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‘SNL’ recap: Best moments from Olivia Rodrigo hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’
Olivia Rodrigo pulled double duty on the May 2 episode of "Saturday Night Live," serving as both host and musical guest.
“SNL” returned to the air for the 18th episode of its 51st season on Saturday, May 2, with singer Olivia Rodrigo pulling double duty as both host and musical guest.
It’s been a very musical season of “SNL” overall. Rodrigo became the third musician to pull a double act in Season 51, following Harry Styles on March 14 and Sabrina Carpenter on Oct. 18. Beyond that, a number of musicians or actors with musical side projects have hosted in Season 51, including Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande, Jack Black, Finn Wolfhard, and Teyana Taylor.
Unsurprisingly, Rodrigo’s episode featured a heavy dose of musical comedy, starting with a parody of her song “Driver’s License” in the opening monologue. From a pre-taped song about her bedroom to a musical story of infidelity opposite Marcello Hernandez, Rodrigo made sure her upcoming album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” was always front of mind.
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Rodrigo also got a pair of celebrities to introduce her two musical performances. Fellow Season 51 host Connor Storrie introduced Rodrigo’s song “begged,” while Blondie singer Debbie Harry, who hosted “SNL” herself way back in Season 6 and performed as a musical guest on the Season 5 premiere, introduced “drop dead.”
Harry was a fitting choice to intro the song, which features Rodrigo doing a mid-song rap verse. Blondie’s “Rapture” was the first song with a rap breakdown to appear on MTV and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Elsewhere on the show, after a relative lull in celebrity stunt casting, Aziz Ansari made his first appearance as embattled FBI Director Kash Patel.
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In a braggadocious performance that echoed his “Funny People” hack comedian Randy, Ansari — as Patel, “aka K-Dot, aka Kash with a ‘K'” — bragged about being a “trailblazer.”
“I’m the first Indian person to suck at their job,” Ansari said. “Everyone says Indian people are smart, hardworking, incredibly intelligent. I proved without a shadow of a doubt that we can be just as incapable and incompetent as the whites.”
Check out the videos below to see highlights from Olivia Rodrigo’s episode of “SNL,” including Rodrigo’s opening monologue, Rodrigo performing her new songs “drop dead” and “begged,” and all of the characters visiting the “Weekend Update” desk.
“Saturday Night Live” Cold Open
Olivia Rodrigo Monologue
“SNL” Weekend Update Clips
Olivia Rodrigo Musical Performances
Some of the Best “SNL” Sketches
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