Celebrities Who Are Part Of SNL's Five-Timers Club

The venerable sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live" has always had its favorite hosts, entertainers who make regular appearances amidst the usual run of movie stars, athletes, and politicians. But those frequent hosts did not have an official designation until December 8, 1990, when Tom Hanks hosted for the fifth time. His monologue was a sketch in which he was inducted into the Five-Timers Club, a literal clubhouse for recurring hosts such as Steve Martin, Paul Simon, and Elliott Gould, all of whom made guest appearances. Five-Timers get a custom smoking jacket, a secret handshake, and can literally phone in their performance for the rest of the show from within the clubhouse.

Over the years, more and more hosts would be inducted into the Five-Timers Club, and what started as a quick comedy sketch has become a full-fledged badge of honor, with comedian and former "SNL" writer John Mulaney becoming the newest Five-Timer. Let's take a look at the members who came before him, starting at the very beginning.

Buck Henry may have seemed a little old to hang with the cool kids of "SNL" during its first five years, but the actor and comedy legend more than earned his street cred by co-creating Mel Brooks' absurdist spy spoof "Get Smart" in 1965 and writing the screenplay for "The Graduate" in 1967. Henry made his hosting debut in 1976, during the show's first season, and became a Five-Timer in its third season in 1977; he would host an additional five times after that. Henry's many memorable sketches include the Billy Goat Tavern-inspired "Olympia Cafe," "Lord and Lady Douchebag," and "Samurai Stockbroker," where he was injured by John Belushi's samurai sword live on air. Henry died in 2020 at age 89.

Steve Martin is arguably the most famous "SNL" cast member who was never actually a cast member. A bona fide comedy rock star at the time, Martin became a Five-Timer even faster than Buck Henry had, with five appearances in just the second and third seasons. He would go on to host a total of 15 times as of February 2022, with countless more guest spots throughout the entire run of the show. When not appearing on "SNL," Martin has managed to eke out a living as one of the comedy world's most respected elder statesmen, a beloved actor, respected author, and award-winning playwright. His "SNL" novelty song about King Tut reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978, and his 1986 monologue "A Holiday Wish" is a perennial favorite on the show's yearly Christmas specials.

Elliott Gould might be more well known today for his role in "Ocean's Eleven" or for playing Ross and Monica's dad on "Friends," but he was one of the quintessential 1970s actors, starring in iconic films like "MASH" and "The Long Goodbye." His shaggy brand of cool fit in well with the vibe of the wild early years of "SNL," where his greatest skill on the show was as a utility player. Gould could seamlessly blend in with the ensemble no matter what the sketch required, playing everything from a South American killer bee to Don Corleone's group therapist. He reached Five-Timer status in February 1980 and hosted once more later that year. To date, he has not hosted again, and has not appeared on a regular episode of "SNL" since the 1990 sketch that introduced The Five-Timers Club.

The first former "SNL" cast member to become a Five-Timer, Chevy Chase reached this milestone in 1986 when he co-hosted with his "Three Amigos" castmates Steve Martin and Martin Short (plus "Three Amigos" songwriter Randy Newman as the musical guest). Chase was one of the show's original cast members, and the first one to leave the show for Hollywood, becoming a star in films such as "Caddyshack" and "National Lampoon's Vacation." When he returned to host the show for the first time in 1978, he famously got into a fight backstage with his replacement, future Five-Timer Bill Murray. That combative nature would be a constant throughout Chase's career, leaving hurt feelings in his wake as he returned to "SNL" as host and occasional special guest in the 1980s and 1990s, and became the most contentious cast member of the hit NBC sitcom "Community."

Singer-songwriter Paul Simon has been part of "SNL" from the very beginning as a host, musical guest, and, in a way, providing the unofficial soundtrack of the show. His fingerprints are all over the show: from adding a Simon and Garfunkel song to an early "Schiller's Reel" video short; to singing "Still Crazy After All These Years" dressed as a Thanksgiving turkey; to grimacing through a medley with the Sweeney Sisters; to opening the first episode after the 9/11 terror attacks with an emotional rendition of "The Boxer." Despite his regular appearances throughout the early years of the show and appearing in the inaugural "Five-Timers Club" sketch, however, Simon has only officially hosted three times — four if you count the technically hostless 1980 episode presided over by musical guests Simon, James Taylor, and David Sanborn.

