Olivia Rodrigo called back upon some of her career-making moments during her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live.
In Rodrigo’s monologue, the 23-year-old singer began by exclaiming that it was “a dream” to be hosting the late night show for the first time. She joked that she “grew up watching the show, and they say your favorite SNL cast is the one you watched as a teenager.”
“Mine is Mikey Day, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson and Chloe Fineman,” she said, who are all notably current cast members on the show. “And they all came back this week just to cheer me on. How sweet!”
Poking further at her young age, the singer recounted some of her earliest projects as a child actor. She previously starred in the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark, and on SNL, she acknowledged that she used to be co-stars with Jake Paul.
“When I was 13, I was on a Disney show called Bizaardvark, and we had an incredible cast, which included acting legend Jake Paul,” Rodrigo said. “And we’d always talk about our futures, me and Jake. I’d say, ‘I really wanna create music that explores the complexities of girls my age,’ and he’d say, ‘Well, one day I really wanna beat up old guys on Netflix.’”
She continued, “And we both did it, hooray!”
The “Drivers License” singer ended her monologue by performing a parody of the track that shot her into stardom, with a modern twist. This time, Rodrigo sang about getting her real ID instead of her drivers license.
The cold open poked fun at Pete Hegseth quoting a fake Bible verse from Pulp Fiction during a prayer service in mid-April. Aziz Ansari also joined for a surprise appearance to portray Kash Patel, the director of the FBI.
Rodrigo’s SNL return marks her third overall appearance on the show, but her hosting debut, and notably her first time serving in both the host and musical guest roles. She previously appeared on the show in May 2021 and December 2023.
The singer is gearing up for the release of her third studio album, You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, which releases on June 12. “Drop Dead” was released on April 17, serving as the lead single for her upcoming record. The track has already broken records for Rodrigo’s career, marking her fourth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
To add to the excitement for her SNL stint on Saturday, Rodrigo announced Thursday that she’s gearing up to hit the road with her Unraveled Tour. Also before the episode, the pop star teased that she’d be playing a brand new track.
The three-time Grammy winner is one of the final hosts and musical guests of SNL‘s 51st season. With only two episodes left, Matt Damon will host next Saturday’s episode with Noah Kahan as musical guest, while Will Ferrell will host the season finale alongside Paul McCartney.
More to come.
