A$AP Rocky had never performed on Saturday Night Live before Saturday (Jan. 17), and he used the night to show off a record that was barely a day old. The first episode of 2026, hosted by Finn Wolfhard, had Rocky playing songs from Don’t Be Dumb live for the first time, and popping up in a sketch with a returning host, Stereogum reported.
He opened with the album’s lead single, “Punk Rocky,” joined by Thundercat, Danny Elfman and Mark Harley, who all appear in the song’s video. Winona Ryder, who stars in that clip and in Wolfhard’s Stranger Things, was not there. His second set stitched together “Don’t Be Dumb”/“Trip Baby,” the one with the Clairo sample, and “Helicopter$.”
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Rocky technically had a past SNL credit: Revolt noted that he made a cameo in a 2018 sketch with Donald Glover, Chris Redd and Kenan Thompson. This was his first turn as a musical guest. NBC had previewed the booking weeks earlier, and Rocky’s own announcement set the album’s release for Jan. 16, with “vinyls, CDs, cassettes, and digital DSPs” all available that day.
Sabrina Carpenter, a recent host, reprised her role as a 12-year-old boy in “Snackhomiez,” a parody of the MD Foodie Boyz podcast, and Rocky appeared in the sketch, Stereogum said. Elsewhere, Wolfhard wore a Replacements T-shirt to introduce Rocky, a nod to the band’s infamous SNL set 40 years earlier, and Rihanna, Rocky’s partner, was in the audience.
The appearance capped a rollout that began with two videos in a week. Don’t Be Dumb, whose cover Tim Burton designed, is Rocky’s first album since 2018’s Testing.
The next two shows kept the New York theme. Live for Live Music reported that Geese would make their musical debut on Jan. 24 with host Teyana Taylor, and Cardi B would play on Jan. 31 with host Alexander Skarsgård.
Don’t Be DumbA$AP RockyListen on Apple Music
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.
