George Carlin, the first person to host Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a late-nightsketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. It premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the title NBC's Saturday Night. The show usually satirizes contemporary American popular culture and politics. SNL features a two-tiered cast: the repertory members, also known as the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players", and newer cast members, known as "Featured Players." A typical episode of SNL will feature a single host, who delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast. While the format also features a musical guest, and a number of episodes have featured celebrity cameos, the focus of the show is the guest host.
George Carlin was the first to host the show, while Candice Bergen was the first woman to do so. Guests that host five times (or more) are considered "members" of the Five-Timers Club, introduced on the December 8, 1990 episode, when Tom Hanks became the seventh person to host their fifth episode.[1] There have been 45 episodes on which the show's host also served as the musical guest; the first was Paul Simon on October 18, 1975.[2] The most recent to pull double duty was Dua Lipa on May 4, 2024. The Rolling Stones are the only band to ever serve as both host and musical guest during the same episode, which aired October 7, 1978.[3]
Saturday Night Live has featured a wide array of hosts and musical guests. George Carlin served as the show's first host in October 1975;[4] three episodes later, Candice Bergen became the first female host[5] and the first to host more than once.[6] Actor Alec Baldwin holds the record for most times hosting, having done so seventeen times since 1990; Baldwin took the record from actor Steve Martin who has hosted sixteen times since 1976.[7]
Several former cast members have returned to take on hosting duties. Original cast member Chevy Chase has hosted the most times, eight in total. Tina Fey follows behind, having hosted six times, while Bill Murray and Will Ferrell have hosted five times. On December 11, 1982, Eddie Murphy became the only person to host while still a member of the cast, filling the role at the last minute when the scheduled host (his 48 Hours co-star Nick Nolte) became ill.[8][9]
Musical guests can be solo acts or bands, who perform two to three musical numbers. Occasionally, the musical guest has also simultaneously served as the host. Paul Simon was the first example, hosting and performing on the second episode on October 18, 1975. As of October 28, 2023, Dave Grohl is the most frequent musical guest, performing on sixteen shows since 1992.[10][11]
In 1982, at age 7, Drew Barrymore became the youngest person to host the show. Betty White is the oldest person to host, having done so at 88 years of age in 2010.[12] Due to White's advanced age, Tina Fey, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch and Amy Poehler were on standby to replace her as host or in sketches if she became fatigued, though White ultimately appeared through the whole show as planned.[13] In 2000, singer Britney Spears became the youngest person to both host and simultaneously serve as the show's musical guest, at 18 years and 161 days old.[14]
In addition to making cameo appearances, political figures have also hosted the show. Donald Trump, who hosted in 2004 (promoting the reality TV show The Apprentice) and again in 2015 as a presidential hopeful, is the only host who eventually became President of the United States. Al Gore hosted in 2002, the only former vice president to do so. Presidential candidates, either former, current, or future, have served as hosts: in addition to Trump and Gore, there was Ralph Nader (1977), Jesse Jackson and George McGovern (both 1984), Steve Forbes (1996), Rudy Giuliani (1997), John McCain (2002), and Al Sharpton (2003). Although not a host, Sarah Palin appeared on SNL in 2008 after weeks of Tina Fey doing impressions of her on the show. In more recent years, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Nikki Haley have both appeared on the show during their presidential campaigns, in 2016, 2020 and 2024, respectively.
Five-Timers Club
Actor Alec Baldwin is the show's most prolific host, fulfilling the role 17 times between 1990 and 2017.
The Five-Timers Club is the group of performers who have hosted SNL at least five times.[15][16][17][18]SNL's first mention of the Club occurred on December 8, 1990, when Tom Hanks mentioned that it was his fifth appearance as host in his monologue:
Believe it or not, this is the fifth Saturday Night Live I have been lucky enough to host. Now, the first time you do the show, you can't believe you're here. You just can't believe it. Your head buzzes with excitement. The second time you do the show, it means you were funny enough to be asked back– and you're pushing a movie. The third time you do the show, the second time didn't go so well, and you have something to prove to yourself. The fourth time you do the show, you're just blatantly pushing a movie. But the fifth time you do the show is the most special time of all, because you get this [holds up a card] ...a membership card in the Five-Timers Club. Come with me... [walks off the stage] I'm gonna give you a chance to look in on one of the most exclusive clubs in the world.[19]
After Hanks delivered his monologue, the show segued to a sketch set in a richly appointed private club, featuring Hanks and Five-Timers Steve Martin, Elliott Gould, and Paul Simon, who had actually only served as host four times.[lower-alpha 1] Then-writer Conan O'Brien appeared in a cameo as a doorman.[23]
In 2006, a sketch featuring Martin and Baldwin introduced the Platinum Lounge, featuring only hosts that have hosted the show at least twelve times, on the occasion of Baldwin's 13th time hosting the show (Martin had hosted 14 times at the time).[24] Martin Short appeared as a waiter, as he would during many subsequent Five-Timers Club sketches. Since then, John Goodman has become the third person to host more than twelve times.
