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George Carlin, the first person to host Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live (abbreviated as SNL) is a late-night sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. It premiered on NBC, a terrestrial television network, on October 11, 1975 under the title NBC's Saturday Night. The show often satirizes contemporary American popular culture and politics. Saturday Night Live 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 this article is the guest host.

George Carlin was first to host the show; Candice Bergen was the first woman to host the show a few weeks later and again hosted only six weeks after that. Guests that host five times (or more) are members of the Five-Timers Club (see below)—a term that originated on December 8, 1990, when Tom Hanks became the seventh person to host their fifth episode. Every so often, a host will also be the musical guest, such as first seen with Paul Simon on October 18, 1975, and, most recently, Drake on May 14, 2016.

List of Saturday Night Live hosts

Main articles: Guests (A–D), (E–H), (I–L), (M–P), (Q–T), and (U–Z)

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;[1] three episodes later, Candice Bergen became the first female host[2] and the first to host more than once.[3] As of February 11, 2017, actor Alec Baldwin holds the record for most times hosting, having performed the duty on seventeen different occasions since 1990; Baldwin took the record from actor Steve Martin who had hosted fifteen times since 1976.[4]

Several former cast members have returned to take on hosting duties. Original cast member Chevy Chase has hosted the most times, eight in total. Bill Murray and Tina Fey follow behind, having 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.[5][6]

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 May 19, 2012, Dave Grohl is the most frequent musical guest, performing on eleven shows since 1992.[7]

In 1982, at age 7, Drew Barrymore became the youngest person to host the show. Actress Betty White is the oldest person to host, having done so at 88 years of age on May 8, 2010.[8] Concerned about White's age and possible fatigue, her episode had Tina Fey, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch and Amy Poehler on standby to replace her; White went on to appear in every sketch.[9] 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.[10]

In addition to making cameo appearances, political figures have also hosted the show. Al Gore hosted in 2002, the first and so far only former Vice President to do so. Presidential candidates, either former, current, or future, have served as hosts: Ralph Nader in 1977, George McGovern in 1984, Steve Forbes in 1996, Rudy Giuliani in 1997, John McCain in 2002, Al Sharpton in 2003, and Donald Trump in 2004 (promoting the reality TV hit The Apprentice) and again in 2015 as a presidential hopeful. As of 2017, Trump is the only President of the United States to have ever hosted the show.

Five-Timers Club

The Five-Timers Club is the group of performers who have hosted SNL at least five times.[11][12][13][14] The club was first mentioned on the show on December 8, 1990 by Tom Hanks who, in his monologue, touched upon the fact that it was his fifth appearance as host:

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.[15]

Actor Alec Baldwin has helmed the show more than anyone else, having hosted 17 times between 1990 and 2017, in addition to numerous guest appearances.

After Hanks gave his monologue, the show segued to a sketch featuring Hanks, Steve Martin, Elliott Gould, and Paul Simon in the richly-appointed club. Martin and Gould were both five-time hosts; Simon had only appeared as a host of SNL four times, but counting his multiple appearances as a musical guest, was said to be a member of the club. The Five-Timers Club was mentioned to have a swimming pool with perfect 80 degree waters as Elliott had just gotten out of it. The food that is served there is named after known SNL performers. Then-Saturday Night Live writer Conan O'Brien portrayed Sean, the doorman of the club. Jon Lovitz appears as a club waiter. Ralph Nader appears as a former SNL host trying to get into the Five-Timers Club only for Lovitz to tell him and his group to leave.

The Five-Timers Club has been mentioned again after the mark was reached by hosts Danny DeVito (in 1993), Alec Baldwin (1994), John Goodman (1994), Christopher Walken (2001), Drew Barrymore (2007), Justin Timberlake (2013), Ben Affleck (2013), and Scarlett Johansson (2017). The club was also mentioned by host Melissa McCarthy (2016), who stated that she was eligible for the club (her fifth appearance being in the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special). McCarthy's eligibility for the club is in dispute, as it is questionable whether inclusion in the Anniversary Special meets the undefined requirements (being that the original club included a musical guest).

Justin Timberlake's monologue from March 9, 2013 featured the reappearance of the richly-appointed club. The sketch features 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. The staff at the Five-Timers Club are former cast members, with Dan Aykroyd (1975–79) and Martin Short (1984–85) appearing as the club's bartender and waiter, respectively. Future cast member Mike O'Brien makes an appearance as the doorman who greets Justin. The entertainment at the Five-Timers Club involves making the current SNL performers fight each other to the death, with Bobby Moynihan shown fighting Taran Killam.

Steve Martin was the fastest to join the Five-Timers club, hosting five times in only 546 days. Buck Henry is the only other member to join in less than four years, hosting five times in 671 days, although, in keeping with his persona on the show of being an undesirable or boring host, is said not to have been told about the club itself. The following people are members of the Five-Timers Club.[citation needed]

