Every member of the Saturday Night Live ‘Five-Timer Club’
Since 1975, Saturday Night Live has become a staple of American television. Created by Lorne Michaels, the variety and sketch show has won 93 Primetime Emmy awards over the nearly five decades it has been on the air, making it the most nominated show of all time and creating a cultural legacy that few shows can ever match up to.
The show is known for its ensemble cast of celebrities who perform sketches, often parodying popular culture and politicians, leading the show to be equally praised and criticised. Its ability to shock audiences and make them cry with laughter is only trumped by providing decades’ worth of ‘watercooler moments’ that act as cultural touchstones for broader society. Regardless, the show brings in millions of viewers each week, providing audiences with a different famous host and a popular musical guest who plays two or three songs.
During the show’s long run, countless guests, the first being comedian George Carlin, have hosted the show. Three episodes later, Candice Bergen became the first female host and the first to host SNL more than once. The youngest person to ever host was Drew Barrymore, who appeared on the show when she was only seven in 1982, following her performance in E.T the Extra-Terrestrial. The actor has since returned to host the show five more times, making her a member of the ‘Five-Timers Club’.
Tom Hanks first mentioned the elusive club in a 1990 episode that he presented. In his opening monologue, he shared, “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. […] 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.”
In the following sketch, fellow “card-carrying” members Elliott Gould, Steve Martin and Paul Simon welcomed Hanks into the club. It must be noted that Simon is not technically an official member because he has only hosted four times. However, he has been a musical guest so often that he is now considered an honourary member.
During the sketch, it was revealed that the club has its own swimming pool, and all of its food is named after previous SNL performers. Furthermore, Conan O’Brien, just a writer for the show at the time, made a cameo as the club’s doorman.
By this point, there were only a handful of members in the Five-Timers Club. Alongside those just mentioned, Buck Henry, Chevy Chase, and Candice Bergen had also appeared five times. In fact, Henry was the first person to make it into the club and went on to host five more times after that. As of 2024, the club has 27 official members, the most recent being comedian ex-cast member Kristen Wiig. The actor joins Will Ferrell, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Tina Fey and John Mulaney as cast members who have joined the illustrious cast.
Since the sketch, it has become a badge of honour for celebrities to have hosted the iconic show on multiple occasions. It not only means their name goes down in history, forever attached to the legendary show, but that your name is remembered alongside some of the entertainment industry’s most beloved personalities within society.
However, many hosts have long surpassed the five-time milestone, and there is even a supposed ‘Platinum Lounge’ for those who have hosted over 12 times, which Martin invited Alec Baldwin to in a 2006 sketch. Martin has hosted 15 times in total. However, Baldwin has now surpassed him, having presented SNL a whopping 17 times, ranking as the host with the most appearances.
Every member of SNL’s Five-Timer Club:
- Alec Baldwin (17)
- Steve Martin (15)
- John Goodman (13)
- Tom Hanks (10)
- Buck Henry (10)
- Chevy Chase (8)
- Christopher Walken (7)
- Scarlett Johansson (6)
- Tina Fey (6)
- Elliott Gould (6)
- Sting (6)
- Danny DeVito (6)
- Drew Barrymore (6)
- Candice Bergen (5)
- Bill Murray (5)
- Justin Timberlake (5)
- Ben Affleck (5)
- Melissa McCarthy (5)
- Dwayne Johnson (5)
- Will Ferrell (5)
- Paul Rudd (5)
- Jonah Hill (5)
- John Mulaney (5)
- Woody Harrelson (5)
- Emma Stone (5)
- Kristen Wiig (5)
- Paul Simon (honorary member, 4)
