Olivia Rodrigo debuts new song 'Begged' on 'SNL,' more best moments

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY Sun, May 3, 2026 at 3:25 PM UTC

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Good for her: Olivia Rodrigo has fulfilled a teenage dream by making her "SNL" hosting debut.

The "Drivers License" singer, 23, returned to her television comedy roots by hosting "Saturday Night Live" for the first time on the May 2 episode, during which she roasted former costar Jake Paul, parodied her own music and debuted a stunning new song.

In her opening monologue, Rodrigo sat at a piano to perform her 2021 debut single "Drivers License," but with lyrics about a more "recent big event in my adult life": getting her REAL ID.

"I approach the lady. She says I don't have what I need," she sang. "She said my ID isn't real. Well, then why did you give it to me? The lady said, 'You need a pay stub.' I said, 'What the hell is that? I'm 23.' "

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Olivia Rodrigo performs on "Saturday Night Live" on May 2, 2026.

Rodrigo also joked about starring with Paul on the Disney Channel show "Bizaardvark," the first major acting role of her career.

"We'd always talk about our futures, me and Jake," she said. "I'd say, 'I really want to create music that explores the complexities of girls my age,' and he'd say, 'Well, one day I really want to beat up old guys on Netflix.' And we both did it!"

Rodrigo was also the episode's musical guest. For her first song of the evening, she performed "Drop Dead," the new single off her upcoming third album "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love." The set was made to look like Rodrigo was inside her own grave, complete with a tombstone that read, "Here Is Where Olivia Dropped Dead." Blondie's Debbie Harry made a surprise appearance to introduce the song, about a perfect first date.

See Olivia Rodrigo perform new song 'Begged' on 'SNL'

Later, "Heated Rivalry" star Connor Storrie, a recent "SNL" host, introduced Rodrigo's second performance: a brand new, emotional track called "Begged," about begging for scraps of affection in a relationship. "I'm cool and forgiving. I'll take what you're giving," she sang. "Nothing's quite enough when I know that to get it, I begged."

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The song was heard for the first time publicly on "SNL," and it hasn't been released on streaming platforms. Rodrigo performed it while sitting on a swing, evoking the cover art of her upcoming album.

Outside of the official performances, Rodrigo was singing throughout the night, as she also starred in a few musical sketches.

One surreal one that evoked "The Twilight Zone" opened with her singing about her seemingly normal teenage girl's bedroom before revealing the room is located in "a zoo on the bug people planet." She also performed a duet with Marcello Hernández in a sketch where a man tries to bust his fiancée for cheating on him, only to accidentally reveal he is cheating himself.

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Olivia Rodrigo has officially kickstarted her newest era. The "Good 4 U" singer, who is no stranger to turning a red carpet into her own runway, recently unveiled her highly anticipated third album. Titled "You Seem Pretty Sad For a Girl So in Love," the album will officially be releasing on June 12, 2026, and marks a new (pinker!) chapter for Rodrigo following the success of her first two albums "Sour" and "Guts."From her iconic performances to her standout red carpet looks, here's a look at Olivia Rodrigo's career through the years starting with her recent appearance at the Chloe fall/winter 2026-2027 show in Paris.

Elsewhere in the episode, Rodrigo starred in a slapstick-heavy sketch about a 1980s soap opera where people keep tripping and violently falling down stairs in increasingly absurd ways.

Other highlights from the show included a sketch where Rodrigo and Ben Marshall played a pair of exes pretending to be in new relationships, as well as the latest edition of a recurring sketch about Shop TV hosts selling a product that looks very inappropriate. Sabrina Carpenter starred in a version of the same sketch when she hosted in October.

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As she closed the evening, Rodrigo was joined on stage by Harry, Storrie and Aziz Ansari, who debuted an impression of FBI Director Kash Patel in the cold open. "This is a true honor and a real dream come true," Rodrigo said.

Prior to making her hosting debut, Rodrigo had been the musical guest on "SNL" twice before, most recently in December 2023. Her album "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love" will drop on June 12, and her Unraveled tour kicks off in September.

"SNL" will return on May 9 with host Matt Damon and musical guest Noah Kahan, followed by the season finale on May 16, hosted by Will Ferrell with musical guest Paul McCartney.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olivia Rodrigo new song 'Begged' debuts on 'SNL,' more best moments

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