Olivia Rodrigo, Jake Paul Feud Rumours Explained: Songstress Jokes Boxer Wanted To 'Beat Up Old Guys On Netflix'

Olivia Rodrigo took a playful swipe at her former Bizaardvark co-star Jake Paul during her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live in New York over the weekend, joking that while she pursued emotional pop anthems, he chose to 'beat up old guys on Netflix.'

The 23-year-old singer and the 29-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer, who once shared a Disney Channel set, suddenly found themselves back in the same sentence as Rodrigo used her SNL monologue to poke fun at both their wildly different career paths.

Olivia Rodrigo and Jake Paul first crossed paths as teenagers on the Disney sitcom Bizaardvark, where they played content creators on a fictional video platform.

Since then, Rodrigo has become one of pop's biggest new stars with hit singles and two multi-platinum albums, while Paul has split opinion by leaving YouTube pranks behind for a lucrative boxing career and high-profile streaming bouts.

Rumours of any real-life feud between the pair have circulated among fans for years, but neither has publicly framed their relationship as anything more dramatic than colleagues whose lives moved in opposite directions.

Olivia Rodrigo, Jake Paul Joke Sits Inside A Sharper SNL Monologue

On SNL, Rodrigo leaned straight into that narrative. Reflecting on her early days at Disney, she told the studio audience: 'When I was 13, I was on a Disney show called Bizaardvark, and we had an incredible cast, which included acting legend Jake Paul.'

The 'acting legend' line did some heavy lifting on its own, but she then pushed the joke further, sketching out the contrast between teenage ambition and adult reality.

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

The jab landed because it sits close enough to the truth to sting. Paul has cultivated a boxing persona built on fighting older, often retired athletes in heavily promoted events with major streaming platforms.

Rodrigo did not name any of his opponents, but audiences were quick to connect the dots. Online, Paul's supporters insisted he has taken on legitimate challengers and dismissed the line as lazy, while Rodrigo's fans treated it as long-overdue commentary on his curated tough-guy image.

What stood out most on the night, though, was how thoroughly Rodrigo embraced the SNL format. She did not just turn up to sing; she spent her monologue skewering her own image as enthusiastically as she teased her former co-star. Promoting her third album, due next month, she sent up the raw one-word titles that helped define her early work.

'My last two albums were called SOUR and GUTS, and this new one is called you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,' she joked. 'So, I learned more words, guys!'

The self-mockery worked partly because Rodrigo has spent the past few years being painted as the voice of teenage heartbreak. Acknowledging that reputation, then undercutting it with a title that sounds like a text from an overfamiliar acquaintance, let her reclaim a little control over how that narrative is told.

She also reimagined the song that made her a household name. In a wry twist, Rodrigo performed a parody of Drivers License, this time singing about using a fake ID rather than passing her test. It was a small, pointed reminder that she is fully aware of how often her private life has been pored over via her lyrics.

Beyond The Jake Paul Quip, New Music From Olivia Rodrigo

Later in the programme, Rodrigo stripped things back for the live debut of a new song, Begged, which is set to appear on her forthcoming record. Dressed in a sheer, nightwear-inspired outfit and perched alone on a swing, she delivered an acoustic performance that felt deliberately at odds with the sharp jokes of the opening monologue.

The lyrics were characteristically direct, 'All that I want is to know undoubtedly that you just have eyes for me. All that I want is to sit here silently and watch movies on TV.'

The song's simplicity underscored why Rodrigo has cut through so quickly. Her SNL turn arrived as she climbs the charts again with her comeback single Drop Dead, and ahead of an extensive tour in support of the new album.

After dates across North America and elsewhere, Rodrigo is scheduled to bring the show to the UK in April 2027, with four nights booked at London's O2 Arena.

By then, the Jake Paul joke will almost certainly be a footnote, but it has already served a purpose, reminding viewers that behind the streaming numbers and Disney backstory is a young artist quite willing to aim a punchline, even at someone who makes a living throwing punches.