Being parodied on Saturday Night Live the first time is considered a badge of honor and a sign you’ve made it for most celebrities. Last night 18 year old High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star Olivia Rodrigo got even better when the late night comedy show devoted an entire segment to Pete Davidson, host Rege-Jean Page, Kenan Thompson and others discussing and ultimately singing her hit song “Drivers License.” The hilarious sketch flew around Twitter almost immediately, and no one liked it more than Rodrigo herself.
The basic joke of the sketch is essentially a bunch of dudes playing pool and having way more information and in-depth opinions about Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” than one would initially guess. They talk about what the song means on the surface, the High School Musical drama the song might actually be about and how it all makes them feel or relates to their own lives. Then, of course, they all sing the bridge of their lives. Check it out…
Judging by Twitter response, the sketch went over very well with fans, apart from a small number who are really invested in the alleged behind the scenes Disney drama. Olivia Rodrigo herself was most decidedly a huge fan. She dropped an all capital letters tweet expressing how stoked she was after the singalong aired last night, saying it was the best birthday present. One can only imagine what the sensation of watching it must have been for her. Check out her reaction below…
The official Twitter account for Saturday Night Live responded and told her Happy Birthday, as well, which was a nice and classy little touch from the late night show. It was also just another small little win for the actress and singer who just keeps piling them up. Olivia Rodrigo's career began with some commercials and then a key role on Bizaardvark on the Disney Channel back in 2016. After three seasons, that eventually led into the lead role on High School Musical: The Musical. She contributed a few songs for the show's soundtrack, which led to a record contract, which led to "Drivers License", which debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. It also went to number one in several other countries, and now her song was the basis for a Saturday Night Live sketch in which it's compared to Taylor Swift. What a staggering run.
As for the rest of last night's SNL episode, it was a mix of the expected (Ted Cruz, Britney Spears, Bridgerton references) and completely out of nowhere SNL nonsense like grocery store raps and pageants for men with skinny little legs. Ultimately, that's when the show is at its best, at least from my perspective. I want to both be able to anticipate some scandals the show will comment on, especially when it comes to politics, and I also want to be completely surprised by complete and utter weirdness and/ or celebrities impressions or commentaries I never saw coming. That's the ideal balance, and it's one the show has been finding lately.