Name Total appearances
as host 		First appearance Fifth appearance Time to reach club Most recent appearance
Ben Affleck 5 February 19, 2000 May 18, 2013 13 years, 88 days May 18, 2013
Alec Baldwin 17 April 21, 1990 December 10, 1994 4 years, 233 days February 11, 2017
Drew Barrymore 6 November 20, 1982 February 3, 2007 24 years, 75 days October 10, 2009
Candice Bergen 5 November 8, 1975 May 19, 1990 14 years, 192 days May 19, 1990
Chevy Chase 8 February 18, 1978 December 6, 1986 8 years, 291 days February 15, 1997
Danny DeVito 6 May 15, 1982 January 9, 1993 10 years, 239 days December 10, 1999
Tina Fey 5 February 23, 2008 December 19, 2015 7 years, 299 days December 19, 2015
John Goodman[16] 13 December 2, 1989 May 7, 1994 4 years, 156 days December 14, 2013
Elliott Gould 6 January 10, 1976 February 16, 1980 4 years, 37 days November 15, 1980
Tom Hanks[17] 9 December 14, 1985 December 8, 1990 4 years, 359 days October 22, 2016
Buck Henry 10 January 17, 1976 November 19, 1977 1 year, 306 days May 24, 1980
Scarlett Johansson 5 January 14, 2006 March 11, 2017 11 years, 56 days March 11, 2017
Dwayne Johnson 5 March 18, 2000 May 20, 2017 17 years, 63 days May 20, 2017
Steve Martin[18] 15 October 23, 1976 April 22, 1978 1 year, 181 days January 31, 2009
Melissa McCarthy 5 October 1, 2011 May 13, 2017 5 years, 224 days May 13, 2017
Bill Murray 5 March 7, 1981 February 20, 1999 17 years, 350 days February 20, 1999
Paul Simon 4[a][b] October 18, 1975 May 10, 1986 10 years, 204 days May 14, 2011
Justin Timberlake 5[c] October 11, 2003 March 9, 2013 9 years, 149 days December 21, 2013
Christopher Walken[19] 7 January 20, 1990 May 19, 2001 11 years, 119 days April 5, 2008

a Simon has only guest-hosted four times but has been included in both Five-Timers Club sketches. His fifth appearance on the show was as a musical guest appearance.

b Out of his four appearances as host, Simon acted as both host and musical guest during one episode.

c Out of his five appearances as host, Timberlake acted as both host and musical guest during three episodes. During his most recent appearance on December 21, 2013, he was the musical guest while Jimmy Fallon hosted.

  • Buck Henry was the first person to guest-host five times, with his fifth appearance on November 19, 1977. Scarlett Johansson is the most recent member, joining on March 11, 2017.
  • As of February 11, 2017, Alec Baldwin held the record for hosting SNL the most frequently, with 17 episodes, beating out Steve Martin, with 15 episodes. In 2006, both made a cameo appearance when the other hosted, with Martin, up by one at the time, attempting to kill Baldwin before he could tie his record. When Baldwin hosted for the 15th time in 2010, Martin appeared on a television congratulating him during the monologue, but Baldwin turns and pushes him off the stage. On September 24, 2011, Baldwin finally broke Martin's record for most host appearances with his appearance on the 37th-season premiere; Martin appeared during the monologue to administer a drug test (a satirical reference to long-running scandal regarding steroid use in Major League Baseball), wanting to make sure that the person who broke his record had done so fairly.
  • Chevy Chase was the first SNL cast member to come back and host the show, and the first to join the Five-Timers Club. Cast members Bill Murray and Tina Fey later joined the Club.

The Five-Timers Club has been referenced in other media since its creation in 1990. The entertainment channel E! placed it #22 on its list of SNL top moments.[citation needed] The club was also referenced by Fox Sports as the basis behind the creation of the "Favre Backup Club" which seeks to be the "NFL's equivalent" to the Five-Timers Club.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sklar, Rachel (February 7, 2008). "George Carlin's SNL Monologue". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Shales & Miller 2002, p. 44.
  3. ^ Shales & Miller 2002, p. 48.
  4. ^ Semigran, Aly (September 25, 2011). "'Saturday Night Live' recap: The return of the king (a.k.a. Alec Baldwin)". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Ryan, Mike (February 4, 2011). "Power Rankings: How Have 24 Former SNL Stars Performed as Host?". Movieline. Retrieved September 8, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Ryan, Mike (February 4, 2011). "Power Rankings: How Have 24 Former SNL Stars Performed as Host? (Page 2)". Movieline. Retrieved September 8, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Dave Grohl Makes His 11th Appearance on 'Saturday Night Live' Tonight". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. May 19, 2011. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Betty White becomes oldest Saturday Night Live host". History. May 8, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Ryan, Mike (April 7, 2011). "Where Does Helen Mirren Rank Among Saturday Night Live's Oldest Hosts?". Movieline. Retrieved September 8, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Justin Bieber to Host 'Saturday Night Live'". ABC News. The Walt Disney Company. January 8, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Lyons, Margaret (March 7, 2013). "Ranking the Hosts in Saturday Night Live's Five-Timers Club". Vulture.
  12. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (March 11, 2017). "‘SNL’ Five-Timers Club: Most Frequent Hosts, From Alec Baldwin to Justin Timberlake (Photos)". TheWrap.
  13. ^ Wilson Hunt, Stacey (February 11, 2015). "'SNL' Five-Timers Club: Justin Timberlake, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks Share Wild and Crazy Tales of TV's Toughest Gig". The Hollywood Reporter.
  14. ^ "The Rock to host Saturday Night Live season finale, set to join Five-Timers Club". Sports Illustrated.
  15. ^ "Monologue: Tom Hanks Joins the Five-Timers Club". Satuday Night Live. NBC. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  16. ^ Yamato, Jen (December 15, 2013). "Host John Goodman Makes 13th Trip To 'SNL,' Stallone & De Niro Cameo For Christmas Pic: Video". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "UPDATE!! SWEEPS DAY 10!! Tom Hanks Hosts His First SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Since Sept. 28, 1996!!". Ain't It Cool News. May 6, 2006.
  18. ^ Martin holds the records for guest appearances (26) and hosting in a single season (3)
  19. ^ Young, Jamie Painter "His way", Back Stage West, March 13, 2003. "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.)"
  20. ^ Schrager, Peter (April 2007). "Buffet: The men behind The Man". Fox Sports, MSN.
Bibliography
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