Olivia Rodrigo's Response to 'SNL's' 'Driver's License' Sketch Is Perfect

Olivia Rodrigo was a huge fan of Saturday Night Live's sketch about her song 'Drivers License' [...]

By Michael Hein

Olivia Rodrigo was a huge fan of Saturday Night Live's sketch about her song "Drivers License" this weekend. The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star posted about the sketch in real-time on social media. As it turned out, she got the shout-out on her birthday, so she treated it like a gift.

"DRIVERS LICENSE SNL SKETCH IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER IM SHAKING," Rodrigo tweeted right after the sketch aired. She also posted on her Instagram Story: "I'm losing my mind an snl sketch ab drivers license omg." Rodrigo turned 18 years old on Saturday, Feb. 20, so the sketch came just minutes after her birthday was over. For her, it was close enough to call a present.

The sketch in question starred this weekend's host, Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page." It showed Page in a dimly-lit bar with several male cast members — Kenan Thompson, Beck Bennett, Pete Davidson, Alex Moffat, Mikey Day and Bowen Yang — all playing macho bros playing pool together. Their manly pursuits are interrupted when Rodrigo's song "Drivers License" comes on the jukebox.

The men all pretended not to recognize the heartbreaking ballad, and then not to care for it. Over the course of a couple of minutes, they all devolved into teary-eyed karaoke, admitting that they love the song. Along the way, they were joined by Kate McKinnon playing an old Italian man, who also loved the song.

The men in the sketch also admit they are not just music fans — they speculate about the celebrity gossip surround Rodrigo and the impetus for the song. They note that it was supposedly written about Rodrigo's ex-boyfriend and High School Musical co-star Joshua Bassett. According to a report by E! News, this claim remains unconfirmed.

The sketch's speculations about Rodrigo's artistic influence may have been legitimate as well. In January, Rodrigo told an Apple Music interviewer that she has "looked up to" Taylor Swift "as long as I can remember."

An SNL shout-out is no small feat for Rodrigo, especially considering that "Drivers License" is her debut single. She has a record deal with Interscope and Geffen Records. "Drivers License" came out in early January, and immediately broke streaming records on Spotify. It was a critical success at once as well, and Rodrigo saw herself lifted to new heights of fame in real-time.

From the looks of it, that climb will continue. There is no word on when Rodrigo's next release might come out, but another new episode of SNL premieres on Feb. 27 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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