Saturday Night Live continues building momentum for its return this week as pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo prepares to pull double duty as host and musical guest. But before goes live from New York, she shared the promo stage with Ashley Padilla.
In typical promo fashion, Rodrigo dutifully delivers the standard intro“Hi, I’m Olivia Rodrigo, and I’ll be the host and musical guest this week on SNL." This time, it's Padilla on hand to derail things almost immediately.
Padilla, 32, starts things off by trying to connect with Rodrigo, 23, through her music. This means the obligatory "driver's license" reference which quickly reveals something unsettling about Padilla. Then the Saturday Night Live star moves on to "sour guts" and once again overshares with this week's host.
In perhaps the most chaotic segment, Padilla appears to forget the entire premise of the promo mid-shoot, taking a phone call and loudly scheduling “both brunch and lunch” while Rodrigo tries to finish her line. And in the final beat, Padilla derails things yet again, this time with existential dread about what happens after death. It prompts Rodrigo to show her what's on the other side, choking out Padilla off screen.
Similar to her appearance in the Devil Wears Prada parody promo alongside James Austin Johnson, Rodrigo shows an effortless calm on the Saturday Night Live stage. Her reactions are quick, natural, and just grounded enough to anchor Padilla’s increasingly surreal energy. That comfort shouldn’t come as a surprise. Long before her rise as a chart-topping pop star, Rodrigo built her career as an actor, and it shows.
At the same time, the promo doubles as a showcase for Padilla, whose breakout season continues to gain momentum. After a year marked by cast turnover, including the loss of key cast members like Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and Bowen Yang, she’s emerged as one of the show’s most reliable and distinctive voices.
Her prominent placement here is a smart choice, too. Sharing the spotlight with Rodrigo, Padilla feels less like a featured player and more like a co-lead. It's a reflection of how much her stock has risen over the course of the season. In many ways, she’s become as much of a draw for Saturday Night Live fans as the hosts themselves.
If these promos are any indication, this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live won’t be lacking in energy. Between Rodrigo’s easygoing presence and Padilla’s anything-goes unpredictability, the stage looks set for a laugh-out-loud finale run.
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