Olivia Rodrigo lights up ‘Saturday Night Live’

Saturday Night Live
Olivia Rodrigo
May 2, 2026

Because I am An Old, one of my first introductions to Olivia Rodrigo was in an SNL sketch. I’m sure you know the one: a bunch of dude-bros at a pool hall find themselves singing along with Rodrigo’s song “Driver’s License” and admitting their love for her, despite being, you know, a bunch of dude-bros. At the time, I found the sketch relatable because my husband was (is) a huge Swiftie; but as time went on and I became more familiar with Rodrigo’s work, I became a pretty big fan of her work myself. Dark, fierce, angry, and feminist, Rodrigo gives this older feminist hope that the girlies are going to be OK. Angry — but OK.

As for her first time hosting Saturday Night Live, Rodrigo was unsurprisingly delightful. Like Sabrina Carpenter (and Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake and a bunch of others), Rodrigo began her career as a Disney star, which serves as a great training ground for sketch comedy work. These kids have been professionals their entire lives; performing in front of a live audience doesn’t faze them. And fortunately, Rodrigo’s charms were not wasted on bad writing this week. With the exception of one weak sketch, the night was strong and will go down as one of the better episodes of the season.

It’s a White House cold open, minus President Dorkus, which is a good thing. Instead, Jost’s Hegseth runs a press conference where he relentlessly bullies the reporters, before bringing out Aziz Ansari to play an increasingly worried Kash Patel. “I’m a trailblazer. I’m the first Indian person to suck at their job. Everyone says, ‘Indian people are smart, hard-working, and incredibly intelligent. I proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can be just as incapable and incompetent as the whites.” Enjoy it while we can — I’m not sure either of these idiots will still be in the administration next season.

Grade: A-

Olivia Rodrigo gives a charming monologue about the start of her career before performing a follow-up to her hit “Drivers License” about trying to get a Real ID. It’s cute, she’s delightful, she can stick around.

Grade: B+

Gather round, children, as I tell you about 1980s Prime Time Soap Operas like Dynasty and Falcon Crest, in which obscenely wealthy people were in abusive relationships with their staircases.

That’s basically the premise of this sketch: a spoof of 80s soap operas, the stars falling down absurdly long staircases. It’s a solid bit — and again, props to the prop master for pulling off this amazing stunt. I just wish the cue cards had been better placed so that Rodrigo wasn’t staring off in the wrong direction the entire time.

Grade: A-

BTS: How they filmed the falling down the stairs in Edge of Destiny sketch
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In this pretaped bit, Rodrigo sings about her perfect bedroom — perfect in every detail except that it is in some sort of zoo on a bug planet, and she’s the captive animal. It’s cute, but it’s no “My Best Friend’s House.”

Grade: B

I’ve said it before; I’ll say it again: I always enjoy a “Shop TV” sketch. You know the routine by now: aggressively Southern TV shopping hosts Rhett and Bev showcase an entrepreneur only to realize the product they are selling is unintentionally, but deeply, offensive.

Sabrina Carpenter had a neck pillow; Jerrod Carmichael had a doll; Michael Keaton had cookies; Adam Driver had Santa Claus chocolates. And now, Olivia Rodrigo brings us lava cakes that resemble a very … intimate body part that we all have. I challenge you not to laugh.

Grade: A

A pair of exes are thrown back together at a birthday party and try to make the other jealous by pretending to be in a relationship with a nearby stranger in this sketch. Rodrigo’s partner gets it, but her ex, played by Ben Marshall, is teamed up with an unhinged Ashley Padilla, who takes things way too far. It’s all about Padilla here, which isn’t a complaint. What is a complaint is that the cue cards once again seem to be in the wrong place, and it’s distracting.

Grade: B+

Weekend Update has had a lot to catch up with in the past couple of weeks: King Charles’ visit to the U.S.; President Monster putting his face on passports; the Michael Jackson movie; voting rights being gutted. It’s a good, no-holds-barred outing.

Grade: A

For those of us over a certain age, the feud between two blond female podcasters, both, somehow, named “Alex/Alix,” is like hearing about another culture’s folklore, all told in their native language. Here, the two Alexes join the “Weekend Update” desk to clear up any confusion. They only make it more confusing.

Grade: A-

Kam Patterson, the new cast member who is widely considered the least likely to be invited back next season, addresses the Megan Thee Stallion/Klay Thompson breakup, suggesting that Megan might be interested in a sketch comedy star who hasn’t had much screentime but is starting to come into his own. It’s cute and self-deprecating (but I’m not sure it’s enough to save him).

Grade: B+

Hey, remember R. Kelly’s “Trapped in the Closet”? This is that, but not funny.

Grade: C+

A pair of girls on their way to a night out get into a rideshare, only to have their very white driver, played by Andrew Dismukes, bust out with a reggae dance hall song, surprising them, and him most of all. Trying to explain the lunacy of this sketch is pointless; it just works, thanks entirely to Dismukes’ surprised, but resigned reaction to becoming a “white Rasta guy.”

Grade: A-

Finally, in the commercial spoof of the night, a home security service sends TikTokers to homes that have been broken into, so as to make the burglars go viral and get identified. It works.

Grade: A

Also, shout-outs to Connor Storie and DEBBIE MOTHERFUCKING HARRY for introducing Olivia Rodrigo’s musical performances. Badass.

Final Grade: A-.

Saturday Night Live airs at 10:30/11:30 p.m. Saturdays on NBC and streams on Peacock.