Candice Bergen was the first woman to host "SNL," the first woman to host it a second time (just a month and a half later), and the first woman to become a Five-Timer, though that would take a little while longer. The daughter of famed ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, she made her mark as an ingenue in the late '60s and early '70s, appearing in films like "Carnal Knowledge" and the westerns "Bite the Bullet" and "The Hunting Party." Like Elliott Gould, Bergen fit right into the ensemble in the show's first five years, more like a cast member than a proper host. Often she played the straight woman, whether dealing with an extremely stupid person or challenging child endangerment pioneer Irvin Mainway.

Bergen's first three episodes were all within the first two years of the show, but she wouldn't make it to five until 1990, when she hosted in the midst of her incredibly successful CBS sitcom "Murphy Brown." In 2018, she appeared on Jonah Hill's fifth episode along with Tina Fey and Drew Barrymore to welcome him into the club.

If Candice Bergen and Elliott Gould were hosts who felt like utility players, Tom Hanks was a host who felt like a breakout star. Hanks hosted "SNL" seven times from 1985 to 1996; like Steve Martin and a few hosts below, there's a sense that Hanks could have been a cast member, and perhaps should have been. He possesses not just the humor and acting talent, but also the technical chops to perform live at full throttle, whether breaking out a solid Dean Martin impersonation or another episode of "Mr. Short Term Memory." It's very rare for a host to have their own recurring character; Hanks has had several, including, more recently, the haunted house baffler David S. Pumpkins.

Like Paul Simon, the show has called on Hanks to be a steady presence in troubled times. He hosted the final episode before the 2016 elections, as well as the first "SNL at Home" episode produced under lockdown in Spring 2020. In December 2021, he was on hand to welcome Paul Rudd to the Five-Timers Club with just a skeleton crew and no audience, as a covid diagnosis earlier that week shuttered plans for a regular show.

Not every Five-Timer gets the smoking jacket and celebrity cameo treatment. When actor and director Danny DeVito hosted in 1999, cast members Cheri Oteri and future Five-Timer Will Ferrell marked the occasion by presenting him with a fruit basket and a large wrapped box. DeVito opens the box, and out jumps Chris Kattan as his jungle primate character Mr. Peepers, who proceeds to hump the cameraman and spit chewed-up apples in DeVito's face. DeVito first appeared on the show in 1982; and the 1999 episode was actually his sixth time as host, if you include the 1983 episode he hosted alongside then-wife Rhea Perlman. To date, his last appearance on the show was in 2011, when his "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" castmate Charlie Day hosted.

With the exception of 1991, John Goodman hosted "SNL" every year from 1989 to 2001, a remarkable run that speaks to how beloved the "Roseanne" star and Coen Brothers' muse was in the 1990s (as well as today). Like fellow "SNL" all-star Tom Hanks, Goodman is a consummate performer who wouldn't have been out of place as a regular cast member — and in fact auditioned for the show in 1980, as he told Jimmy Fallon in January 2022 — handling sketch comedy, musical performances, and celebrity impersonations with aplomb. His musical talent also earned him a spot alongside Dan Aykroyd as new Blues Brother Mighty Mack in the 1998 sequel "Blues Brothers 2000" and in several "SNL" appearances.

Like Steve Martin and John Goodman, actor Alec Baldwin shares the rare distinction of hosting "SNL" more than a dozen times — 17 times, in fact, from 1990 to 2017. His double-digit hosting record has become a running joke on the show, and prompted a new layer to the Five-Timers Club mythos: The Platinum Lounge. His early appearances banked on his status as a heartthrob; note the spontaneously horny response to his entrance as a cowboy in this 1990 sketch. As the years went on, though, Baldwin developed his own comic arsenal and recurring characters. Although it's often said that the great recurring hosts could have been cast members, Baldwin actually put that theory to the test, essentially becoming a regular cast member between 2016 and 2020, thanks to his frequent appearances as then-president Donald Trump.

Comedy icon and real-life folk hero Bill Murray joined the cast of "SNL" in 1976 when Chevy Chase left to conquer Hollywood, creating his own epic run of nerds, weirdos, and literal swill merchants. When Murray himself left the show in 1980, he, like Chase, returned the next year, hosting twice during 1981. He wouldn't appear on "SNL" again until 1987, spending the 1980s starring in classic comedies like "Stripes," "Tootsie," and "Ghostbusters." His fifth and (so far) final hosting gig was in 1999, but Murray has remained a good "SNL" alum, resurrecting his obnoxious character Nick the Lounge Singer for the show's 25th and 40th-anniversary specials, and appearing as former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon in 2018.

