar for her role in "Blue Jasmine" |
| 21% | ELEVATORPITCH | 13 | Chat with an investor who gets in on the ground floor? |
| 21% | ADELE | 5 | "Rolling in the Deep" singer who won an Oscar for "Skyfall" |
| 21% | ROBERT | 6 | Actor Oliveri who began his career as a child actor and played Nick Szalinski in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" |
| 21% | EMILY | 5 | With 32-Across, "Into the Woods" actress who became an American citizen in 2015 |
| 21% | IRA | 3 | ___ James Flagstead, an outfielder in the MLB who played for 13 seasons |
| 20% | FOX | 3 | "___ in the henhouse," phrase for an untrustworthy person with a "sly" animal in it |
| 20% | SNAKE | 5 | "___ in the grass," phrase for an unfaithful friend with a hissing reptile in it |
| 20% | PANDARUS | 8 | Leader of the Lycians in Greek mythology who shot Menelaus with an arrow |
| 20% | POWERPLAY | 9 | Advantageous situation for a hockey team with an opponent in the penalty box |
| 20% | NICKI | 5 | With 33-Across, "Anaconda" rapper who won the BET Award for Best New Artist in 2010 |
| 20% | OWL | 3 | "As wise as an ___," phrase for a wise person with a nocturnal bird in it |
| 20% | KYLEMACLACHLAN | 14 | "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" actor who is popularly known for his role as Dale Cooper in "Twin Peaks": 2 wds. |
| 20% | DEMI | 4 | Prefix with -sexual, for people who feel attraction only after forming an emotional bond |
| 20% | IAGO | 4 | Parrot who serves as a sidekick for Jafar in the Disney animated film "Aladdin" |
| 20% | KARINASMIRNOFF | 14 | "Dancing With the Stars" dancer who posed nude for Playboy in 2011: 2 wds. |