Olivia Rodrigo to Make SNL Hosting Debut May 2

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- Olivia Rodrigo will both host and serve as musical guest on SNL on May 2 — her first time hosting after two prior musical guest appearances on the show
- Rodrigo will likely preview songs from her third album "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love," due June 12; the title breaks her established pattern of four-letter album names
- Matt Damon hosts May 9 with Noah Kahan performing; Damon is promoting Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" while Kahan's fourth album "The Great Divide" arrives April 24
- Will Ferrell closes the season May 16 with Paul McCartney as musical guest; Ferrell stars in Netflix's upcoming golf comedy "The Hawk" and McCartney's solo album "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" drops May 29
- Rodrigo said the album is "laced with a little melancholy," noting "no matter how hard I try to write love songs they always come out" that way
- "Drivers License" by Rodrigo inspired one of SNL's most memorable sketches in recent years, per the source
Why it matters: SNL stacked its final three episodes with hosts and musical guests each promoting upcoming releases: Damon's Nolan film "The Odyssey," Kahan's "The Great Divide" (April 24), Ferrell's Netflix comedy "The Hawk," and McCartney's "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" (May 29). Rodrigo's May 2 hosting debut lands a month before her June 12 album, making the episode a double launch platform.



