Olivia Rodrigo poked fun at her former Disney Channel costar Jake Paul during her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live.
Olivia Rodrigo took center stage at Studio 8H this weekend, pulling double duty as both the host and musical guest for her Saturday Night Live debut. The pop star used her opening monologue to reflect on her early days in the industry, specifically her time on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark.
Running from 2016 to 2019, the show featured a young Rodrigo alongside digital personality and actor Jake Paul. While they both started in the same corner of the entertainment world, Rodrigo noted that their ambitions diverged sharply as they grew up.
This lighthearted comparison highlights how child stars often travel vastly different professional trajectories after leaving behind their network roots.
During her address to the audience, the 23-year-old singer recalled shared aspirations from her teenage years. She explained that while she dreamed of writing music capturing the emotional complexity of her peers, Paul had set his sights on a rather different kind of stardom.
She jokingly shared that Paul had once mentioned a desire to beat up older men for streaming audiences. With a grin, Rodrigo concluded the anecdote by noting that they both successfully achieved exactly what they set out to do.
Following the monologue, the broadcast continued with the usual comedy sketches and musical performances. Rodrigo opted to pivot from her usual songwriting style by performing a parody of her hit song, Drivers License, focusing this time on the mundane struggle of obtaining a government-issued ID.
Ultimately, the sketch served as a clever bridge between her past as a Disney star and her current identity as a chart-topping artist. It provided a moment of levity that allowed the singer to reclaim her narrative while giving fans a dose of her signature wit.
This performance underscores how modern pop stars are increasingly using television platforms to control the public perception of their early careers.