Timberlake's fifth appearance as host on March 9, 2013, featured the reappearance of the richly appointed club. The sketch featured Paul Simon, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, and Candice Bergen. There were portraits of John Goodman and Drew Barrymore in the Five-Timers Club's Hall of Portraits. When Melissa McCarthy hosted the show for the fifth time, Five-Timers Club member Steve Martin appeared in the goodnights to welcome her to the club and presented her very own five-timers jacket. When Dwayne Johnson hosted the show for the fifth time, fellow five-timers Baldwin and Tom Hanks appeared in the monologue to welcome him to the club.
On November 3, 2018, the fourth episode of season 44, the club is seen again as part of the monologue of actor/director Jonah Hill.[25] He is taken there by Five-Timer Tina Fey. Once in, he is greeted by Candice Bergen, and Drew Barrymore. Seeing no men in the club, Hill wonders if it's "Ladies Night". He is told by Fey that the other men "are not allowed in right now" because of presumed harassment problems.
The club has been spoofed by SNL itself. During her fourth appearance as host in April 2019, Emma Stone anticipated "Four-Timers Club" honors in her monologue.[26]
The club was seen again on February 26, 2022, the thirteenth episode of season 47, when John Mulaney hosted for the fifth time. In the sketch, Mulaney is greeted by Steve Martin, Candice Bergen, and Tina Fey. Paul Rudd was the last person to host for the fifth time, although his show was affected due to the rise of Omicron cases, which resulted in a reduced cast and no audience. The sketch also featured an appearance by Elliott Gould, which was his first appearance in 15 years on the show, along with a surprise appearance from former SNL writer Conan O'Brien, who appeared in the first Five Timers club sketch as a doorman back in season 16.
On February 25, 2023, the thirteenth episode of season 48, when Woody Harrelson hosted SNL for the fifth time and Jack White performed for his 5th musical guest stint, as well as his 4th solo musical guest appearance. During the goodnights, Kenan Thompson and Scarlett Johansson welcome both Woody Harrelson and Jack White to the Five-Timers Club and presenting their very own five-timers jackets.
On December 2, 2023, the sixth episode of season 49, the next person to be inducted into the Five-Timers Club was Emma Stone, who was given a five-timer jacket by fellow-Five Timers Tina Fey and Candice Bergen in her monologue.
On April 6, 2024, the sixteenth episode of season 49, former cast member Kristen Wiig joined the five-timer club. During the sketch, multiple former hosts appeared in Five Timers jackets despite not being members, including Matt Damon (hosted twice), Fred Armisen (once), Jon Hamm (thrice), Will Forte (once), Paul Simon (four times) and Ryan Gosling (twice), who presented Wiig with the jacket.[27][28] Actual club member Paul Rudd also appeared alongside former SNL writer Paula Pell and producer Lorne Michaels.[27] These special guests appeared in a sketch later in the show.
Chevy Chase was the first former SNL cast member to both host the show and join the Five-Timers Club. This was subsequently done by Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, and Kristen Wiig. Mulaney is the second former writer to join the Five-Timers Club, as Fey was the head writer as well as a cast member.[29]
1 2 Simon has hosted only four times but has been included in multiple Five-Timers Club sketches because of his many other appearances as either a musical or special guest.[20][21][22]
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↑ Sklar, Rachel (February 7, 2008). "George Carlin's SNL Monologue". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
↑ Young, Jamie Painter (March 13, 2003). "His way". nBack Stage West. Just a few weeks ago he did a rousing song-and-dance number during his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, on which he has the distinction of being in the 'Five-Timers Club' of celebrities who have hosted the show five times or more. (He's hosted six.)
Shales, Tom; Miller, James Andrew (2002). Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. United States: Hachette Book Group USA. ISBN0-316-73565-5.
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