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 both the first woman to do so, as well as the first to host a second time. Guests who 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 46 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 Charli XCX on November 16, 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]
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.[a] 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 club members Paul Simon, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, and Candice Bergen, and appearances from Martin Short and Dan Aykroyd. 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 Martin Short (hosted four times), 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, Kristen Wiig. Martin Short is expected to join this list upon hosting on December 21, 2024. 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]
Related Research Articles
Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance. Historically, one or two of the players are cast in the role of news anchor, presenting gag news items based on current events and acting as hosts for occasional editorials, commentaries, or other performances by other cast members or guests. In modern times, dedicated anchors are chosen among writing staff, often lead writers, in lieu of cast or featured players. Chevy Chase has said that Weekend Update – which he started as anchor in 1975 – paved the way for comedic news shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that is usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", properly beginning the show.
The Land Shark was a recurring character from the sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live.
The thirty-first season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 1, 2005, and May 20, 2006. 19 episodes were produced due to the 2006 Winter Olympic Games and network budget cuts.
John Edmund Mulaney is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mulaney first rose to prominence for his work as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2013, where he contributed to numerous sketches and characters, including Stefon, a recurring character that he and Bill Hader co-created. Since his departure from SNL, Mulaney has hosted it six times, becoming a member of the SNL Five Timers Club in 2022.
The sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live aired several critically acclaimed sketches parodying then Alaskan Governor and vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin in the lead-up to the 2008 United States presidential election. The sketches featured former cast member Tina Fey, who returned as a guest star to portray Palin. Fey won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her impersonation of Palin.
The thirty-fourth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 13, 2008, and May 16, 2009.
The thirty-fifth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 26, 2009, and May 15, 2010.
Saturday Night Live in the 2000s: Time and Again is a two-hour documentary television special that showcases the years of Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2009. It features interviews with the cast and crew from those years, and aired on NBC on April 15, 2010. It was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.
Stefon Meyers, more commonly known as Stefon, is a fictional character portrayed by Bill Hader on the American sketch-comedy television show Saturday Night Live (SNL). Created by Hader and writer John Mulaney, Stefon is based on people Hader and Mulaney encountered in their daily lives, including a club promoter and a barista. Stefon first appeared in the sketch "Movie Pitch with Stefon" on the November 1, 2008, episode hosted by Ben Affleck, later becoming a recurring character on Weekend Update from 2010 until 2013.
The thirty-seventh season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 24, 2011, and May 19, 2012.
The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between September 13, 2008, and May 16, 2009, the thirty-fourth season of the show.
The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between September 26, 2009, and May 15, 2010, the thirty-fifth season of SNL.
The thirty-ninth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC from September 28, 2013, with host Tina Fey and musical guest Arcade Fire and concluded on May 17, 2014, with host Andy Samberg and musical guest St. Vincent with 21 episodes.
"Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" is a three-and-a-half-hour prime-time special that aired on February 15, 2015, on NBC, celebrating Saturday Night Live's 40th year on the air, having premiered on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. It is produced by Broadway Video. This special generated 23.1 million viewers, becoming NBC's most-watched prime-time, non-sports, entertainment telecast since the Friends series finale in 2004. It is the third such anniversary special to be broadcast, with celebratory episodes also held during the 15th and 25th seasons.
The forty-fifth season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on September 28, 2019, during the 2019–20 television season with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Billie Eilish, and concluded on May 9, 2020 with host Kristen Wiig and musical guest Boyz II Men. This season featured the return of Eddie Murphy as host, on December 21, 2019, for the first time in 35 years. Murphy's episode was the most watched episode since 2008.
"Saturday Night Live at Home" refers to the final three episodes of the 45th season of the late-night comedy program Saturday Night Live. Whereas SNL typically consists of sketches performed live in-studio, these "at Home" episodes were recorded remotely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television; none of the sketches were performed live for any of these episodes, and none of the participants in any sketch from these shows were in the same physical location.
The forty-seventh season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 2, 2021, during the 2021–22 television season with host Owen Wilson and musical guest Kacey Musgraves, and concluded on May 21, 2022 with host Natasha Lyonne and musical guest Japanese Breakfast. For the first time, the season's first five episodes and the remainder from episode ten onward were live-streamed on the streaming service Peacock in addition to its coast-to-coast live television broadcast.
↑ 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