Triple threat Christopher Walken is in many ways the perfect "SNL" host: A stage-trained actor, singer, and dancer whose oddball energy makes it feel as if he's just making it all up as he goes along. By the time Walken hosted his fifth show in 2001, he had already racked up a score of memorable and recurring sketch characters, from Ed Glosser, trivial psychic (a parody of Walken's film "The Dead Zone") to cowbell-happy record producer Bruce Dickinson to would-be lothario The Continental. But his most enduring character is probably Walken himself, with his live-wire energy and offbeat cadence that's oh-so-fun to imitate.

Drew Barrymore remains the youngest host in "SNL" history, taking the stage at 30 Rockefeller Center in 1982 at the age of seven. Fresh off the world-dominating success of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," the Hollywood heiress was thoroughly adorable, performing a Q&A-style monologue with the help of cast member Tim Kazurinsky and a baby chimp. Her second hosting gig would be nearly 20 years later in 1999, with Barrymore on the comeback trail. In 2007, 25 years after her first hosting gig, now a movie star once again and a successful producer to boot, she hosted for the fifth time with musical guest Lily Allen. Like Candice Bergen, Barrymore fits in wherever she's needed on the show, whether in a hot tub or on an Italian talk show and, like Christopher Walken, she has a distinct way of speaking that has led to many performers doing impressions of her over the years.

Justin Timberlake is so far the only Five-Timer to have made their first appearance on "SNL" as a musical guest: Timberlake's boy band NSYNC performed in a 2000 episode hosted by "Dawson's Creek" star Joshua Jackson. In 2003, the year after his debut solo album "Justified," Timberlake made his debut as both host and musical guest. He would become a fixture on the show throughout the 2000s and early 2010s as someone who could just pop up without notice. Timberlake worked especially well with fellow young goofballs Jimmy Fallon and Andy Samberg, making multiple appearances as the soft-spoken Robin Gibb to Fallon's older brother Barry on "The Barry Gibb Talk Show," and starring with Samberg in a trio of filthy '90s-style slow jams. In 2013, he was awarded his very own Five-Timers Club monologue sketch with guest appearances from Alec Baldwin, Paul Simon, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Candice Bergen.

Actor and director Ben Affleck made his first appearance on "SNL" in 1999 when his "Shakespeare in Love" co-star Gwyneth Paltrow hosted. He played himself during the monologue, poking fun at the fact that the two had briefly dated. Affleck has always been a good sport about making fun of himself on "SNL," especially in those moments when his life has been tabloid fodder. In 2004, shortly after his breakup with actress Jennifer Lopez, he ridiculed their media-created "Bennifer" nickname with a line of t-shirts for whatever celebrity he might date next ("Benyonce"). In 2013, he hosted for the fifth time not long after Justin Timberlake's star-studded Five-Timer induction. Excited to see what cool celebrities show up for his monologue, Affleck is disappointed when all he gets is cast member Bobby Moynihan in a t-shirt with a "5" printed on it.

Tina Fey started at "SNL" as a writer in the late 1990s, worked the "Weekend Update" desk for four years (first with Jimmy Fallon and later with Amy Poehler) then left to run her own sitcom, the showbiz-skewering satire "30 Rock," featuring Five-Timer Platinum Club member Alec Baldwin. She made her debut as a host in February 2008, and a few months later would become an unofficial cast member once again due to her uncanny resemblance to former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Fey earned her Five-Timer membership in 2015, co-hosting with Amy Poehler, and since then has made many trips back to SNL as a special guest. In 2017, her cake-based reaction to the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia went viral, and in December 2021 she manned the Update desk with Michael Che for Paul Rudd's doomed, covid-struck holiday episode.

Scarlett Johansson is the only member of the Five-Timers Club to have gotten a marriage along with their smoking jacket. The actress, singer, and superhero hosted "SNL" for the first time in 2006 at age 22; at the time, she was still an indie film darling, more known for movies like "Ghost World" and "Match Point" than big-budget comic book flicks. In those early appearances, her most notable recurring role was as Fred Armisen's daughter in a series of low-budget local commercials for chandeliers, marble columns, and other tacky home decorations. In 2017, the same year that she hosted for the fifth time, she appeared in the season finale as Ivanka Trump, one of many celebrity ringers brought in to play Trump administration officials and family members over the years. At the afterparty, she was spotted with "SNL" head writer and "Weekend Update" anchor Colin Jost: The two were engaged in 2019 and married in October 2020.

