NEW YORK, Oct 12:  British pop star Charli XCX surprised Saturday Night Live viewers on Oct. 11 by appearing as “Sally” during Role Model’s musical debut — wearing a “Max’s Kansas City” T‑shirt amid rumors that it was a dig at Taylor Swift.

Role Model, making his SNL musical guest debut, called out during his performance of “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,” asking, “Where’s my Sally tonight?” The audience erupted when Charli walked through a doorway onto the set. She wore a black skirt and the Kansas City–themed shirt with sunglasses, fueling speculation that the outfit was a response to Swift, who frequently visits Kansas City with her fiancé, Travis Kelce.

The appearance comes amid chatter of tension between the two artists. Swift, 35, released a song called “Actually Romantic” in her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, which many fans interpreted as a response to Charli’s earlier track “Everything Is Romantic” from Brat. Swift addressed questions about the song in an Amazon Music chat, saying it reflects realizing someone else has inserted themselves in your life in a one‑sided way:

“And all of a sudden they start doing too much … you take that and just accept it as love … It’s actually pretty romantic if you really think about it.”

Charli’s shirt may also have referenced Role Model himself — early SNL promo videos showed him wearing the same top. His last album, released in July 2024, is entitled Kansas Anymore. The shirt nods to both that and New York’s iconic Max’s Kansas City venue.

Towards the end of their joint performance, Charli removed her dark sunglasses, smiled at Role Model, and exited the stage.

Charli XCX is the latest in a line of guest “Sallys” on Role Model’s performances. Others have included Hilary Duff, Troye Sivan, Natalie Portman, Reneé Rapp, and Conan Gray. At Austin City Limits Music Festival on Oct. 3, Duff made a surprise appearance as “Sally.”

Earlier this week, Role Model posted a photo of himself and Sivan onstage, to which Charli jokingly commented, “Keep him xx,” sparking playful speculation of rivalry. The two appeared reconciled during their SNL performance, dancing side by side.

Charli, known for her surprise guest tactics in her own shows (bringing out Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Chappell Roan, among others), previously hosted SNL in 2024 and also appeared as a music guest. On SNL this week, Amy Poehler hosted the show, with surprise appearances by Tina Fey and Seth Meyers, and Role Model later returned to close out the show with “Some Protector.”