Teen sensation Olivia Rodrigo to visit White House to promote vaccines for young people

With more than 25 million followers across social media platforms and multiple No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles in countries around the world, Olivia Rodrigo can add another notch to her belt: vaccine advocate.

The White House says the 18-year-old actress, singer and songwriter will meet Wednesday with President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser.

Rodrigo will record videos about the importance of young people getting vaccinated. The videos will be featured on both Rodrigo’s and the White House’s social media.

The visit was first announced on Instagram with a photo of a youthful Biden, and the president asking for help getting other young people vaccinated.

Rodrigo replied: “I’m in. see you tomorrow at the white house!”

The announcement was met with confusion on Twitter. Puzzled by the news, many users admitted they’d never heard of Rodrigo.

For some, it was clear evidence of an age gap in knowledge of popular culture.

One user took the opportunity to make jokes about the collaboration, citing similarities between the vaccination push and lyrics from Rodrigo’s song “good 4 u.”

While the administration has had success vaccinating older Americans, young adults have shown less urgency to get the shots.

CDC data shows that nearly 80% of adults aged 65 and older are fully vaccinated, compared with about 59% of adults aged 18 and older.

Of the eligible population, people aged 12 and older, that number is even lower: 56 percent.

The collaboration comes during a time of heightened promotions to get young people vaccinated across the nation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lauren Hamilton

Lauren Hamilton is an Associate Producer at WTOP and a graduate of the University of Maryland. She enjoys covering the intersection of arts, culture and social justice in local communities. She began as an intern with WTOP in the summer of 2021.

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