After years on shows like "Gilmore Girls" and "Mike and Molly," actress Melissa McCarthy rocketed to fame on the back of her Oscar-nominated role in the 2011 hit film "Bridesmaids." She hosted "SNL" for the first time later that year, and quickly stood out for her physicality and commitment to the bit, as we see in her second appearance in 2013, where she is completely undone by a pair of way-too-high heels. McCarthy celebrated her fifth time hosting in 2016 with an elaborate, prop-filled musical number, only to be informed by cast member Kenan Thompson that it was actually only her fourth time hosting. Not to worry, though: She got her actual Five-Timers jacket the next year.

When he first hosted "SNL" in 2000, Dwayne Johnson was still known mostly as WWE wrestler The Rock; in fact, that's how he was billed on the show for his first two episodes. But by the time he joined the Five-Timers Club in 2017, he was Dwayne Johnson, international action hero and bona fide movie star. From the beginning, Johnson wasn't afraid to use his massive size to comedic advantage: In the 2000 commercial parody for the anti-smoking prescription Nicotrel, he plays a large man named Nicotrel who just beats you up if you try to smoke. Johnson's brawn was also the centerpiece of arguably the show's best comedic take on the 44th president, "The Rock Obama." "SNL" knew what it had in Johnson's air of affability as well; generally known as a hard-working, nice guy, the Rock was perhaps the only host who could have gotten away with the extremely dark twist at the center of "World's Most Evil Invention."

The story of Jonah Hill's five episodes of "SNL" reflects his very quick evolution from Judd Apatow supporting player to Hollywood star who can get Leonardo DiCaprio to pop into his monologue for a quick "Titanic" joke. Hill received a best supporting actor Oscar nod for "Moneyball" between his first hosting gig in 2008 and his second in 2012, and was nominated again for "The Wolf of Wall Street" before his third appearance in 2014. Not that his sudden prestige changed much of his material on the show: His signature recurring character is still Adam Grossman, a six-year-old with the sensibilities of a Borscht Belt comedian, performing his insult comedy set to the people sitting around him at Benihana. In 2018 he was inducted into the Five-Timers Club by Tina Fey, Drew Barrymore, and Candice Bergen, as all the male Club members had recently been #MeToo'd.

Will Ferrell was an "SNL" freshman in 1995, part of a new cast that included Cheri Oteri, Ana Gasteyer, and his future "Anchorman" co-star David Koechner. Ferrell immediately stood out for his portraits of masculinity in crisis, whether he was a morning news show host descending into barbarism when his teleprompter stops working, a Dodge Stratus-driving suburban dad, or channeling the boundless unearned confidence of George W. Bush. After leaving the show in 2002, he shot to stardom in films like "Old School," "Anchorman," and "Talladega Nights," but unlike his fellow Five-Timers Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, Ferrell waited a few years before returning to host in 2005. His hosting gigs were infrequent through most of the 2000s and 2010s, which made them all the more anticipated. Ever unpredictable, Ferrell became a Five-Timer in 2019 but spent his monologue getting flustered by Ryan Reynolds.

The second Marvel superhero to be inducted into the Five-Timers Club, Paul Rudd was already an "SNL"-style comedy star, having starred in "Wet Hot American Summer," "Anchorman," and "Knocked Up" before his hosting debut in 2008. Other than serving as a member of the very affectionate Vogelcheck family, Rudd doesn't have many recurring roles in his host repertoire. However, he has hosted a surprising number of Christmas episodes — three of his five appearances have been in late December, including his ill-fated fifth episode in 2021. Rudd was set to host with musical guest Charli XCX, but after as many as four actors tested positive for COVID-19, the decision was made to scrap most of the live episode, the audience, and the musical performances. The show still aired live that Saturday, attended to by a skeleton crew, Rudd, and current cast members Michael Che and Kenan Thompson, plus Five-Timers Tom Hanks and Tina Fey. "Thanks for coming!" Rudd enthuses to Hanks and Fey. "I'm extremely...disappointed."

Inducted into the Five-Timers Club in February 2022, comedian John Mulaney is the only member of the prestigious group who was a writer on "SNL," but never a cast member. Mulaney was hired at the start of Season 34 in 2008, and his work on the show defined much of its sensibilities in the late 2000s through the mid-2010s, particularly his work with actor Bill Hader and their character Stefon. In 2014, Mulaney created and starred in a short-lived sitcom on Fox (also starring Five-Timer Elliott Gould), the IFC mockumentary series "Documentary Now!" the Netflix cartoon "Big Mouth," and a prime role voicing fan-favorite Spider-Ham in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." In 2018, Mulaney hosted for the first time in an episode that introduced the viral hit "Diner Lobster," and he has hosted every season since.