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.
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